Earlier this year, Republican Delegate Wendell Walker of Lynchburg introduced an unsuccessful bill to create an alternative schooling tax credit of up to $5,000 a year.
"This bill addresses the increasing financial burden faced by parents and guardians in supporting our children's education," Walked said in support of his bill. "By offering these refundable tax credits, we can ensure families across income levels in Virginia have access to resources that they need to support their children's academic success."
But does using tax dollars to offset private school tuition undermine public schools?
"Since our schools are already so limited in their funding, taking money out of them is hindering more than benefiting," according to Risë Hayes, the Democrat trying to unseat Walker.
Hayes says parents who send their children to private schools should help support public education, even if it doesn't benefit their kids. "Public schools thrive because we're all pulling together. I myself do not have any children. If we thought in that mentality, none of my tax dollars would go to public schools. That being said, I would prefer to pay taxes to help educate children of all demographics."
This district is not one of the 14 targeted by Democrats to flip from red to blue, at least not yet. House Speaker Don Scott recently added a new seat to his target list that was even more Republican-leaning than this one.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
