In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which parents and educators reevaluated their relationship with public schools, lawmakers across the country have eagerly embraced state-funded voucher programs, giving public money to students to attend private schools.
So far this year, at least 10 states have implemented or expanded programs for vouchers and other state private education subsidies, according to Chalkboard Review, an education-focused website. The states are: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah, along with a pilot program in Tennessee.
But in North Dakota, the Republican governor vetoed such a plan, and bills failed in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Texas and Virginia.
There are currently voucher and similar programs in 32 states and the District of Columbia, according to EdChoice, a free-market organization that promotes public money for private education. Voucher programs often are characterized in state legislation as “scholarship programs,” but whatever the name, the policies result in a transfer of public money to private institutions. Some even subsidize home-schooling.
Some states are establishing what they call “education savings accounts.” The state puts money in such accounts for every student under 18, allowing parents to spend it on public, private, religious or home-schooling costs.
Some programs have seen extensive growth: Indiana’s private school voucher program grew by 20% in the past school year, its largest boost in a decade. And in Arizona, a voucher program projected to cost $65 million in the coming school year is now estimated at more than $900 million because of an expected spike in applicants.
Some of the Republicans pushing the programs claim broad public support for them. But recent polls suggest that people’s opinions shift depending on the specific details of the program, the phrasing of the questions and who is asking them.
Polls funded by pro-voucher advocacy groups or state Republican parties show the public in many states favoring them. Polls commissioned by Democratic-leaning teachers unions often show the public opposed.
Meanwhile, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in March found that 36% of respondents supported vouchers and 51% opposed them when they were asked if they supported “[l]aws allowing government money to send students to private and religious schools, even if it reduces money for public schools.”
“It’s going to continue to be a real focus in the legislative process in a lot of places for some time to come,” said Norín Dollard, senior policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, a progressive think tank that opposes vouchers.
Several Republican-dominated states pushed ahead with voucher programs this year.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for president, signed a bill in March establishing a voucher program for any family, regardless of income. The allocation per student is expected to be about $8,000 a year — more than some private schools were charging for annual tuition.
As a result, some private schools raised their prices. At least one Catholic school, after deciding to raise tuition, reversed course in the face of parents’ objections when the Tampa Bay Times reported the decision. The newspaper reported some other schools are sticking with the decision to raise tuition, but did not name them.
Dollard said she did not know which schools in Florida were moving forward with plans to increase their rates.
But she said in a phone interview that her group would continue to oppose the voucher system because, she argues, many schools in Florida don’t have enough money now. According to one recent analysis, Florida ranks 44th among the states in per-pupil spending.
“If those schools had been properly funded to begin with, we might not be in the situation where students are inclined to leave public schools,” she said. “Public schools serve the public good.”
An annual Gallup poll on education trends shows 55% of respondents last year were unhappy with K-12 education in the United States, up from 48% in 2020.
Robert Enlow, president of EdChoice, said the organization thinks it’s “fair and more equitable for money to follow families than to have the money follow one type of school. [Families] shouldn’t have to pay twice, once in taxes and once in tuition. Why is that fair?”
In Iowa, more than 17,500 parents already have applied to join the state’s new education savings accounts, thousands more than state officials had budgeted for, according to the Des Moines Register. Families have until the end of June to sign up; it’s unclear how the state will fund all the applicants.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ success in pushing the school choice program through the legislature came arguably as a result of her work last fall to elect new, pro-voucher Republican lawmakers after a voucher bill had previously failed. As was the case in Florida, several private religious schools in Iowa raised their tuition after the measure there passed.
In Utah, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox in January signed into law a measure that will spend $42 million to set up a statewide universal voucher program. The law gives out $8,000 per student to pay private school tuition. The state’s largest teachers union, the Utah Education Association, said it would challenge the law in court.
Most of the efforts to set up or expand voucher programs have come in conservative-led states. But some supporters are liberal groups representing underserved communities who are fed up with low-performing public schools.
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat and the state’s first Black governor, faced a barrage of criticism earlier this year when he called for cutting back the state’s small voucher program for some underprivileged kids. Some of the criticism came from liberal Black organizations in Baltimore upset over decades of public school deficiencies in the city and parents who wanted their kids to be afforded something different.
Writing in the Baltimore Afro-American, Ralph E. Moore Jr., a longtime Baltimore educator and activist, supported students and others who descended on Annapolis to protest the governor’s proposal.
“Wouldn’t it be fair to continue to let some low-income children have an otherwise unreachable private school experience?” he wrote. “And even though private educational institutions do not pay state (property or sales) taxes, their operations reduce the number of children that state government would be responsible for educating by federal and state law.”
