INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (NETWORK INDIANA): This past legislative session, state lawmakers approved a measure to allow more families to use school vouchers provided by the state to send their children to private schools if they wish.
It was a measure that got some stiff opposition from those supporting public schools.
Advocates for private schools say ever since the bill became law, there has been a noticeable jump in the number of Hoosiers sending their children to private schools. Granted, private school numbers have general increase year-over-year recently regardless.
“We typically will see an increase annually at some level,” said John Elcesser, the executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association. “But I think because of the expansion of the Choice Scholarship Program, I think those increases are more significant this year than they’ve been in the past.”
Elcessor tells WISH-TV 355 private schools have been approved to take part in the Choice Scholarship Program this year. Nearly all of those schools are religiously affiliated.
Official numbers of students who attended private school won’t be available until mid-September once districts settle into their school years.
Elcessor said that one thing they can say for certain is that most private school numbers are reflecting the communities they are located in.
“Our rates of serving students of poverty, our rates of serving students of different ethnicities and racial backgrounds are higher than the general population in the state of Indiana,” Elcessor said. “And they pretty much mirror the public school in their particular areas.”
In the previous school year of 2022-2023, 52,614 students attended a private school using Choice scholarships during the 2022-2023 school year. Another 35,344 attended private schools without using vouchers. For comparison, more than 983,000 students attended a traditional public school.
2 comments
Why are the public schools surprised when parents ,now informed, of the perversion that goes on in many public schools. Parents see teachers (unions) and the administrators not representing them or having their kids best interest in mind. They see them teaching subjects that not that long ago would get someone arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Parents are responsible for their kids until they reach adult hood. Parents want their kids to be able to function in an increasingly dangerous society. Sadly much of that danger comes from the very institution that previously were on the parents side of the equation. Forty years ago public school made sense to us. Now public school does not make any sense to our children when considering the education of our grand-kids. It is time to give full vouchers to parents so they can choose where their kids are education including the ability to spend those dollars on home school. IF we must have public schools, it is high time to give the unions the boot. Federal labor law is more than sufficient to protect employees. Why needs or want that pugnacious stooge Randi Weingarten having any say in how your kids are educated? Let her get a real productive job somewhere.
I totally agree with what you are saying.
When will people wake up to the truth and in defense of their children.
Thank you!