Bill would fix ‘inequity in educational opportunity,’ said sponsor — but opponents push back

(Illustration by Getty Images) Donors from Big Sky, one of the more affluent communities in Montana, claimed nearly $1.6 million in available public school tax credits in two years to support their local school. That’s more than half of the total $3 million in credits that have been available for the whole state. On the other end of the spectrum, a Chinook Elementary donor received just $500, according to the Montana Department of Revenue. “I believe this creates an inequity of educational opportunity among schools within the state and again, raises the question of fairness,” said Rep. Mark Thane, D-Missoula. Thursday at a House Taxation committee meeting, Thane said he wanted schools across Montana to be able share the wealth more widely, and he presented House Bill 23, which would amend an existing tax credit program. The program offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for individual and business donors who want to contribute to either public or private education. Just one proponent testified, and many parents and representatives of private schools spoke out against it. In 2021, the Montana Legislature increased the limit on single donations for the tax credit from $150 to $200,000, a controversial move but one “school […]

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