Private school parents deserve tax breaks. Aside from paying local property taxes, Americans also pay an additional school tax that is used only in the public schools’ education system. The government should offer parents of children attending private schools tax breaks or reimbursement vouchers since they do not use the district’s public schools. Many people feel that since private school parents make this decision on their own they shouldn’t be given any tax breaks; however, not all private school parents are rich and they too may still struggle to pay off the bills at the end of the month.
In 2008, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal initiated a debate about tax breaks for private school tuition. He presented a plan to the Legislature, where 50 percent of the private school tuition, up to $5,000, would be deducted from the families state income tax. This could save $60 to $300 per child in taxes for the family. Some fear that “this legislation may subsidize private schools at the expense of public school children,” however, if the government would give tuition vouchers it would open up more opportunities for low-income families to send their children to private schools.
Tax breaks or school vouchers are not only beneficial for parents who want to send their children to a parochial school, where their children will get a dual curriculum, learning both religious and general studies, but also for parents of differently abled children. Many parents, even though they may be financially struggling, need to put a child in a private institute for more personalized attention due to learning or social disabilities. It has been proven that children with ADD/ADHA, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities succeed more in private schools with trained teachers and the proper accommodations for their specific learning situations. Tax breaks can help more parents afford these private schools for their differently abled children.
The US government should pay more attention to school taxes and the strains it is putting on many families who are not even benefiting from them. Even though it’s a couple’s own decision to send their child to a private institution, some of their tax money should be returned or at least used towards their own child's education. As it remains now, private school parents are paying for two education bills yearly. One for their own child’s private school tuition and another for someone else’s child’s public school.
Since many will argue that rich people do not deserve tax breaks one solution is to create a system where the government makes an evaluation of each families income and distributes school vouchers accordingly. This income cap will give tax breaks to families who can not afford private schools but still want their children to attend one.
In 2004, Congress endorsed the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, a school-voucher program, in Washington, giving 1,700 students up to $7,500 in a voucher to help low-income families send their children to the school of their choice. This program has helped many children succeed and has given hope to brighter futures for children with learning disabilities.
However in 2009, President Barack Obama’s administration completely shut the program down. So on May 6th, 2009 parents and students assembled in Washington, D.C.'s Freedom Plaza to rally for their cause.
Mercedes Campbell, one of the students affected by the congressional Democrats backdoor legislature move to shut down the voucher system, voiced her support for the program at the rally and various other events. She was given the opportunity to attend a private school because of the voucher program but her younger sister and brother wont be able to have that choice. On Fox news, reporter Brit Hume said about Obama that by ending the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program “he would be signing a bill that would strip two poor kids of the educational opportunity his own children are enjoying.”
Works Cited:
1. “Religious Education And School Taxes.” New York Times; 7th of August 2005, p13.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=28703820&site=ehost-live
2.Paquette, Jerry. “Public Funding for "Private" Education: The Equity Challenge of Enhanced Choice.” American Journal of Education; Aug2005, Vol. 111 Issue 4, p568-595, 28P
3. Kennedy, Robert. “Schools For Learning Disabilities” Web.
http://privateschool.about.com/od/schoolsneeds1/tp/toplearning.htm
4. Eggler, Bruce. “Fight possible over tax break for Private School Tuition.” The Times-Picayune: New Orleans Metro Real-Time News. March 08, 2008
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/fight_possible_over_tax_break.html
1)A. I think the essay will be about parents who send thier children to private schools deserving tax breaks.
ReplyDeleteB.The writer is taking the position that private school parents DO deserve tax breaks.
c.The intro tries to hook the reader by stating how private school parents have to pay an exra amount of tax dollars in order to send their children to private school therefore are struggling to pay the bills.
D. I think that she should have put several reasons as to why parents might send their children to private school.
2)One arguement is that by giving vouchers to private school families, it opens up opportunities for low income families to send their children to private schools. Another argument is that vouchers provide breaks for those parents who have children who are differently abled than others. Another argument is that parents of private school children are paying two bills instead of one. Another argument is the one that states that the government should make an evaluation ofv the income of families in order to determine how much, if any, tax money should be freturned to a private school parent.
3)The author recognized the counter argument that people feel that by giving vouchers, "legislation would subsidize private schools at the expense of public" schools. A counterargument recognized is that it is the couples' own decision to send their children to private scool. Another counterargument is the one that states that some parents may feel as if all private school parents are rich and that is not the case.
4)a.The writer deals with the opposition very well. She gives an argument for all the counterarguments she stated and was able to convince me to what she was arguing.
b.The writers strongest point is the one where she states that not all private school parents are rich and so are paying two bills instead of one.
C.The writers weakest point is the one where she states that it is the couples' own decision to send their child to private school because that she doesn't really give an argument for that counterargument.
d.Yes the points are organized in an efffective manner.
e.Well, she stated this viewpoint allready but i feel as if she should have elaborated on her argument that low income families will have the chance to send their kids to private schools. She could have supported this with studies demonstrating how this can be possible.
f.I feel as if the author adressed all possible counterargument because I can not think of any possible ones.
5)Many private school parents are not rich, contrary to the popular beleif that they are, and so vouchers will help those struggling parents with their bills at the end of the month.
6)1."Tax breaks or school vouchers are not only beneficial for parents who want to send their children to a parochial school, where their children will get a dual curriculum, learning both religious and general studies, but also for parents of differently abled children". This could be revised as Tax vreaks not only are beneficial to parents who want to send their children to parochial schools(religous education), but also for parents with differently abled children.
2."Even though it’s a couple’s own decision to send their child to a private institution, some of their tax money should be returned or at least used towards their own child's education." This could be revised as A couples own decision to send their child to private school is merely a decision to want thier children to get a better education and so should get a tax break for their childs education.
7)I feel as if this essay is well ordered. I did not find any misspelled words and the transitions are fine the way they are.