Oklahoma is poised to create a tax credit-based initiative to fund education outside the public school system.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt appeared on Newsmax's "National Report" on Tuesday to discuss the initiative, saying he wants to "empower parents to put their kids in the best schools."
"Regardless of zip code, we want to put money and fund students, not systems … basically it's a tax credit, but it's refundable. It has no income limits," said Stitt.
He added that "$5,000 would move wherever the parent wants to put the kid in school, whether it's private school, Christian schools, Catholic schools, charter schools, and we think that's going to generate more schools opening up in the great state of Oklahoma."
The school choice program is tied to a bill that would increase public school funding by $500 million and give an additional $2,500 to teachers.
Instead of a voucher program, like in Florida and Arizona, each child is entitled to a $5,000 refundable tax credit.
National Report's Shaun Kraisman then asked if Stitt still has confidence in the public school system.
"We've got some great schools in Oklahoma," Stitt said. "We've also got some schools that were closed during COVID, and if you had to talk to those moms and dads that would call me — one school, in particular, was closed for 355 days, and they felt trapped.
"We never want that to happen again. We want kids and parents to be able to move their kids and put them into a different school if, for any reason, that a public school's not teaching or not getting their kids ready for college or career.
"We want to create more competition in our school system. We think that's a good thing, but again, if you're satisfied with your public school, we're also putting more money in the public school system in Oklahoma.
"That's our No. 1 priority, to give our kids every opportunity they can to succeed."
Detractors of the initiative claim the tax credit does not help the working class.
State Rep. Trish Ranson, a Democrat, told the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs: "We're talking about a tax credit that taxpayers can apply for on their taxes. … If they do not owe the amount of money in taxes that meets the credit that they are eligible for, then they don't have to pay taxes, and they get a check. That check is not their money. It's not a refund. It's not taxes they paid. It's mine. It's yours.
"It's everyone in the state of Oklahoma's taxes that have been paid."
The bill's author, State Rep. Charles McCall, a Republican, told the Daily Caller News Foundation it's also a move to combat critical race theory and gender ideology.
"This empowers parents to get their child into a different environment if that is happening in a school district. … We need to make sure parents have all choices and options at their disposal," McCall told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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