Yarbrough: Need is relative

by David Safier

Another strong article about tuition tax credits and STOs from Pat Kossan and Ronald J. Hansen at the Republic. It focuses on taxpayer-funded scholarship money going to families that don't fit most people's definitions of "needy," though it also mentions examples of families who are well within the normal definitions of need.

My favorite line is a paraphrase of an answer by Sen. Steve Yarbrough about whether his STO, Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization, gives money based on need.

Steve Yarbrough, who runs the group, uses committees to decide which students are awarded scholarships and how much. Most scholarships awarded by the committees are based primarily on need, he said. That need is relative, however.

Yes, Steve, need is relative. "I really need a larger yacht." "This Mercedes is falling apart. I need a new one."

Here's an example of what "need" looks like from another STO, Jewish Tuition Organization. It serves 6 private schools and only gives money to the neediest students. However, that covers 60% of the students in the schools — 420 out of 700 — and the average scholarship is $5,585. Since that's the average, the actual scholarships can go up and down from there.

I'm guessing 60% of the students in those schools don't fit my definition of "needy."

Remember, this is money that otherwise would be in the general fund helping us balance the budget. And in case you want to argue, "Yes, but otherwise those students would be in public school using state education dollars:

. . . an Arizona Republic analysis of private-school enrollment data, published last month, found that two of every three scholarships in 2007 likely went to students who would have attended private schools without the tax-credit aid.

And let's remember how Republicans sold tuition tax credit legislation when it was first proposed:

Arizona lawmakers created tuition tax-credit laws with the intent of helping low-income students attend private schools.

Arizona, we have a problem.