Indiana school voucher expansion rolled back in Senate plan
Teachers within the Westfield Washington Schools District on March 25, 2021, at Oak Trace Elementary School in Westfield, Indiana, show solidarity in light of state legislative bills tp expand school choice options. (WISH Photo)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A proposed expansion of Indiana’s private school voucher program would be scaled back under the new state budget plan from state Senate Republicans, while still boosting spending on the program by about 25%.
The two-year state spending plan presented Thursday would increase overall school funding by 1.2% the first year and about 3% the second year, slightly more than a plan the Republican-dominated House endorsed in February.
The revised voucher plan is expected to cost about one-eighth of the total K-12 funding increase.
Nearly 150 school boards across the state have passed resolutions opposing the voucher program expansion.