New Hampshire, which has the motto “live free or die” and is renowned for its low taxes, could deduct $3,500 (£2,175) from families’ annual bills for every child they withdraw from a state school.

Jim Forsythe, a Republican state senator who backs the scheme, has said there is a danger parents may “keep their kids at home to get the tax break but not actually school them”.

The article goes on to say that critics are worried that childless residents could demand a similar tax break, “to be spent how they wished.”

Money to Homeschool In North Carolina

The GOP leader in the state House, Paul Stam of Apex, is behind the proposal, which would allow parents to receive a refundable tax credit of up to $2,500 and an additional $1,000 from their county to offset private school costs. Commissioners in each county would have to approve their county’s participation, and Stam said fast-growing areas, especially in Raleigh and around Charlotte, would be likely to join.

Stam has filed the bill, HB 41, outlining the idea, which makes the credit available only for children who first attend public schools. He plans to introduce it Monday. A co-sponsor is freshman Rep. Tom Murry, a Morrisville Republican…

…Legislative staff research says the overall savings to the state and counties combined could top $50 million per year by shifting some students out of public schools.

Opponents say that the bill strikes at the heart of public education, that most fixed costs won’t be helped by lower school populations, and that the amount proposed would chiefly help parents who can already afford private education.

Please watch for more of this in additional states as time goes on. In the meantime, the three reports above help point to the problems a tax credit for those who homeschool can be.

Problems with a Carrot to Homeschool

1. The greatest problem, as it has always been, is the squelching of freedom that is inherent in independent homeschooling. Sure, you can get a tax credit, but first there will be paperwork. Of course no one is talking about said paperwork at this point, but it will likely include things like the names, ages, and Social Security numbers of your children, your curricula choices, your calendar, and all your receipts for which you’d like to be reimbursed.

Oh, yes, and then there’s that sticky little problem of using tax dollars for “religious” education. In this case, you probably won’t receive any reimbursement and, if by chance you do, there can be lawsuits that might involve you somewhere down the line.

2. The old adage, “Give ’em an inch and they’ll take a mile” will apply here. Kids in school need to take tests; so should the homeschoolers we’re giving money to. Kids in school adhere to the state’s curriculum; so should the homeschoolers we’re giving money to. (I could go on, but you get the idea.)

3. Soon, the regulators will say, “Hmm, if x number of homeschoolers are voluntarily providing us all this information, we don’t see any reason all of the other homeschoolers shouldn’t do the same.” That may be what they think, but there are plenty of homeschool families out there who do not want their freedom impinged upon.

4. Parents completely unable to stay home will complain about how unfair it is that they can’t stay home and get the money, too.

5. The parents mentioned above, along with teachers unions and perhaps even government school administrators themselves, will worry about whether or not all of those “homeschoolers” are actually providing an education with that money we’re giving them. They may feel perfectly justified in interviewing your children, sending “professionals” into your home to make sure you’re doing it “right,” or, hey, how about some surprise visits as long as we’re at it?

6. What about homeschoolers doing it for money? Will they avail themselves of the information available on the topic? Would they go about homeschooling in the same way as parents who feel philosophically/morally/spiritually moved to homeschool? Might they sit their children in front of a computer all day and call it homeschooling? Will the children and parents enjoy homeschooling in the same way that inspires countless practitioners to write and share about it? Will they bad-mouth homeschooling and quit, sending their children back to the “better” government schools?

This post is getting long, so I’ll stop here. If you live in any of these three states and you are so moved, raise your voice for independent homeschooling in freedom. Keep your eyes peeled for word of similar maneuvers in your state and gather your homeschooling friends together to make your voices heard. Join “Homeschoolers Against Tax Credits” on Facebook where many homeschoolers are sharing information as they get it. If at any time homeschool families slide down that slippery slope toward increased state regulation, the freedom that makes homeschooling so successful, and that so many parents have fought for and maintained over the last few decades, will disappear.

Yes, states do need to balance their budgets, but they don’t need to do it on the backs of those who homeschool.