Indiana has had its Choice Scholarship program and a voucher program for several years. Kansas should heed its warning as the same approach is being tried here, and last week’s hearing showed House Education Committee leadership wants the Corporate Education Tax Credit Scholarship bill passed. PLEASE CONTACT HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND TELL THEM TO OPPOSE House SUB SB 22. “The voucher program in Indiana was defended as a method that would allow poor Hoosier children to escape from failing schools. Of course, many of us knew that was nothing more than a slogan. There never was a voucher requirement that to become eligible, the student leave a poor performing school or apply to a higher performing school (putting aside the problem of defining either). In addition, the income requirements extended well into middle class. Finally, the program was expanded to those who never attended public schools, thus eliminating once and for all the “help those poor kids escape” illusion.
The vast majority of voucher money is now spent by those desirous of a religious education; a facet of the educational experience with which public schools cannot compete. The recent release of the Voucher Study details the number of students receiving taxpayer assistance and the names of the various Catholic, Lutheran, Islamic and non-denominational schools they attend. There are approximately 2800 voucher students within the FWCS boundaries. (FN1) FWCS estimates it lost about 500 students to vouchers; therefore more than 80% of the recipients were already parochial school students.”http://dianeravitch.net/2014/02/24/indiana-the-voucher-shell-game/