The East Valley and Nine Mile Falls school districts outside Spokane just learned how hard it is to ask stretched taxpayers for more — a school bond and a levy failed this spring. But a new federal K-12 education tax-credit program could send more than $700 million annually to Washington students and school districts like these, at zero cost to taxpayers or schools. There’s just one catch: Gov. Bob Ferguson has to say yes.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said yes earlier this month, and her choice was anything but routine. It was a signal flare visible all the way to Olympia — and our governor should be taking notes.
Congress enacted the country’s first-ever Federal Tax-Credit Scholarship (FTCS) program for K-12 educational expenses last July. Any federal taxpayer can donate up to $1,700 to an approved nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against their federal tax bill — not a deduction, a full credit. Expense funds can be used at any public, private, or religious school for a wide range of education-related costs, from tutoring and books to technology, tuition, uniforms, transportation, therapies for students with special needs, extended-day programs, and more…