State Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, has filed a bill that would allow parents of autistic children to use "scholarships" to send their child to a school of choice, public or private.

Taxpayers who donate to a charitable organization that grants such scholarships would receive a tax credit equal to 80 percent of their contribution, up to $800,000, under Crowell's plan. The organization would use the monetary donations to cover children's tuition.

"What we have seen in rural districts is that some can't afford the speech pathologists, the aides or the costs of educating one child with special needs. This would empower parents with scholarships to look around the region and direct their child to magnet schools or centers of excellence to get a return on economies of scale," Crowell said.

He said the market would decide which schools would become "centers of excellence" but added Cape Girardeau or Jackson could be in a position to accept students if they chose to do so.

Pat Fanger, Cape Girardeau's interim superintendent, did not return a call Thursday.

Tuition has not been established yet, and Crowell expects it would vary by region and need. If the scholarship does not cover all of tuition, parents would be responsible for the rest.

There are no such existing "scholarship-granting organizations" in Missouri, although Crowell said similar organizations exist in Ohio and Florida.

David Newell, superintendent of Kelso School District, which serves 116 kindergarten through eighth-grade students in Benton, Mo., said Kelso already participates in a cooperative with five or six districts to send special-needs students to Scott County Central Elementary. Participating districts pay a portion of the costs and a state grant covers the rest, Newell said.

Crowell's plan, filed this week, states all students with an individual education program, including those who are mentally or emotionally handicapped, could qualify.

But Crowell said Thursday the bill will most likely be narrowed as it moves through the legislative process to focus on children with autism because of the "extraordinary costs" associated with educating a child with the disorder. The first hearing on the bill is Feb. 13.

A lobbyist for the Missouri National Education Association said the bill would have the same effect as a voucher system, which the MNEA opposes.

"Whether it's a tax credit or tax expenditure, there is the same net effect. ... Keeping public funds for the public school setting is appropriate policy," said lobbyist Otto Fajen.

Tax reimbursement bill

Another bill filed in the House by Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, would allow parents who homeschool or send their child to private school to be reimbursed for their property taxes that go to schools.

"It's a way to give parents some reward for being involved in their child's life," Davis said.

In Cape Girardeau, a resident with a home assessed at $90,800, the median value of a house in Cape Girardeau according to the 2000 Census, would be reimbursed $695.

With 1,600 students attending one of Cape Girardeau's six private schools, the public district could lose around $1.1 million initially. The calculation does not take into account the impact of homeschooled students and assumes that students who attend private schools in a city also live there.

However, if more parents decide to send their child to private school because of the bill, the state and district would benefit, Davis said.

"Every family that unburdens the district saves the local district money. It's saving the state of Missouri money because they contribute money per pupil," she said.

Davis acknowledged the bill could generate a significant amount of resistance.

Dr. Steve Trautwein, president of the Cape Girardeau School Board, questioned the legality of the plan.

"It's like a voucher, even though they don't use that name," Trautwein said.

Davis said the proposal is not a voucher system because vouchers are money given to parents, while her plan involves "you keeping your own money."

Brother David Migliorino, principal of Notre Dame Regional High School, welcomed the news.

"I think anything that would help parents to give them different options for schooling is a wonderful thing," he said, adding that parents who pay taxes and private school tuition "are paying twice for education."

Earlier this month, John Mehner, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive office, said during a state of the city address that private schools hurt public schools, creating a flurry of people defending both systems.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

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