Breaking: New report shows school voucher program nearly doubles costing $116 million
02/23/2015

 

A new report from the Department of Education shows that Indiana’s school voucher program has nearly doubled for the second year in a row to close to 30,000 students, now costing the state $116 million. 

 

Even more concerning is that a majority of vouchers are going to students who have never even previously attended a public school. Last year, 60 percent of voucher students previously attended a public school. This year, that amount dropped to just 51 percent. This dramatic change has made the school voucher program an unfunded government entitlement program.

 

The report also reveals that the voucher program has drastically changed from a program its supporters claimed was a way for low-income student to leave Indiana’s public schools.

 

Currently, a family of four in Indiana earning $88,245 per year can qualify for a taxpayer-financed voucher. Considering Indiana’s median is $48,248, it is evident the voucher program was never about focusing in on helping poor families.

 

According to the report, Indiana’s voucher program is evidently not helping racial minorities in Indiana either. White students are taking more than half of the vouchers.

 

Aside from wealthier and white students being the biggest winners from Indiana’s costly voucher program, Indiana’s religious schools are big winners as well. Indiana’s voucher program continues to subsidize religious school operations with more than 96 percent of the schools receiving vouchers being religion-based schools. 

 

A recent poll showed that 57 percent of Hoosiers oppose Indiana’s private school voucher program.