The South Carolina Educational Opportunity Act was introduced in the House of Representatives earlier last week as House Bill 3802 (Senate Bill 520). It will provide tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools or home school. There are also provisions for charities that award scholarships to children from low- income families. The corporate and individual donors who finance these scholarships would receive state income tax credits as well.

Sponsors of the Educational Opportunity Act noted how state scholarships for higher education had already expanded access to college, both public and private, four- year and technical. Similarly, the ABC school choice program for pre- kindergarten was a cost effective and popular way for children to enter K- 5 schools ready to learn. On average, each student who transfers out of a traditional school will result in an increase of $5,516 in funding for the local public school district. That's because locally- raised property and sales taxes for schools are untouched by the Education Opportunity Act. In other words, public schools will have more money to educate fewer children.