EVANSVILLE — A bill allowing "choice scholarships" — commonly called vouchers — for low-income students to attend nonpublic schools has split local education officials.
The legislation is part of an education reform agenda being pushed by Gov. Mitch Daniels. State funds would cover the costs of low-income Hoosier students interested in schools that charge tuition.
Memorial High School Executive Director Ken Schultheis last week encouraged the Catholic school's Twitter followers to contact local legislators in support of the measure.
Other local faith-based schools have done the same thing, using newsletters and other means. Schultheis said School Choice Indiana reported Friday that lawmakers have received more than 2,000 e-mails from the Evansville area backing the legislation, House Bill 1003.
"We live in a country that allows people the opportunity to make choices to improve their lives," Schultheis said, adding that he views the vouchers bill as exemplifying that spirit.
So much time is spent by people in education saying parents don't care," Schultheis said. "I see this as an opportunity to empower parents to be more involved and put their children in a place where they feel they can be more successful ... that's a critical part of this legislation."
Schultheis said he is hopeful that if the choice scholarship bill passes, new partnerships could be forged between public and private schools.
"It's a great opportunity to bring synergies, bring people to the table, share teachers and programs," he said.
Cuts already hurt
Public school officials, however, say that funding lost to a voucher program would hurt them at a time when they already have been stung by state cuts.
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Superintendent Vincent Bertram said he has "a number of concerns" about vouchers, "and they all center on equity."
Bertram said choices available to Indiana's economically neediest children would be limited under a voucher system, and nonpublic schools would still be able to choose who they admit.
If vouchers do not cover the full cost of a year of tuition, "who pays the (remainder) if the school doesn't pay? That child still doesn't have access," Bertram said.
The Evansville Teachers Association is "not in favor of a voucher bill of any sort," Director Dan Hartz said.
"When the school corporations were reduced a year ago by 4.5 percent (in a state funding cut), and you're talking about initiating a new program that costs dollars from the pot of money still there," Hartz said. "Schools are left with the challenge of educating students. The needs aren't going to go down, but the funding will be reduced.
"That's the practical side," Hartz said. "The philosophical side is that public schools are there for everybody, and there should be a separation between that and public funding for private schools."
Waiting to check
Kendell Berry, head of Evansville Day School, said he is waiting to see the final version of the legislation.
Berry noted that students at Day School, an independent school for grades K-12 that does not have a religious affiliation, do not take the state's ISTEP test, and he would oppose the bill if it required schools awarding choice scholarships to give ISTEP.
Berry said Day School also would want to preserve its existing applications process for prospective students.
Schultheis views the legislation as a chance to expand student opportunities. "Memorial has a great history of welcoming students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Unfortunately in the last decade families are feeling the squeeze ... this would empower parents to have that opportunity (for their children to attend a nonpublic school)."
A statewide survey of 600 residents conducted in November and December by the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy reflected little support for a voucher system, as opposed to other options for improving education in the state.
In response to a question on what strategies Hoosiers would prefer to fix a failing school, 65.9 percent chose an option that would involve retraining teachers and principals, changing instructional practices and extending student learning and teacher planning time. An option for vouchers received 6.5 percent.
The legislation is pending before the Committee on Education. It would require students seeking vouchers to have attended a traditional public school or charter school for at least the previous two semesters.