Saturday, March 2, 2013

Georgia Religious Schools Skirt Constitution to Access Taxpayer Funds - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Georgia Religious Schools Skirt Constitution to Access Taxpayer Funds - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:


Georgia Religious Schools Skirt Constitution to Access Taxpayer Funds

The constitution of the state of Georgia is clear.
"No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly, or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution."
In 2008, state legislators passed the Qualified Income Tax Credit, which allowed married couples to make deduct from their state taxes contributions up to $2500 to go into bank accounts managed by what are called "Student Scholarship Organizations" (SSOs). These SSOs then distribute these funds to private and parochial schools, many of which openly discriminate against gays and lesbians.
This is now costing the taxpayers of Georgia $50 million, and there are proposals in the legislature that could