[r88] House passes School Choice Scholarships (3/30/2011)

House Bill 1003 was frozen on the House calendar for over five weeks due to the Democrat walkout. On Tuesday evening the bill was heard on second reading where over twenty amendments were discussed, and nine were adopted, two of which were democrat authored.

The bill passed in the House on third reading Wednesday evening. The bill now moves on to the Senate for further consideration 

"This is yet another option for parents to choose a school that best meets their child's needs regardless of their income or zip code," said Speaker Bosma. "We must give families the option to provide their children with the best education they need to be successful."
The bill does the following:

• Creates School Choice Scholarships for low income families to attend a quality school of choice, either a public or private school.
• Focuses eligibility on lower income families. Families at or below the income threshold for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch program approximately $40,000 for a family of four can receive 90 percent of their per student home school corporation state tuition support. Families with incomes of approximately $60,000 for a family of four can receive 50 percent of the state tuition support amount per student. However, $4,500 is the maximum a student in grades 1-8 may receive.
• Students must generally have attended a public school for at least two semesters, excluding kindergarten to be eligible.
• Eligible schools must be accredited by the Indiana State Board of Education or a national or regional accreditation agency recognized by the state board and must fall under the state's accountability standards and administer the statewide ISTEP test. An eligible school must also hold a public hearing and conduct a random drawing, if it has more choice scholarship applicants than available seats. 
• Caps student participation at 7,500 for the 2011-2012 school year and 15,000 for the 2012-2013 school year. There is no cap on student participation after the 2012-2013 school year.

"It is our duty as legislators to make sure that Hoosier children are receiving a great education - and if they are not - it is our job to give families options to choose the best education opportunity available for their children," said Speaker Bosma.

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