By Jean Gonzalez - Florida Catholic - Orlando
ORLANDO | The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program recently came under fire in state and national news under the specter that funds from the program fuel private schools that discriminate against students who identify as LGBTQ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
Two state representatives from Orlando argued that no private school that receives the scholarships should be allowed to single out and discriminate against gay students in school policies. This led to an Orlando Sentinel investigation that found 83 religious schools that accepted vouchers for low-income students had policies explicitly barring gay students from enrolling.
Under the program, businesses receive tax credits for contributing money to nonprofit organizations that, in turn, provide scholarships to students to attend private schools. The investigation — which did not name any Florida Catholic schools as discriminating against youths — along with the prompting of the two legislators led two major banks — Wells Fargo and Fifth Third — to withdraw funding from the program.
But is there credence to the idea that the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is inherently discriminatory because schools that are openly discriminatory receive funds?
In an editorial by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, the answer was a succinct no, and then some.
“These scholarship programs discriminate against nobody: grant money goes to income-qualified parents, including parents who may be LBGTQ. The parents then choose the school best suited for their child — and, to date, no parent has complained about discrimination,” the archbishop wrote in his monthly column to be published in the Florida Catholic Miami edition in February. The editorial was also shared with the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “While these scholarship programs have overcome challenges in our courts, opponents of parental empowerment in education are exerting pressure on businesses who have taken advantage of the Florida Tax Credit program to support parents.”
Archbishop Wenski identified four scholarship programs that are “an essential part of the parental choice landscape” — the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for low-to middle-income families; the McKay Scholarship Program for students with special needs; the Gardiner Scholarship Program for students with special needs; and, and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program for 4-year-olds.
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program is administered by two non-profit organizations — AAA Scholarship Foundation and Step Up For Students. Patrick Gibbons, public affairs manager for Step Up For Students, explained the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship benefits low-income students, and is “privately funded though donors are granted a tax credit rather than a tax deduction.” In contrast, “voucher programs” — such as the Gardiner and McKay scholarships — are “typically those funded through appropriations or nondiscretionary funds paid through taxes.”
Supporting parents and parental choice are not just buzz words and phrases; they create a big distinction concerning the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program. Money from the program doesn’t get funneled into a school; it is given to the parents who in turn choose where they wish to send their child. That important distinction means it is up to the parents — including those of students who identify as LGBTQ — to find a school that will welcome their student, including those with special needs, whether these be spiritual, emotional, economic, societal, mental or physical.
While the Orlando Sentinel investigation identified schools that bar students, redefinEd — the media and blog site for Step Up For Students — offers the story of a gay teen who was cruelly harassed at his public school, but through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, his mother found a private school that welcomed him as he is.
“The choice scholarships do not go to schools but rather to families who determine the best education settings and options for their schoolchildren,” said James Herzog, associate for education for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, the legislative lobbying arm of Florida’s bishops. “As a general practice, Catholic and other nonpublic school families must review the parent and student handbook for the given year and indicate agreement with the school’s mission and beliefs. Parents determine the best available schools for their children in the program.”
While schools’ handbooks might reveal the institutions might bar or not offer appropriate support for certain students, Gibbons explained that Step Up is required by law to offer scholarships to all eligible students. He said parents awarded funds “are free to choose” among the more than 2,000 eligible private schools.
“Step Up is prohibited by law (under FS 1002.395) from restricting approved schools from enrolling students on the scholarship. Only the Florida legislature can make changes to the law, including requiring changes in admissions policies,” Gibbons wrote. “The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program serves 108,000 economically disadvantaged students, 70 percent of whom are black or Hispanic and more than half live in single-parent households. The average student lives in a household with an income that averages just 8 percent above the poverty level. Every $1 million lost in donations results in 140 fewer scholarships for disadvantaged students, most of whom are children of color.”
Catholic schools in Florida were among the first nonpublic schools to embrace scholarship programs, such as the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, to extend opportunities to families who otherwise might be pushed to the margins of society. Florida’s Catholic bishops have long supported the rights and responsibilities of parents as the primary educators of their children.
“Florida’s Catholic schools have a long and rich tradition for participating in state scholarship programs for children from low-income families,” Herzog wrote. “Students from poor black and Hispanic families are the primary recipients of these scholarships that make a positive and life-changing impact in their lives. As such, these students are the ones hurt the most by the withdrawal of support from corporations.”
The Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops offered financial numbers for the 2018-2019 school year in regard to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. The numbers reveal 196 Catholic schools participated in the scholarship program with a total of 18,428 students benefiting. That translated to more than $131 million. While the total number of scholarship dollars was not available at press time for the 2019-2020 school year, the conference reported an increase in the number of students using the scholarship — 18,870.
In his column, Archbishop Wenski remarked how the availability of both private, including faith-based schools, and a well-funded public education system strengthens all schools. He added how Catholic schools provide “significant savings” to Florida.
“There are currently 77,609 K-12 children served in Florida's 242 Catholic schools. The cost to educate these children in public schools would have been $567 million during the 2017-2018 school year,” Archbishop Wenski wrote. “Even after subtracting out the value of the Florida Tax Credit, McKay and Gardiner scholarships provided to some 26,000 Catholic school students, these schools save the state more than $423 million per year.”
Although it did face controversy, dialogue and awareness of the program has yielded positive results. On Feb. 7, Fifth Third Bank said it would resume contributions to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship after it had conducted a “comprehensive review of the program” and had “detailed conversations” with management at AAA Scholarship Foundation. The reversal also followed a Feb. 4 gathering of more than 100 black and Hispanic pastors at the State Capitol for a news conference to denounce what they called attacks on the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program and the low-income minority families it serves. The gathering also included parents of students benefiting from the program.
“Parents are continuing to let their voices echo in the public square about the many reasons why scholarship schools are a lifeline of hope and opportunity for their children,” Herzog wrote. “We continue to work with stakeholders to strengthen the program and preserve its support, all with an eye to the common good.”
