ERIC Number: ED509824
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010-May
Pages: 49
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Tax-Credit Scholarships in Maryland: Forecasting the Fiscal Impact
Gottlob, Brian
Foundation for Educational Choice
This study seeks to inform the debate over a proposal in Maryland to give tax credits to businesses for contributions to organizations that provide scholarships to K-12 private schools or which contribute to innovative educational programs in the public schools. The study constructs a model to determine the fiscal impact of a tax-credit scholarship program on the state and on local school districts. The author and his colleagues estimate the impact that the scholarship portion of the tax-credit program will have on the distribution of students between public and private schools in Maryland by estimating the likely transfer of students from public to private schools depending on the average dollar value of scholarships. They use these estimates to determine the impact that tax-credit scholarships will have on state education aid to school districts and to calculate the "break-even" rate of transfer, or the number of public school students who would have to transfer to private schools in response to the scholarship program, in order to make the tax-credit scholarship program (both the scholarship and innovative education program for public schools portions) fiscally neutral from the perspective of Maryland state government. They compare the revenue and expenditure impacts of the scholarship and contributions for innovative educational programs on school districts to determine the net impact of the tax-credit program on school district finances and the resources available to educate each child in Maryland's public schools. In addition to expanding educational opportunities to Maryland families of limited means (improving the equity of its education system) and providing funding for innovative educational programs in the public schools, the Building Opportunities for all Students and Teachers (BOAST) tax-credit program will generate fiscal benefits for local school districts, increasing the available resources for students who remain in public schools. Because much of their revenue does not vary with enrollment, school districts will retain much of the funding associated with students who use scholarships to transfer from public to private schools. The overall impact on public schools would be to increase the financial resources available per student. Depending on a few key program variables and design elements, the BOAST proposal can also result in large fiscal savings to the state budget. (Contains 12 tables, 13 figures, and 18 notes.
Descriptors: Public Schools, Private Schools, Tax Credits, Income, Program Effectiveness, School Districts, State Government, Scholarships, School Business Relationship, School Choice, Transfer Students, Expenditures, Enrollment Trends, Expenditure per Student, Student Characteristics, Participation, Tuition, Supply and Demand, Economic Impact, Poverty, Family Income, Educational Finance, Financial Support, At Risk Students, Budgets, State Aid
Foundation for Educational Choice. One American Square Suite 2420, Indianapolis, IN 46282. Tel: 317-681-0745; Fax: 317-681-0945; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Foundation for Educational Choice
Identifiers - Location: Maryland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A