School Districts Owe Homeschool Parents a Refund
Families should immediately be provided with a refund—a prorated portion of the money that would have been spent by the state in which they reside and by their local school district - Lindsey Burke
Today I came across an article written by Lindsey Burke for the Daily Signal entitled “School Districts Owe Taxpaying Parents a COVID-19 Refund”. After a cursory glance, I began to chuckle at myself, as I saw other families coming to the same conclusions that every homeschool undoubtedly draws after their first year of schooling: we deserve a Tax Refund. Families in America are saddled with heavy tax burdens, and those taxes are sold to them as necessary to support their children’s future. But, when a crisis such as COVID-19 hits and public institutions everywhere are closed, why is that money not redirected straight to the families who need it most to pay for: tutoring, online classes, Zoom subscriptions, textbooks, etc.?
Homeschool families ask this question all the time.
The per-pupil costs associated with government schools are astronomical, with the District of Columbia topping out the list at over $31,000. The worst part? A good deal of that money is eaten up by administrative fees and never even makes it to the classroom, leaving teachers to purchase supplies for their students, and scrambling with limited resources.
Now, when you compare this figure with the Home School Legal Defense Association’s estimate that the average homeschool parent spends about $300-$600 per year, per child - it leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
Homeschool families everywhere have been begging their representatives to explore tax rebates or voucher programs, to offset the costs of education at home - and they have been told NO. They’ve asked public school systems to allow their children to play sports and participate in field trips with public school classes - and told NO.
My own parents educated me for 10 years (K-12), never took a dime from the government, and paid for all of my books, field trips, and supplies out of pocket - at great personal sacrifice. My family got creative and shared textbooks, parents swapped teaching classes, and my parents did without - like all homeschool families - in order to cover the costs.
A Tax Rebate would be life-changing for homeschool families across America.
Now that every parent in America has gotten a taste of the struggles of Homeschool families, and the future of Public Education is unclear, it is time for parents and educators to unite together and demand more for our children and their future.