Recognizing the rights of parents to choose the best education for their children, the New Jersey Catholic Conference is asking New Jersey residents to urge their state elected officials to support including the Educational Choice for Children Act in the Federal Budget Reconciliation Package currently being considered.
In an Action Alert issued by the NJCC, the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops, residents are urged to contact their state representatives at njcatholic.org/faith-in-action.
“A Catholic school education is as valuable today as it ever has been, but more families are challenged to be able to afford it,” said Dr. Bill Watson, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Camden. “A federal tax credit scholarship program could help thousands of kids in New Jersey access the strong community, academic excellence and focus on the whole child that Catholic schools offer.”
Under this national school choice bill, private or corporate donors would receive a tax credit for contributions made to a scholarship-granting organization, which would then use those donated funds to give scholarships to low- and middle-income families for private school tuition.
The bill would include a non-refundable 100 percent federal income tax credit, which would generate up to as much as $10 billion in annual donations to not-for-profit scholarship-granting organizations, financially enabling parents to pay tuition to their desired school for their children, or access vital educational services.
“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first and primary teachers of their children and therefore have the right to select the best educational environment for their children. Whether that is in a public, homeschool or private school, parents know the needs of their children,” Bishop David M. O’Connell, CM, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in a letter.
“Since 1925, parental rights in education have been the law of the land in the United States,” he said, adding that “the Educational Choice for Children Act protects this right by empowering parents with the financial resources they need to select the education environment that aligns to their values and works best for their children.”
New Jerseyans are asked to contact their representatives in the state Senate and House of Representatives and ask that they support the Educational Choice for Children Act (H.R. 833/S. 292).
More than 150 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and over 30 members of the U.S. Senate support this legislation.
For more information or to contact legislators, visit njcatholic.org/faith-in-action.
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