In 2019-2020 Indiana spent $172.8 million dollars of public funds on private school vouchers, depriving every public school system in Indiana $172 per student. That means a school system of 6,000 students currently loses more than $1 million each year, with your tax money paying all or part of private school tuition for families earning up to $95,000 a year

Private education advocates in the Indiana House of Representatives are once again attempting to expand private school vouchers, and for the first time they also plan to give public funds to unsupervised home schools by establishing a new program called Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).

If passed, HB 1005 would cost Indiana taxpayers an additional $202 million dollars over two years, diverting public funds from our traditional public schools while they continue to deal with the demands of the pandemic, face the challenges of making up for lost learning, attempt to provide additional crucial services for many of Indiana's neediest students, and continue to lag behind our neighboring states in teacher pay.

• Expanding vouchers to give more money to higher income private school parents (Choice Scholarships) would cost $65 million over two years, according to the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency (LSA).
• Education Savings Accounts to fund home schools would cost $137 million over two years according to LSA, which includes at least $6 million to create an online portal which would distribute the money directly to parents through the State Treasurer, of all things, without the involvement or supervision of any education official. This concept is based on Milton Friedman’s plan to end community public schools and simply distribute money to parents. It should be totally rejected by the General Assembly.

HB 1005 is on the agenda for a hearing and vote in the House Education Committee this Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 3:30 p.m. We urge you to contact your representative and members of the committee right away, asking them to oppose HB 1005.