HARTFORD, Conn. — As lawmakers headed back to the state capitol Monday, a colorful sight popped up on the front lawn — 500 small flags with a big meaning.
“This is about the children. This is about opportunity for the children,” explained Carolanne Marquis, CEO of the Connecticut Center For Educational Excellence. “Each one of these flags here today represents 300 children who did not get a scholarship but could; 150,000 children could be eligible for those scholarships.”
CTCEE provides school scholarships for K-12 students. Last year, they provided more than 730 scholarships to kids from 78 municipalities in less than three months.
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“The demand is unbelievable,” Marquis said.
This year, she says in just nine days CTCEE had more than 400 scholarship applications.
“As long as we have the funds or scholarships or up to $2,500 and we try to keep it at $2,500 per, student per year,” she said.
With Monday’s demonstration, Marquis is pushing for a new bill to establish a 50% tax credit for donations made to nonprofits which provide educational access and opportunity scholarships.
“It’s modeled on successful programs in 23 other states,” state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, (R) East Lyme said. “This would allow low-income families who are granted scholarships from scholarship granting organizations, anyone who donates to those organizations would receive a tax credit, either as an individual or as a corporation.”
Cheeseman — who introduced this measure — and Marquis say a tax credit program will help scholarship-granting organizations provide more assistance by encouraging individuals and organizations to donate.
“This is an opportunity tax credit that's going to lift everybody up,” added Marquis.
There is strong opposition from some Democrats though, who worry this might be taking public dollars to subsidize private education.
“We actually, at one point, I think were prepared to move it forward, but it got some pretty stiff opposition,” House Speaker Matt Ritter said. “I think for some people, it crosses the line, perhaps, of where the legislature should go.”
Cheeseman says the price tag for this measure is $2.5 million a year, for two years, money she hopes the legislature can find.
“It's a win-win,” she continued. “You get happy, successful school children, happy families, and the state benefits.”
This bill is currently being considered in the finance committee — it had a public hearing at the beginning of March but has not been voted on yet.
Cheeseman says she’s hopeful she can get enough support from her colleagues.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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