Bush Proposal: Give Tax Credit for K-12 Tuition

By Erik W. Robelen and

Washington

President Bush is proposing to deliver through tax policy what he could not with education policy last year: a ticket to private school for students in low-performing public schools.

But his plan for education tax credits will face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill, given the explosive politics of anything that resembles government- financed school vouchers.

Some opponents argue that because the refundable credits would amount to cash grants for some families, the proposal raises the same constitutional questions as vouchers for religious school tuition, a subject the U.S. Supreme Court...