Let's face it: Public education is not one of Gov. Tom Corbett's best subjects.

It's easy to say he just doesn't care about it, since his budget cuts have forced districts to raise taxes while cutting teachers and programs.

But how does one explain the governor's Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program, the tuition-for-tax breaks swap he was able to include in the 2012-13 spending plan?

It provides $50 million in incentives for businesses that cover the tuition for students transferring from under-performing schools to better, nearby school districts or private schools.

Yes, Corbett has been especially cozy with business during his short time in office, but there's more to it here.

He only came up with the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit after it became clear he lacked support, even among his fellow Republicans, for a straight, state-funded voucher program.

It appears the governor actually feels strongly about this.

Unfortunately, not too many others share his feelings.

Of 500 school districts across the state, just two -- neither in York County -- signed up by Wednesday's deadline to take transferring students.

Locally, students from Davis, Devers and Jackson elementaries and William Penn Senior High School in York City and Hanover High School are eligible to transfer.

Yet only three private schools -- Logos Academy, the Montessori Children's House and York Country Day School -- volunteered for the program, and it appears there's only a few seats available among them.

Dallastown Area School District Superintendent Ron Dyer offered one explanation for districts' lack of participation.

In his case, Dyer said, he couldn't put Dallastown in a position where it would have to hire an extra teacher or have larger class sizes because it took in outside students.

It's a good reason.

Corbett has forced school districts to pinch every penny during the past two years. Did he really expect them to loosen their belts for his pet project, no matter how well-intentioned?

Perhaps if school districts weren't forced to make a decision less than two months after the program was created -- and mere weeks before most were to begin classes -- more would have participated.

As it was, they weren't expecting this when they passed their budgets and had no time to plan for it.

It's a shame.

Had that $50 million been earmarked for under-performing school districts rather than businesses, it might have gone a long way toward improving their students' grades, negating the need for programs like the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit.

Now it looks like most of that money will sit on a shelf for the rest of the school year.

And those students will be sitting at the same desks as last year.