TERRE HAUTE —
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
Of the 27 vouchers, 18 were for St. Patrick’s School, eight for the Terre Haute Seventh Day Adventist school and one for John Paul II Catholic High School, according to School Choice Indiana.
Statewide, nearly 4,000 students were approved for the voucher program, and Indiana had the largest first-year voucher program in the nation, choice leaders say.
The Legislature approved the program in 2011. The legislation allowed 7,500 private school vouchers for 2011-12, 15,000 in 2012-13 and an unlimited number after that.
“Now, we’re focused on getting the word out for Year Two of the program,” said Lindsey Brown, the executive director of School Choice Indiana. “We’ve seen that nationally it takes a few years to really spread the word.”
Brown and other choice leaders toured St. Patrick’s, where they also met with parents and legislators and heard student “success stories.”
John Elcesser, executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association, has traveled the state and heard how the voucher program “is changing lives.” At St. Patrick’s, one parent using the voucher program talked about how her children have “turned around academically” at the parochial school, he said.
To Elcesser, what’s important is not so much the numbers of participants, but how the program is providing “accessible and affordable” options for students and helping them be successful.
According to Brown, “We support all high-quality options,” whether it’s traditional public, charter or nonpublic.
Choice leaders noted that 85 percent of those receiving vouchers in Indiana qualified for free/reduced lunch.
Vouchers have enabled these students to attend schools that better meet their needs, said Glenn Tebbe, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference. Otherwise, in the past, many of them may not have been able to afford private school options, he said.
“This program has made that difference to them,” Tebbe said, with some describing it as “a Godsend.”
There are various reasons why families want to participate, Brown said. For some, it may be “to get into a better academic setting,” she said.
But for many other families, “It’s not that the public school system is bad. It’s simply that the nonpublic school they are choosing has something to offer that is a good fit for them,” Brown said.
More private schools will participate in the second year of the program, she said. She also expects to see more people take advantage of the program.
Last year, because the program was new, families could not apply until July. This year, the application window opened in February. St. Patrick’s indicated they expect the number of students attending on voucher could double for 2012-13, Elcesser said. “We’re hearing that around the state,” he said.
Asked about whether growing voucher programs might have an adverse impact on public school funding and programs, Brown said, “I think we’ve got to focus on the kids and money following the kids.”
Nationally, choice programs and competition cause public schools to “raise the bar” and “expend funds more efficiently,” Brown said. While she wouldn’t want public schools to have to make program cuts, “I think they are forced often to be a little more creative with how they spend their funds and how they educate their kids.”
Elcesser believes that vouchers, school choice and competition are pushing both public and nonpublic schools “to get better.” The end result is that children are better served, he said.
Brown refutes the argument that private or charter schools “cherry pick” only the best students. The opposite is true, she said. “Students who are being successful in their traditional public schools … aren’t leaving,” she said.
It’s typically the students who are struggling and need extra attention or a different setting who are participating in voucher programs or attending a charter or a magnet school option, she said.
Elcesser said it’s his “dream” to have public and private schools work together to address educational issues and that they “tear down the territorial stuff … We don’t have to be in silos.”
But he also noted, “We’re not there yet.”
Also visiting Terre Haute on Thursday was Robert Enlow, the president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
For parents who think they may be interested in vouchers, an informational meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 14 at St. Patrick School, 449 S. 19th St. The meeting is open to the public. For questions, contact Kent@School
ChoiceIndiana.org.
For more information, visit SchoolChoiceIndiana.com. People also can go to MyChoiceINed.com to determine whether they are eligible to participate in the voucher program.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Local school expects increased participation next academic year
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Ill. House approves guns plan opposed by governor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gun owners in the only state still banning concealed weapons would win that right under a plan approved by the Illinois House on Friday, but the governor and other powerful Democrats oppose the plan because it would wipe out local gun ordinances — including Chicago's ban on assault weapons.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 24, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 23, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Wednesday and Thursday, based on jail records.
-
Relic from another age: Massive find
A mastodon that lived in the Wabash Valley thousands of years ago is making big news today.
-
Game Over: Financial tightening causes VCSC to drop St. Patrick’s from athletic schedule
St. Patrick’s School athletic teams will not have an opportunity to compete against their Vigo County School Corp. middle school counterparts next year.
