Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements
(IX) Ensure federal support of robust data collection and reporting requirements of SGOs and states
Under Section 4.05 of the notice, the Treasury and the IRS should ensure robust reporting requirements of both SGOs and states.
- 25F(h) instructs the Treasury secretary to issue regulations or other guidance with respect to recordkeeping or information reporting for purposes of administering this program. Section 4.05 of the notice, requests comments on reporting and recordkeeping requirements — specifically how reporting requirements should balance IRS information needs with burden on organizations.
By providing a tax credit for donations to SGOs with no limit on contributions nationwide, this program is unprecedented in scale and scope. Given this, and the stated goal of the program to support the improved options — and ultimately outcomes — for students across the country, it’s essential that robust reporting be required of both SGOs and states. States have substantial infrastructure in place to report on the conditions and outcomes of public schools — as well as similar state tax credit and scholarship programs, which should be leveraged to support the collection and public reporting of key aspects of this program. While the initial development of reporting systems specific to this program may require time and investment on the part of states and SGOs, the prevailing national interest of understanding the extent to which taxpayers’ contributions — which otherwise would be federal tax revenue supporting public programs — are supporting improved access and outcomes for students, especially those from vulnerable student groups and those currently enrolled low-performing schools, certainly justifies the burden on organizations to develop and implement public reporting systems.
Specifically, it will be essential that states — through SGOs, private schools, and other participating organizations — collect and publicly report the following data annually. To the extent possible, while still protecting individual student privacy, this data should be disaggregated by SGO, school, race/ethnicity, disability status, multilingual learner status, household income, urbanicity, grade, and gender, as well as program factors, such as the length of time students have participated in the program, and number of scholarships, total amount of scholarships, and categories of expenses for scholarships received:
- Results on state required academic assessments in English language arts (ELA) and math, by performance level
- Attendance rates (in alignment with state definitions)
- Four-year graduation and college enrollment rates (for high school students only)
- Results of an annual parent survey regarding their experience using the program
- Number of students utilizing the program
- Type of school students were last enrolled in before entering the program (public, private, or homeschool)
- Retention rates of participating students (i.e., the number and percent of students who remain participants for the entire year)
These metrics are key for understanding the extent to which qualified contributions are improving opportunities and outcomes of students in participating states. By providing transparency around the use and outcomes of individual SGOs, donors will have the opportunity to direct their contributions to organizations that are most effective at boosting outcomes of students. Similarly, families will have a better understanding of which SGOs, schools, and providers are providing scholarships and opportunities that will meet the unique needs of their children. Finally, these data will provide policymakers and the public with essential information on the collective impacts of these federal investments in these tax credits, to support future decision-making —including state annual opt-in decisions and future amendments to the program from Congress and federal administrators. Without requiring this reporting, the Treasury would allow potentially billions of dollars of federal revenue to flow to SGOs and other entities without any accountability for the impact of this program on student outcomes —and ultimately the health and well-being of the nation.
Section 4.05 of the notice, further requests comments on existing reporting and recordkeeping requirements
Currently, nearly 30 States and the District of Columbia operate voucher and/or tax credit policies that provide scholarships for educational expenses, with some states operating multiple programs, some of which provide universal benefits while others are targeted for specific student populations. Nearly all programs require fiscal reporting around the number and dollar amount of scholarships issued annually. For instance, Louisiana requires the following reporting from SGOs participating in their state-level program:
- Quarterly enrollment and certification reports of all scholarships issued each quarter and the donations used to fund them
- An annual program report prepared by a certified public accountant that includes a financial summary of the STO’s operations, the schools the STO awarded, and the number and amount of donations received in the previous calendar year. More information on this report can be found in R.S. 47:6301 (B)(c)(ix)
- An annual financial information report prepared by a certified public accountant, that complies with generally accepted financial procedures
- An annual accounting of donated funds that were paid out or are reserved for student scholarships, as well as donated funds that were retained from previous calendar years. More information on this reporting can be found in R.S. 47:6301 (B)(1)(c)(xii)
Additionally, an independent review of 39 existing programs across 29 states indicates that two-thirds of these state programs also require some level of annual public reporting and accountability of student outcomes. In alignment with the goal of improving the outcomes of students, most state programs require participating entities to administer and report the results of academic assessments for participating students. While the majority of these programs allow entities to choose the assessment used and reported, five States (Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.) require participants to use the results of the same assessment required by public school students in the state. The Treasury should follow the lead of these states, including D.C. — until now, the only private school scholarship program financed via federal funds — and require participating states to ensure the administration of state academic assessments in all schools benefiting from SGO funds, in alignment with policies for public schools. Doing so will ensure that evaluations of this program at the state and/or national levels can be based on valid comparisons between participants and nonparticipants, as well as changes over time for participants that enroll in private institutions after previously being enrolled in public schools. Failure to include such a requirement in forthcoming regulations would be a failure to provide needed transparency to students, families, stakeholders, and policymakers who need to know the extent to which these funds are supporting the academic needs of participating students.
Beyond test results, 10 states require reporting on the graduation rates of participating students for their programs, ensuring accountability for successful completion of high school — essential for the success and well-being of students. Two of these states — Missouri and D.C. — also require reporting on college enrollment, acknowledging the importance of postsecondary education for the long-term outcomes of students. Given the importance of parent and family choice inherent to such programs, 10 states also require reporting results on surveys of participating parental satisfaction. The Treasury requiring similar reporting for states would ensure that participating students are not only receiving adequate academic preparation, but that the specific needs of families — along with the well-being of their children — are being met to the satisfaction of parents. Similarly, two of these states — Arkansas and D.C. — require reporting on the retention of participating students over the course of the year to understand whether students and their families are being adequately supported by the schools and programs funded by state-funded programs.
As noted previously, D.C. is currently the only state program being directly supported by federal funds. This program also stands out as having the most robust reporting requirements for participating schools, requiring all of the accountability reporting metrics recommended above. The Treasury and the IRS should maintain federal support of robust data collection to determine if the funds for this program actually result in improved student opportunities and outcomes as intended.