Education News – Kristin Decarr
“The Alabama Supreme Court has overturned a previous ruling by a lower court concerning the constitutionality of the Alabama Accountability Act. Last May found Montgomery County Circuit Judge Gene Reese ruling that the school choice law, which had originally been passed by the Legislature in 2013 in an effort to help families afford private schooling, was in violation of a number of constitutional requirements. However, the Supreme Court decided that the law did not, in fact, violate any restrictions on public funding to private religious schools because the tax credits go to parents and scholarship program donors, not to schools…The Accountability Act provides income-tax credits, which works out to a dollar-for-dollar reduction on tax bills, in order to help parents afford private school for those children currently enrolled in a public school labeled as “failing.” Tax credits are also available for individuals and corporations that choose to donate to scholarship programs that will help parents afford private schooling.”(more)