-
Katelyn Newell finally at home
After nearly five months, 8-year-old Katelyn Newell finally returned home Thursday evening — with a new heart.
-
Indiana State U. Police officer honored with Artz Award
Thursday was a special day for Indiana State University Police Officer Christopher Heleine in multiple ways.
-
City Council considering three for consultant
Three different tax professionals vied Thursday for a chance to become a “financial consultant” to the Terre Haute City Council.
-
Clay County sheriff warns of bank card scam
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has received information regarding a scam targeting residents, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department.
-
State Police seek help with Sullivan County homicide
Indiana State Police detectives from the Putnamville Post are seeking help from the public with the nearly six-month investigation into the death of 85-year-old Lowell R. Badger, a rural Sullivan County farmer.
-
Man who attacked Vigo deputy arrested
A Terre Haute man accused of attacking a Vigo County sheriff’s deputy earlier this week is facing felony charges in the Vigo County jail.
-
INDOT to bid final 641 phase
The final construction phase of the 641 bypass is scheduled to let for bids on Dec. 11, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
-
District office moves north
The Southwest District office of the Purdue Extension service has been moved north from Vincennes to Terre Haute.
-
Day is done…
The sun sets Thursday evening as seen from south of Terre Haute.
-
Morning update: I-5 bridge collapse caused by truck hitting span
The Washington State Patrol chief says the Interstate 5 bridge collapse into the Skagit (SKA'-jiht) River at Mount Vernon was caused by an oversize truck.
-
UPDATE: I-70 lanes in Putnam County now open
The west-bound lanes of Interstate 70 re-opened Thursday evening after being temporarily closed due to a crash near the Greencastle/Cloverdale exit.
-
22-hospital St. Vincent Health cutting jobs
INDIANAPOLIS — One of Indiana’s largest health systems says it’s cutting an undisclosed number of jobs by June 30 because of increasing economic and competitive pressure on the health care industry.
-
Update: Cleanup from overturned truck in Greene County continues
Fuel spillage from the dump truck hauling gravel that overturned this morning in Greene County at Indiana 54 and County Road 725 East near Ridgeport continues to restrict traffic to one lane.
-
17-pound bone found during Vigo flood cleanup
TERRE HAUTE — Crews cleaning up from Wabash River flooding in Vigo County came across a 17-pound bone that they believe might have come from an ancient mastodon.
-
Duke Energy gives $10K to Wabash Valley Red Cross for Vigo flood relief
Duke Energy is giving $10,000 to the Wabash Valley Red Cross chapter for flood relief from this spring’s heavy rains.
-
I-70 Frye Road overpass contract awarded; construction to begin May 28
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced the Interstate-70 Frye Road overpass contract was awarded to Halverson Construction Co. Inc. from Springfield, Ill., for $317,166.
-
Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment
Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.
-
Planning session aims to better Terre Haute
It’s not yet clear what will come of it, but dozens of community leaders spent the whole day Wednesday trying to develop a plan – or collection of plans – to make Terre Haute “a better community.”
-
Education funding boost won’t benefit all schools
In the budget bill passed by the General Assembly last month, there is more money allocated for K-12 education over the next two years, but that doesn’t mean every school will get more dollars.
- Day of Action job options open
-
Park Board renames land around Memorial Stadium
Land surrounding Indiana State University’s Memorial Stadium on Terre Haute’s east side has been designated as Veterans Memorial Park, following a unanimous vote Wednesday from the Terre Haute Park Board.
-
Deputy suffers minor injury during incident
A Vigo County Sheriff’s deputy received a minor injury to his hand Tuesday night while subduing a drunken driving suspect who fled behind a North Terre Haute business.
-
Man accused of child neglect gets new trial date
An Oct. 15 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute man arrested in November for child neglect after he and his wife allegedly tied up and confined their adopted children in the family home.
-
Police find meth labs, arrest Pierson Township man
Police uncovered two active methamphetamine labs in southeastern Vigo County on Monday, leading to the arrest of a Pierson Township man.
-
New date set for attempted murder trial
A new trial date has been set for a Terre Haute woman charged with attempted murder.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-




