Financial Aid for Pupils Attending Nonpublic Schools

 there would be no discussion of tuition vouchers, tuition tax credits, alternative education, private schools, or other changes in or from the present public school system if that system were not so consistently, so seriously, so widely, and so compellingly found wanting (p. 9).

The principal debates have centered on the issuance of vouchers which could be used at either public or private schools for tuition and expenses, or the creation of tax credits or deductions (either income or property) for those who send their children to nonpublic schools. The political rhetoric--and sporadic legislation to accompany it--has been on a see-saw ride for well over a quarter century, but in the aftermath of the November, 1994 Congressional elections, the issue of government financial aid for nonpublic schools may be closer to a resolution than it has ever been since the founding of the United States.

The subject of school choice is generally traced back to a 1962 book written b

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ows parents to deduct up to $700 for each elementary student and up to $1000 for each secondary student, to help offset tuition, transportation, and textbook expenses at public or nonpublic schools (Kirkpatrick, 1990, p. 134; Wornsop, 1991, p. 257). Despite the fact that up to "sixty percent of the people used the deduction to send their children to public schools" (Kirkpatrick, 1990, p. 134), "the lion's share of the benefits accrued to parents with children in private non-sectarian and parochial schools" (Wornsop, 1991, p. 257). According to Kilpatrick (1986), "(t)he deduction is neutrally available to every family with children of school age, but it especially benefits the parents of about 91,000 children in private schools. An estimated 86,000 of these pupils attend sectarian schools" (p. A11). In further examining the Minnesota program, Kirby and Darling-Hammond (1988), concluded that high-income parents sought high-quality public education when making residential location decisions, in opposition to low-income parents who were more likely to consider school alternatives at the time of enrollment. To this extent, the researchers found that while the goal was to expand schooling-choice options, the deduction vehicle is
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