Over the next three weeks, the Minnesota Legislature will be making many important decisions, including some that will have a significant impact on the financial ability of low- and middle-income parents to choose from the full spectrum of educational choices available, including our LCMS schools and early childhood centers.

We are enlisting your help in encouraging legislators to make good decisions concerning this matter. Currently, the Tax Conference Committee is considering authorizing a new tax credit for parochial school tuition. In its present form, this could result in as much as $1,500 per-child, per-year benefit to families attending our schools. Legislators will be making their decision between now and their adjournment date of May 23.

So, what does all this mean? It means that NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! Now is the time to contact your State Representative and State Senator to let them know that you support this new tax credit for private school tuition. If you need help in identifying your Representative/Senator, or getting contact information, click here.

Now, while it is important to contact all legislators on this issue, it is especially important to be in contact with members of the Tax Conference Committee and others holding leadership positions, especially if you live in their district. Therefore, if you are served by Representatives Daudt, Peppin, Fabian, Baker, Kiel, Kresha, Swedzinski, Thissen, Davids, Drazkowski, or Senators Bakk, Hayden, Rest or Dziedzic, Koenen, or Skoe, your willingness to act is particularly crucial. Click here to access contact information for the conference committee members.

Bottom line? This legislation represents a great opportunity to re-empower parents, while at the same time taking care to prevent inappropriate state intrusion in our schools. Indeed, these are the twin goals we and other like-minded groups across Minnesota have been working toward for the past several years.

We hope you’ll set aside whatever hesitancies you might have and elect to exercise your citizenship for the good of families, the Church, and the society at large. Your involvement is vital to the advancement of this measure! So please, please take a moment to make a phone call, send an email, or write a letter, politely, yet firmly, asking your elected representative to show their support for parents by voting for the tuition tax credit in the Tax Bill. Click here to access a template for a letter or email. Click here to access contact information for the conference committee members.

And, while you’re at it, urge your friends to do the same by forwarding this email to them and encourage them to speak up! It’s a simple yet crucial way to ensure that our schools and early childhood centers continue to reach children with the Gospel of Jesus.

For more details, please go to the OAK (Opportunity for All Kids) website at www.oakmn.org. 

Considering the many issues vying for your attention, I appreciate your willingness to make this a priority over the next several weeks. Thanks again for your support and your willingness to act!

Here is a bulletin insert sent to MN South and MN North congregations that we're encouraging them to use on the weekends of May 1 and May 8.