Ritz calls on lawmakers to not expand school vouchers
Indiana schools chief Glenda Ritz on Tuesday called on lawmakers not to pass an expansion of private school vouchers in the state.
Ritz said she’s requesting a “pause” on the controversial program as lawmakers consider widening the time window during which a Hoosier student could apply for a voucher. The bill also would allow students to continue receiving the assistance if they have to change to another voucher-eligible school in the middle of the year.
“For too long, Indiana has diverted funding from public schools without studying the impact on our traditional school system,” the superintendent of public instruction said.
Ritz, a Democrat, said instead of taking up the bill, lawmakers should conduct a study of the fiscal and academic impacts of the school voucher program.
Ritz said several ways already exist for a student to become eligible for the voucher program, which allows the use of public funds toward private school tuition. She said Senate Bill 334 would mark an expansion of the program.
Under current law, students must enroll in a school by Sept. 1 to qualify for a voucher for that school year. The bill would allow a student to apply for the assistance for the second semester, requiring the Indiana Department of Education to accept applications from September through January.
To the extent that would expand the program depends on how many students qualify for a voucher beginning in the second semester, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. For this school year, about 33,000 children are receiving vouchers with an average grant amount of $4,132. The program cost the state about $40 million during the 2014-15 school year, up from nearly $16 million the previous year, according to Department of Education data.
The bill also would allow students to continue receiving a voucher if they switch to a different private school midyear. Currently, if a student changes schools, the voucher assistance is lost for the remainder of that year, and the funding goes back to the state.
The Institute for Quality Education, a key supporter of the bill and school choice efforts in the state, called Ritz’s comments a “huge disappointment.”
“Superintendent Ritz needs to shift her focus from defending the status quo of Indiana’s school systems and buildings to supporting all Hoosier students, families and educators. Her personal and political dislike of allowing Indiana families – particularly those in lower-income households – the right to provide their children with the best education available to them is inexcusable,” said Erin Sweitzer, a spokeswoman for the Institute for Quality Education.
Ritz’s comments come as she ramps up for a re-election bid for the superintendent’s office. The contest for the office became more heated with the entrance of Jennifer McCormick, a public schools superintendent who is mounting a Republican challenge to replace Ritz.
The voucher program has long been a source of angst for traditional public school supporters and the state’s largest teachers union.
Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @indystarchelsea.