Posted on 07/14/2013 11:35:52 AM PDT by Deadeye Division
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A state lawmaker wants to give a tax break to property owners who home-school their children.
State Sen. Kris Jordan introduced a bill that would reduce property taxes for parents who home-school their children that is equal to the amount they pay for school levies in their local districts.
Jordan said the legislation -- Senate Bill 127 -- will help those who “sacrifice so much” to home-school a child. One group argues that the measure could lead to more tax breaks at the expense of public education.
“People who home-school pay twice for the education of their kids,” the Central Ohio Republican said. “They pay their taxes. Then they pay for supplies, transportation and everything else out of their own pockets.”
If passed, SB 127 would save home-schooling property owners in the Cleveland school district about $1,500 each year per $100,000 of home value. Shaker Heights homeschoolers would reap the greatest benefit -- about $2,800 per $100,000 of home value.
“That extra thousand or two will help them buy books, or help them take their kids to museums and give mom and dad a little extra money to educate their kids,” Jordan said.
The money saved by property owners would be money lost by local school districts.
Across the state, more than 10,000 children are educated at home, according to the Ohio Department of Education. The numbers do not indicate if the students are taught in owner-occupied residences and would therefore qualify the homeowners for Jordan’s proposed tax break.
The number of home-schooled children varies widely by district. More than 150 children are home-schooled in the Cleveland School District, and fewer than 10 are home-schooled in Shaker Heights.
Jordan said the impact on local school districts would be minimal.
“I don’t think it will have a dramatic impact on any school district,” Jordan said. “It’s just a tool to help moms and dads better educate their children. If moms and dads want to home-school their kids, we want to help them however we can.
“What I hear people complaining about from the right and the left is that we need more parental involvement with children and education, and nothing gives better involvement than home-schooling.”
The Ohio School Boards Association staunchly opposes the legislation.
“It takes away from something we think every sector of the economy should pay for, their fair share of public education,” said Jay Smith, a lobbyist for OSBA, adding that SB 127 could lead to a slippery slope of tax breaks for others who keep their kids out of public schools.
“What about those who don’t have children? Shouldn’t they be granted the same?” Smith asked. “What about those who choose to send their child to private school? It could just escalate.”
Smith’s fears are not off the mark.
Jordan said he would eventually like to see an end to public school reliance on taxes from property owners who don’t have kids in public schools. He also said home-schooling is an issue close to his heart.
“I was a public school child, but because my mom was a teacher, I kind of feel like I was home-schooled,” Jordan said. “My mom spent many, many hours reading and working with me, so I wasn’t behind like many children are who are enrolled in public education.”
And for property owners without school aged children, they also get a break? For parents who pay for their children to go to private schools, they also get a break?
This is an awful idea. Well intentioned, but the core of any law should be: Does it apply to (most) every one? If not, you’re making an exception, and exceptions make horrible basis for laws.
Personally I don't want the county, or state for that matter in my business, just leave me alone and stop trying to "help" me out. I will pay the taxes I am required to pay, someone needs to. How else will the school be able to give free lunches, and birth control.
This is to eradicate home schooling by regulating it. Once they give you something they control you. Average Joe will fall for it though.
“What about people like me???
I have no kids. Why should I pay for someone elses freight? “
I agree. I vote against all tax breaks of any kind. They establish a privileged constituency who then vote themselves more breaks. If the taxes are a burden on some they are a burden on all.
Did anyone catch the party of the Kris Jordan ?
Never mind .. got it ... Republican
My wife and I pay a lot of property tax, which pays for the local schools. Just like most other home-owners.
But we also pay a LOT of money for homeschooling curriculum.
It would be nice to get a tax break, to offset the cost of paying twice for our children’s educational expenses.
Because it is the working children who will be supporting you in old age in this corrupt system that we erected which steals private property for all sorts of reasons.
People who have to “raise” their own children—and educate them—and don’t want them to be indoctrinated into hedonism/atheism/Marxism—have to pay twice to keep their children from being corrupted by the State and do their Natural job (which is their Natural Right which they are FINED to do)-—and that makes it impossible for many parents to be able to homeschool.
The only way to get out of this Marxist hellhole-—is to have children truly educated like prior to John Dewey—who forced Moral Relativism/Socialism into all the curricula and destroyed Knowledge and erased Good and Evil by getting rid of Classical education and the Bible-—which is all the McGuffey Readers contained.
