TUITION TAX CREDITS

The American Federation of Teachers led the fight in the 95th Congress against legislation to provide a tui­tion tax credit to parents who choose to use non-public and parochial schools. After a protracted and difficult fight, this legislation was defeated in the U.S. Senate after having passed the House of Representatives. In response to the Senate vote, a resolution of the 1978 AFT convention warned:

"Nevertheless, it would be a grave error for AFT members and friends of education to think that the issue has now been put to rest. There is every indication that the legislation, even if defeated or vetoed, will be reintroduced in the next or subsequent sessions of Congress."

Unfortunately, that warning was all too accurate.

The Congress again has before it legislation that would establish a tuition tax credit and this time on an even grander scale. In 1978, the bill that came before the Senate would have provided a $250 credit. This year, Senators Packwood and Moynihan have raised the ante and are proposing a $500 credit. Other things have changed as well.

In 1978, the White House was occupied by a President who vowed to veto any tuition tax credit proposal that reached his desk. Nineteen eighty-one saw the inauguration of a President who used his first address to the Congress to announce his support for tuition tax credits.

In 1978, the Senate voted 56 to 41 against elementary and secondary tax credits. In 1981, the Republicans won control of the Senate and the two elections since 1978 have seen an erosion of the votes against tuition tax credits. Today the vote in the Senate is strictly a tossup and could go either way. The U.S. House of Representatives also has an increased number of conservatives, many of whom could support a tuition tax credit bill. The 1978 convention resolution on tuition tax credits stated:  "...tax credits for non-public elementary and secondary tuition would cost the U.S. treasury a minimum of $2.5 billion per year in lost revenues, thus forcing reductions in direct aid programs at all levels."

Again, this warning has proven to be true. In order to find the funds to pay for a multi-billion dollar tuition tax credit scheme, President Reagan is seeking to slash billions of dollars from aid to education. His budget proposals will cause millions of handicapped and disadvantaged children to lose the services of hundreds of thousands of dedicated teachers and other personnel so that he can reward 10 percent of our parents who are already better off economically than the average citizen.

The American Federation of Teachers also warned in 1978: "...such legislation would, if enacted, encourage the development of primary and secondary schools fostering segregation on the basis of religious, social, racial, and ethnic differences."

The rise of fundamentalist and exclusionary academies since then has been truly alarming. A tuition tax credit would fuel the establishment of a private school system based on considerations such as race, creed, ethnic background, and would destroy the role of public education as the central democratizing institution in American life.

The fight this year will be more difficult than ever, but it can be won if the membership of our union makes an even greater effort than we did in 1978. Teachers working together with parents, school board members, civil rights organizations and our brothers and sisters in the labor movement and others who are concerned with quality public education can again defeat this destructive legislation. We must start by unifying our own efforts.

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers stands firmly opposed to tuition tax credits; and

RESOLVED, that all AFT locals join in the fight to defeat tuition tax credits by urging members to write or call their Senators or Representatives, form a coalition with the local school boards, the PTA, school administration, central labor body, the National Education Association, civil rights groups, and all other groups interested in the survival of public education; and

RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators and to President Reagan.

We must also recognize that tuition tax credits are a political issue that is debated and decided in the campaigns for house, senate and the presidency.

RESOLVED:

• That AFT/COPE give first priority for financial contributions to those endorsed incumbents who have supported the AFT in its fight to maintain the public school system and opposed tuition tax credits for non-public elementary and secondary education.

• That this convention urge all AFT locals and state federations to withhold endorsements or any other assistance from incumbents who have supported tuition tax credits for non-public elementary and secondary education, except where the incumbent has indicated that in the future he or she will not support a tax credit for tuition paid to private and parochial elementary and secondary schools.

• There are many Congressional and Senatorial races this year where there is no incumbent. In such cases, this convention urges AFT locals to interview all candidates before endorsing them. An integral part of the interview should be a question about tuition tax credits for non-public elementary and secondary education. We urge, furthermore, that if a candidate does not share the AFT position, that candidate not be endorsed for public office.

• The AFT national office will work with locals and state federations to coordinate the policy.

• That the American Federation of Teachers investigate ways of ameliorating the financial problems faced by AFT private school locals.

• By adopting this plan of action we can again defeat this plan to dismantle the public schools and turn government's attention to its real task: that of improving education for the vast majority of our people who rely on the schools as an indispensable element in their hopes for a better life.