Private School Tax Credits Dropped

Sponsors of an effort to win state tax credits for children who don’t use public schools agreed Thursday to back off.

“We’ve just run out of time,” said Henry Kulczyk of the Idaho Family Forum.

The conservative Christian organization has been behind a bill to grant income tax credits to parents who teach their children at home or send them to private schools.

The tax credit was closely watched in North Idaho, where private school enrollment is shooting up as fast as a smart kid’s hand. Enrollment at some Kootenai County religious schools has tripled in the last five years.

The bill originally asked for $1,000 per child. This week, though, the House amended it to $500 per child, with a maximum of $2,500 per family per year.

Republicans emerged from a closed-door caucus on Thursday to announce they expect to end the 1997 session by Tuesday.

Kulczyk said he and other sponsors realized they couldn’t get the bill through the House and then the Senate in just a few days.

But they will try again next year, Kulczyk said. He said he likes the idea of a $1,000-per-child credit and next year’s legislation probably will call for that amount.

, DataTimes