Choice Issue Opens Rift in Missouri

Tax-credit scholarships divide black caucus.

The debate over a school choice bill in the Missouri legislature has opened a bitter rift among some of the state’s top black elected officials.

Missouri’s recent flare-up also reflects a larger divide among African-Americans over school choice nationwide.

The proposal—a bill that would provide tax credits for donations to scholarship funds that help children pay tuition at private schools—is similar to programs that are growing in popularity in other states. While such plans have also evoked criticism elsewhere, the debate in Missouri has reached what may be...