Education of the children is the ONLY way to save this Republic-—and for parents who are taxed to death so they give their kids up to the State to raise and indoctrinate-———we need to break that cycle-—take back the minds of children which are easily corrupted by the Marxist curricula which is embedded with “operant conditioning” to remove Reason and Logic from minds of our children.
I have no kids. Why should I pay for someone elses freight?
Raising the next generation is far more important than simply paying your own way. If all you are doing for the conservative effort is paying taxes, you should be happy to help out those who are on the front lines like homeschoolers.
Ohio Ping
They’ll be paying your “freight” when you collect S.S.
You’re not stupid enough to think all that money you paid in will still be there, are you?
Homeschooling parents spend a few thousand a year, educating their kids. Meanwhile public schools spend $10k-$11k+ per child.
Don't tax the homeschool family, if they aren't using the school system. But like wise, don't tax those of us without kids, who aren't using the system either.
If people want to send their kids to fancy public schools, with swimming pools and football fields and multi million dollar gymnasiums and dance studios and laptop computers for every child, by all means, have at it.
But if that's what people want, let THEM pay for it.
I was involved with the Jr. High ministry at my old church for many years. I had many students that were home schooled. My home schooled kids were the best adjusted, best behaved kids.
Home school kids, on average, are better educated, and better adjusted and better prepared for life, than the average public school child. All for a tiny fraction of the price of public education.
If I had kids, I'd homeschool them. And I'd want a tax break.
But I don't have kids and I still want the tax break.
A married couple that makes what I make will be in the 15% tax bracket, maybe just into the 25%. I'm in the 25%-28% bracket. They'll pay 10% on there FIRST $17,850. I'll pay 10% on my first $8,925.
A family with 2 kids in public school uses up over $20k of taxes.
A family with 2 kids, making $50k a year (over the average family income), using standard deductions will pay $3,600 in federal income tax. But use over $20k in taxes on public education.
I'll pay over $13k in federal income taxes, but have no kids in public education using up ZERO tax dollars.
Thank you Ma’am for the most thoughtful post so far.
It is to the benefit of society for it to support the “proper” upbringing of children.
The evil in this world is still corrupting the effort from all sides.
Unless all those with intelligence and high moral standards make destroying the evil part of their life’s work, “making the world a better place for my children and theirs” will never be possible again.
Unfortunately, the evil infects us all, making many of us selfish. Many of us don’t feel we should have a part of the responsibility for improving others’ lots.
“Christian Charity” to them is evil.
You’re not stupid enough to think all that money you paid in will still be there, are you?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'm not stupid enough to believe SS will still be there when I retire.
Paying more taxes is patriotic and all that.
So if I pay for your kids, I'm just being more patriotic.
Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Somebody play Yankee Doodle.
I spent 18 years of my adult life volunteering with kids at church. 13 of those years on Saturday mornings from about 8:30-1:00, when I could have been doing whatever I WANTED to do (but working with kids on Saturday was what I wanted to do). Out of those 13 years, about 10 of them, I went to summer camp, for 1 week or 2. I don't get paid vacations in my line of work. So I ate 1-2 weeks of pay, every year, so I could pour into others.
Every year we had a weekend retreat. We'd take the kids to a camp in Wisconsin. We'd leave around 5:00pm on Friday night (Meaning most of us had to leave work early). Then we'd get back around 3:00pm on Sunday. A weekend of hanging with kids, talking, laughing, having pillow fights, eating pizza, making farting noises. Things JR High boys love to do.
I have friends at a youth camp out west, that I've tried to help support. I've taken HS and Jr High kids backpacking in the mountains, teaching them mountaineering and trying to help them have a closer relationship with Christ.
I've spent time building fences, splitting wood, operating a bulldozer to build a shooting range. All so that camp could better reach out to kids.
So before you get on your self righteous high horse, maybe you ought to look at the Sunday School teacher, or Awana leader, or sports coach that pours into YOUR KIDS and thank them, instead of thinking that they should be doing more for YOUR family.
Oh...now do I think it was worth it?
I have had the honor and pleasure of either standing up or some how being in 4 weddings, from guys that were my guys, when they were in Jr High. I have been to Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and Montana to be with my guys, as my guys are now MY FRIENDS in their early 30's.
My friends at the camp out west. Well the camp director is one of "my guys". One of his staff members wasn't necessarily one of "my guys" in Jr High, but he kind of adopted into the group when they moved on into HS. His wife, was on another team in Jr High. But in HS she came back as a leader on my team, where we became good friends.
And I wouldn't trade any of it.
See #18
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