Voucher Strategy Center
NSBA, which opposes school vouchers and tuition tax subsidies, is committed to defeating legislation and initiatives which create these programs. As of early 2009, private school voucher programs were operating or had been enacted in the cities of Cleveland, Milwaukee, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. and statewide in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah. All are targeted or limited programs. Tuition tax subsidy programs were operating in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
Voucher Program Quick Facts
State Voucher Programs
- Arizona – “Empowerment Scholarship Account”, enacted in July 2011, allows
the parents of students with disabilities (IDEA and Section 504) to sign
up for the account that would pay for tuition and fees in a private
school, online classes, tutoring, classes at home or college classes.
The program begins in the 2011-2012 school year.
- Florida – McKay voucher program for children with disabilities, enacted in 1999, enrolls 21,054 students, costs $152 million for 2010-2011.
- Georgia - Special education voucher program patterned after Florida's McKay program; narrowly enacted in 2007.
- Indiana – Enacted in May 2011, provides a $4,500 voucher for a student in grades 1-8 for a family of four that earns less than $41,000 a year; and $4,964 for a high school student; families of four making more than $60,000 a year eligible for some level of vouchers.
- Ohio – A statewide program “Ed Choice” was enacted in 2005; it enrolls 13,915 students in the 2010-2011 school year and provides vouchers worth up to $4,250 each for grades K-8 and up to $5,000 each for grades 9-12.
- Oklahoma – the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, enacted in 2010; enrolls 10 students with an annual budget of $115,000.
- Utah – The Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship, enacted in 2005, targets
students with disabilities; enroll 624 students (2010-2011) with an
annual budget of $3.2 million
City and County Voucher Programs
- Cleveland, OH – enacted in 1995, enrolls 5,264 students in 2010-2011, with an annual cost of $19 million.
- Douglas County, CO – enacted pilot program in March 2011; provides vouchers for up to 500 students; $4,575 per voucher in 2011-2012 school year.
- Milwaukee, WI – enacted in 1990, about 20,189 students enrolled in the 2010-2011 at a cost of $131 million.
- New Orleans, LA – enacted in 2008; about 1,697 students enrolled in the 2010-2011 school year at a cost of $7.8 million.
- Washington, D.C. – enacted in 2004; about 1,012 students enrolled in the 2010-2011 school year, at a cost of $8.2 million in federal funds.
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