Tax Credits for Special Needs Children “win-win” for parents and taxpayers, Stam tells Wake commissioners 

Office of the Republican Leader
Rep. Paul Stam
613 Legislative Office Building
Raleigh, NC 27803-5925
(919) 733-2962
Pauls@ncleg.net

PRESS RELEASE
September 4, 2007

Raleigh - State House Republican Leader Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) addressed a meeting of the Wake County commission, Tuesday, urging its support for a house bill offering tax credits for parents of children with “special needs.” 

“All families want their child to receive an appropriate and meaningful education,” Stam said, “but parents of special needs children are examining their educational options and are finding out that they have very few.” 

“It is a sobering fact for our families that have children with exceptional learning needs to discover the unique needs for their children cannot be met,” Stam said. “The price is simply too high. It is even more disheartening for these families to know there are non-public educational opportunities and services structured specifically for their child’s particular disability, but they are unable to enroll because of financial limitations.” 

Stam described the bill he will reintroduce in 2008, House Bill 388, as a “win-win” for these families and taxpayers. The bill would enable parents to enroll their children in private or home-based schooling by offering $3,000 state tax credits per semester for those eligible. “The parents win by not being unduly burdened by the cost of their child’s education. The state wins also because the average public school expenditure for each of these children per year is well over $8,100,” Stam said. “Tax credits for children with special needs would save Wake County around $600,000 annually.” 

“It is difficult to imagine that anyone would lose with this bill,” Stam said. “Families of students with special needs will finally get the help that they need. Statewide, around 3,000 students with special needs will be provided with what they need to become the best citizens they can be, public school system will be able to save time, energy, and resources. And the taxpayers will be able to see their hard earned money more efficiently and productively spent. 

Raleigh’s Civitas Institute reports 83 percent of 800 respondents to a recent statewide poll answered affirmatively when asked “Do you support tax credits for parents of children with special needs so they can be sent to private schools if it would not cost government any additional funding?” This strong support comes from across the political spectrum. 

Support for House Bill 388 is thoroughly bipartisan. Its principle sponsors include two leading House Democrats on education, Reps. Rick Glazier and Marvin Lucas, as well as Rep. Stam, the

House Republican Leader from Wake County and Rep. Laura Wiley (R-Guilford), a special education teacher from High Point.

From July, 2007 Poll, John William Pope Civitas Institute, Raleigh, NC 

House Republican Leader Paul Stam represents District 37
and southern Wake County in the North Carolina House of Representatives