YOU CAN HELP A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD TODAY!!

Contact your State Senator and State Representative Immediately!

The Missouri Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives will soon debate legislation designed to spur the offering of school choice scholarships to children with disabilities. The scholarships could be used to attend a public school or a private school, including Catholic schools.

SCS/ SBs 993 & 770, sponsored by Senators Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau) and Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville), is already on the Senate Debate Calendar, while HCS HB 1886, sponsored by State Representative Dwight Scharnhorst (R-Valley Park), is expected to be placed on the House Debate Calendar in the next several days. Both bills could come up for votes in their respective chambers in the next several weeks.

Public school groups are mounting a vigorous campaign of deception to defeat these bills, falsely claiming that they will take money from public schools. Only a strong show of support for the bill from citizens like you will ensure that special needs children get the help they deserve.

This legislation has surfaced in response to the mounting frustration of public school parents of special needs children. Many public schools provide excellent special education, but in some instances children need a smaller setting where they can receive more personalized attention. In committee hearings several weeks ago, parents testified how their children only made progress when they were removed from the public school and enrolled in a private school.

There are a number of private schools that provide special education, including Catholic schools such as the Vogelweid Learning Center in Jefferson City and the recently opened St. Gemma Center for children with autism and developmental disabilities in St. Louis. The parents who testified in favor of the two bills want the opportunity to send their child to these kinds of private schools, but they need scholarship assistance to do so.

Under the bills, if a child has an approved individualized education program (IEP) from the local public school district, the parents can apply for a scholarship which can be used to send the child to another public school district or a private school, including Catholic special education schools.

Contrary to the false claims of public school groups, neither bill provides a state-funded voucher. In fact, these bills do not appropriate any state money for the scholarships. Instead, the bills encourage private giving to fund the scholarships. Individuals and businesses that make a charitable donation to a scholarship organization may claim a state income tax credit for 80% of their donation. Hence, for a $1,000 donation, a charitable giver could claim a credit of $800.

Private schools (including Catholic schools) that accept scholarship students must meet the following requirements:

• be located in Missouri,

• comply with state laws concerning criminal background checks for employees;

• comply with all health and safety laws and codes that pertain to nonpublic schools;

• hold a valid occupancy permit, if required by the local municipality;

• certify that the school does not discriminate based on race (SCS SBs  993 and 770  has broader language to include discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin or religion); and,

• provide academic accountability to the parents of scholarship students through regular reporting.

ACTION REQUESTED:

• Contact your State Senator – urge support for SCS/SBs 993 & 770

• Contact your State Representative – urge support for HCS HB 1886;

• Use “Talking Points on Special Needs Scholarships” below in your calls, emails and letters;

• Report back to the MCC on what your State Senator and State Representative said about the bills.

TALKING POINTS ON SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOLARSHIPS

Put children first – when public schools fail, special needs children deserve other options;

Parents – not educational bureaucrats – know what is best for their special needs child;

Sometimes private schools work best because they can offer more personalized attention;

These bills are not “voucher bills” and they do not take money from public schools.

The bills promote charitable giving for a worthwhile cause – helping special needs children;

Missouri offers numerous tax credits for businesses and other special interests. Surely, parents of special needs children merit our support.

If you don’t know who your State Senator or State Representative is, please click here to find the individual. You can also call us at 1-800-456-1679.