Rather than cut the program by $2 million as Gov. Moore proposed, the Maryland legislature, in a compromise, added $1 million back as part of the state’s budget.
Despite the defeat, Gov. Moore is not giving up on his plan to cut back on the program.
“I still believe that public funding should go to public education,” he said in an email to Stateline. “I respect the General Assembly’s position on providing more funding for the program in the FY23 budget.”
American Federation of Teachers-Maryland President Kenya Campbell, in an email to Stateline, supported the governor’s efforts, calling the voucher program, known as BOOST, “unproven, discriminatory and wasteful.”
–Elaine Povich, Stateline
The dude says
After decades of watching colleges raise tuition to better capitalize on the ease of acquiring more of that sweet sweet financial aide money, this will only come as a surprise to the rubiest of rubes.
Grifting is the MAGA way. That the MAGA maddrasses, that are the religious and pariochal schools, are now racing to get a bigger share of the grift is just the natural order of things.
BMW says
You might be surprised to learn that the public university system in Florida has the lowest cost of earning a 4-year degree in the nation. Governor Scott made it a goal to raise the level of education and start the path toward reigning in the cost for in-state students. At the onset of Scott’s tenure, UF ranked around 15th in the country for public universities and it was through his effort to raise the bar that UF now holds the #5 spot. Not wanting to get into your political realm, but a little interjection of where our state stands should be acceptable.
Dont say Ron says
This will help fund extremist groups and defund public schools at once. thanks racist ron thefacist. Here in flagler small kids start way earlier than older kids. why you ask? well it would cost more money for bus drivers for them to be closer together. So screw you parents trying to work. Now the underfunded schools all over the state will be even worse off, so much for Republicans caring about kids. I guess the goal is make people stupid so they believe the GOP lies is full steam ahead. Sad for all Floridians and future floridians that you would allow one nazi wannabe to dismantle and defund schools for millions of kids. Pathetic republicans !! Now own up to as you run the state and remove anyone with another opinions cause your facist ideology. Use public funds so the church people can assult/molest more kids, Republicans are a national cancer that will kill us all so there donors can profit if not removed.
Toto says
Right on Don’t say, can’t add anything else as you are spot on!
Thieves be stealing says
It is immediately apparent the vouchers were give aways no to parents unhappy with public school performance but for religious organizations and the wealthy who already send their children to private schools.
Of course they raised the tuition, that’s how our elected officials are stealing our tax dollars to give to their supporters!
Stealing money from public school kids is shameful. As shameful as not properly funding schools to begin with.
Deborah Coffey says
BAN all private schools and homeschooling. Public schools only and fully fund them! We need to be Finland. We need to be the best in the world. We’re not…because Republicans have been trying to destroy public education for decades. BTW, Ron DeSantis barely cut the budget this week but guess what he DID CUT…education.
Kat says
Just when you think they cannot go any lower, the Republican monopoly in Florida find new ways to steal from the poor and give to the rich.
Jimbo99 says
I wonder how many private schools are ever under lockdown for a mass shooting or evacuated over any kind of threat, from armed trespass to bomb threat in Flagler County. This is nothing new though, there’s financial assistance to transport children to out of county schools too. As a taxpayer with no school aged children, if this is the plan going forward, I’d rather not be taxed for any of it when the money leaves the county where the families with school aged children. It’s that simple really, I pay those taxes to improve the immediate community. Even there the locals will find a way to get those tax dollars. Throwing more money at the problem isn’t the solution, regardless of results. The internet is a wealth of real information, no book bans, blah, blah, blah. If one can’t learn online, figure things out for themselves. All this noise is just that about the money, noise for the sake of being overcharged. Some things in life nobody will ever be compensated for. Learning is one of those things.
Laurel says
“Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for president, signed a bill in March establishing a voucher program for any family, regardless of income. Isn’t that is what rich Republicans cry redistribution of wealth?”
This is public spending on private industry without taxpayer consent. Ronnie is good at such stunts.
Laurel says
…income” (end quote).
Tony Mack says
My Muslim friend is considering opening a Madrassa. Think he could get some of Old Ron’s taxpayer funds? Nah, don’t think so.
JimBob says
Don’t we already have a madrassa in Bunnell? Florida is becoming a version of Mississippi in the early 1960s with its “Christian academy” culture.
What Else Is New says
Do readers really believe the Gallup poll of 55% disappointed in public education? Do readers really believe those 55% even visited the schools, attended school PTA meetings, met with teachers during numerous parent/teacher conferences, followed their students’ academic progress, and volunteered? Of course not. Red state governors such as Pathetic Small Man DeSantis are in the process of dismantling public education and busting unions.