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Indiana Lawmakers Push For School Choice, Voucher Expansion

Indiana Statehouse

The House bill would open eligibility for state vouchers to more students from middle-income families. (Brandon Smith/IPB News)

Amid contention over how Hoosier students should receive instruction during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Republican lawmakers are prioritizing a bill that would expand the number of stipends available to use on private school education at taxpayers’ expense.

The House bill would open eligibility for state vouchers to more students from middle-income families, raising income eligibility for a family of four up to about $110,000 per year in 2022, and a little more than $145,000 by 2023.

The income bar exceeds the maximum amount allowed for a student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program by 225% in 2022, and 300% the following year. It’s also nearly double Indiana’s median income for families, which is about $74,000 per year.

Income tiers within the program would additionally be eliminated, awarding all participating students the maximum award — 90% of the amount the state would have provided to their public district.

The most costly expenditure in the legislation would create education savings accounts that provide grants to parents of children with special needs to spend on their education. Students in foster care, as well as some whose parents are serving in the armed forces or are veterans, would qualify for the stipends, too.

The savings accounts would be more generous than vouchers, providing the full amount the state would otherwise spend on a student’s schooling. Parents could choose to use the money to pay for tuition, or for other education expenses like tutoring, therapy or technological devices.

The measure builds on the state’s robust private school voucher program — one of the most expensive in the country — which served some 37,000 students from low- and middle-income families during the last academic year.

Roughly 38,000 newly eligible students are expected to make the switch from a traditional school corporation if the program expansion passes, according to the Legislative Services Agency. Another 12,000 students who already attend participating private schools, but don’t currently qualify for state aid, would also become eligible for funding.

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