Thursday, February 7, 2008

Bipartisan school-choice effort underway

A conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat are teaming up to help children.

State Sen. James Williamson (R-Tulsa) and state Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre (D-Tulsa) have introduced Senate Bill 2148, the Great Schools Tax Credit Program Act. The bill would allow a tax credit for any Oklahoma taxpayer who makes a contribution to a charitable organization which provides educational scholarships to low-income students to cover all or part of their tuition, fees, and transportation costs at a qualified private school.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, similar scholarship tax credit laws already exist in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

Sen. Williamson, the Senate’s Republican leader emeritus, holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Tulsa and taught social studies in the Tulsa Public Schools. He also holds a law degree from the University of Tulsa and has practiced law in Tulsa for nearly 30 years.

Sen. Eason McIntyre, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Oklahoma, worked for 31 years in the child welfare division of the state Department of Human Services. She also served on the Tulsa Public Schools board of education for 16 years, serving two years as president.

No comments: