‘This is a right or wrong issue’: Washington Policy Center director says WA is leaving $700M in education funding on the table

A federal tax credit program could funnel $700 million a year into Washington K-12 education, but state leaders have yet to opt in.

Vicki Murray, director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center, told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio that education funding often gets politicized, even when leaders from both parties support it, including former Obama Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who called the program a “no-brainer.”

“This is not a right or left issue, this is a right or wrong issue,” Murray said.

She explained that the program, formally known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit, allows taxpayers to donate to nonprofit scholarship organizations and then claim a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 on their federal taxes.

“Each and every one of us here in Washington, and everywhere else in the country, who pays federal taxes, can now claim a dollar-for-dollar credit,” Murray said. “This isn’t a deduction, a dollar-for-dollar credit, up to $1,700 for donations to nonprofits that pool money for K-12 educational expense scholarships.”

KIRO host Jake Skorheim asked whether taxpayers would have to donate first, show a receipt, and then claim the credit when filing their taxes.

“Yep, you get it immediately,” Murray responded. “You can claim the dollar-for-dollar credit up to $1,700. Now, of course, you could give more, but you just can’t claim a credit, but it’s for donations. And what’s so cool about this is, think of how much you’re saving. Because, unlike a deduction, which is about a third of what you donate, you’re getting the full amount. So it’s a win-win for taxpayers, especially here in Washington, where everything is just so doggone expensive, and schools, because look at the cuts that were just enacted to K-12 education, just this past short session.”

Fear of hurting public education is holding Washington back, Murray says

Asked why Governor Bob Ferguson has yet to opt in, Murray said she believes it comes down to fear that the program could hurt public schools, despite evidence from other states showing otherwise.

“I think the fear that this program is somehow going to hurt public schools. It is not,” she said. “Public schools are amazingly resilient, and you give them the freedom, you give them the resources, and the immediate accountability, because if you don’t do a good job, you’re not getting the donations next year. Public schools in states like Arizona have a very tough student demographic, much tougher than here. Public schools are driving the record-breaking closing of academic achievement gaps. Our public schools are doing it.”

“When we give them the freedom, we give them resources and the immediate accountability, they rise to the occasion,” she continued. “So I think this is much more a political artifact, and we shouldn’t cut off our nose to spite our face. Will some people use these funds for private schools? Yes. Does that mean that the majority of children will not continue to attend our public schools? No. Show me the empirical evidence where that has ever happened. It hasn’t. So we have to stop being afraid.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3