Private school vouchers double in last year

Twice as many Indiana students are attending private school this year, up from more than 3,000 last year, because of state-issued vouchers.

More than 9,000 students participated in the “Choice Scholarships” voucher program this year, said Alex Damron, press secretary with the Department of Education.

Students are not eligible for vouchers unless they meet a set of criteria that includes living in a household at or below variable income limits, according to the education department’s website.

A family of four could receive a 90 percent choice scholarship if its annual income is about $40,000. The same family would be eligible for a 50 percent scholarship if it made about $60,000 a year.

Kate Shively, a Bloomington resident whose children attend private school, said although it’s important the vouchers make private education available to families with low socioeconomic status, she said she has heard other families express concerns about the definition of private.

The vouchers don’t cover the total cost of tuition, Shively said, continuing that more affluent families who normally donate money to the school are experiencing more pressure to contribute because private schools are incurring greater costs from the voucher program.

The number of vouchers issued this year didn’t near the 15,000 cap set by the state law, but it exceeded the 3,919 issued in 2011.

Damron said he did not know when the final 2012 count would be released. The number of vouchers available will be unlimited beginning in the 2013-14 school year, according to state law.

However, the education department is more interested in ensuring students have the option to choose a quality private education than extending vouchers to everyone, Damron said.

Shively said she thinks opening the pool will help because more scholarships mean more private education for low-income families and more funding for the schools themselves.

Vouchers create a two-tier system, said Cathy Fuentes, chairwoman of Indiana Coalition for Public Education Monroe County and South Central Indiana.

Children who come from broken homes are likely to be denied enrollment at a private school, even with a voucher, Fuentes said.

She said there’s no guarantee private schools will accept students who have received vouchers.

“They don’t give you the full tuition of a private school,” Fuentes said. “There is no guarantee, I’m quite certain, that the school will accept you.”