News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Breaking News

Local & Bistate

May 28, 2012

School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers

Local school expects increased participation next academic year

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.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local & Bistate
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On' Robot Action Connected to Human Thought Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol Falling Cable Hurts 10 NASCAR Fans Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' Transgender Candidate Running in NYC 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA Oklahoma City Thunder Players Tour Moore Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Today in History June 18
NDN Video
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab Sofia Vergara Posts Perky Backside Pic in Thong Gaga Ditches Her Crazy Couture Caught on Tape: Teacher Accused of Beating Autistic Child "Stay Classy" Campaign Aims to Curb Binge Drinking Sesame Street Tackling Tough Topic Parents in Jail Miss Utah Fumbles Interview Question Deranged man claims Newark-bound flight was poisoned
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News