Technical Education

Five weeks: That’s how long state officials have left to launch a school voucher program that will let low- and middle-income Hoosiers use state tax dollars to pay for private school.

Parents are starting to ask questions.

Private schools are gearing up.

And the state’s biggest school district is fighting back.

not even the online application form.

The delay in getting the program started resulted from constant changes as the voucher bill moved through the legislature, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett said, but advocates say vouchers will be in place by fall, and they are ready to assist.

“It’s a pretty serious program to get off the ground,” said Robert Enlow, executive director of the Foundation for Educational Choice, which advocated for the voucher law. “The state is doing a good job. They are getting it done as fast as they can.”

The delay, however, makes it unclear how comprehensive the program will be in its first year; how much interest it might generate among parents and private schools; and the effect it could have on public schools.

State tardy for first class

Other states with voucher programs similar to Indiana’s started slowly but picked up momentum.

which allows 7,500 voucher students in 2011-12 — has fewer limits than Ohio’s, but the Buckeye State launched its program in 2007 with a months-long campaign of information sessions for schools and parents across Ohio.

That hasn’t happened here.

In Indiana, groups that supported the voucher law, such as School Choice Indiana and the Indiana Non-Public School Association, have had webinars to teach private schools about the program. So far there has not been much direct outreach to parents, but school choice groups are planning an advertising campaign next month.

A big question is whether parents will know enough about the program to sign up in significant numbers.

“The timing was such that our ability to get a full-year implementation in the first year is limited,” Bennett said. “But I am encouraged by the amount of outreach the individual schools have done.”

Private schools study hard

“I know that there is great interest, and we are encouraging the schools to participate,” said Glen Tebbe, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference. “My expectation is that the majority will be taking part.”

three-quarters said they plan to accept vouchers. The rest are waiting to decide.

For some private schools, the late rollout has made participation tough.

“There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the voucher program,” said Michael Brandt, the interim head of school at Lutheran High School of Indianapolis, which plans to participate in the voucher program.

Lutheran already has filled most of its seats for the upcoming school year, but it could match some eligible families already intending to attend the school with vouchers to help them pay tuition once the state’s process is explained.

“We’re very interested in participating,” Brandt said. “It’s such a new and pioneering program that we are not quite sure what our level of input needs to be. We have parents coming in and saying they are interested in a voucher, but we are still playing the waiting game.”

For some schools, elements of the voucher law give them pause. They want to see the details. The law requires participating schools to administer state tests to all of their students. It also requires the state to give each school an A to F letter grade at the end of each school year, as is required for public schools. Private schools accepting vouchers also must follow state curriculum requirements for core subjects and agree to state inspections.

Many Indiana private schools already meet most of those requirements in order to be state-accredited. Accreditation is optional for private schools, but they typically pursue it.

“For the vast majority of our nonpublics, this is not a heavy lift,” Bennett said.

At Suburban Christian School, however, the voucher program will have to wait a year while the school pursues accreditation. Principal Jeremy Wilhelm also wants to see the rules of the program, which are expected to be released in early July.

“It’s a control issue,” he said. “It’s about making sure we can still provide the education in the format that philosophically we want to from a ministry perspective.”

So parents seeking a private school option will have to inquire about vouchers on a school-by-school basis.

A gold star for parents

The rewards of cracking the system — difficult as that may be — could be significant for some families that prefer private school.

Eligibility for vouchers depends on family income and size. A family of four that earns less than $42,000 annually can receive up to 90 percent of the state aid set aside for a child’s public school education. Families of four making $42,000 to $62,000 can receive 50 percent of the state aid amount.

so subsidies could be from $2,500 to more than $7,000, depending on the family’s individual circumstances. That could make a significant dent in tuition costs.

Tuition at private school varies greatly based on a student’s grade level. Annual fees at Indianapolis private elementary schools are from $3,000 to $5,000. At high school, tuition costs are in a higher range, from about $4,000 to as high as $17,570.

Most private schools help low-income families with either financial aid or scholarships. For some church-affiliated schools, there is an additional discount for families that attend those churches.

At Roncalli Catholic High School, for example, families attending affiliated churches receive a $2,435 discount, or about 24 percent off tuition of $10,155, bringing the cost down $7,720. Vouchers could cover most of the cost for some families, greatly increasing the demand for private school.

Both religious and nonreligious private schools offer needs-based financial aid and scholarships, as well. At the International School of Indiana, whose highest tuition is $14,950, about 25 percent of last year’s student body received some sort of aid. At Park Tudor High School, where tuition can reach $17,570, about 32 percent received financial aid, with an average award of about $8,500. Neither of these schools has decided whether to accept vouchers, however.

Sharon Todd, executive director of the Todd Academy, a nonreligious private school in Indianapolis that costs $9,050 annually, said no student has been turned away over money since the school opened 10 years ago. Vouchers will help keep that record going, she said.

“We think it is good for the students and good for Todd Academy,” Todd said.

The school for gifted children had about 30 students last year but moved for the upcoming school year to a larger space at 855 N. East St., a former Eli Lilly and Co. day-care center with space for 200.

“We think it offers options to bright students who previously had no other options,” she said. “I do not think socioeconomics should be part of gifted kids’ preset rules about where they go to school.”

However, parents interested in private school face two realities forced by the slow rollout:

Private schools seem to be most involved in disseminating information.

Parents need to be patient.

Waiting for admittance

Metilda Davis is one of those parents. She wasn’t sure her family could afford private school for her 5-year-old daughter, Kennedy, but she heard so many good things about Traders Point Christian Academy that she decided to check it out.

Davis said she loved the curriculum, the technology, the small classes and the instruction in Christian principles so much that she decided to enroll Kennedy.

Davis said she and her husband, Rodney, hadn’t heard about vouchers until she was filling out an online financial aid questionnaire for Traders Point that asked whether they planned to seek one.

“I didn’t know what it was, so I started asking questions,” she said.

making the couple eligible under the voucher program’s income limits.

“The school is the total package for us,” Metilda Davis said. “Our only hesitation at this point is the financial aid.”

The Davises are counting on a voucher to help with tuition, which is $7,020 for first grade. Without it, Kennedy may have to start first grade in Pike Township’s public schools.

“Without it, we would have to seriously consider if we could afford it, even with the financial aid they offered,” Davis said. “I’m praying about it. If it’s meant to be, God will make it happen.”

The academic challenge

Others’ prayers are of a different sort.

Heavy enrollment losses to private schools would be painful for public school districts such as IPS.

How painful?

“We don’t know,” IPS Superintendent Eugene White said. “We are assuming the worst, budgetarily.”

White said the district is hoping to get the jump on vouchers while the state is still crafting the program. This summer, the district is launching a door-to-door campaign seeking to re-enroll dropouts and kids who have transferred but are unhappy with their new schools. It also aims to keep kids who attend IPS from transferring.

“Hopefully it will give us a chance to tell our story,” he said. “We think we provide options as good or better than they can get through any voucher.”

And the state is still working out that application form, among other details.

To Bennett, it’s no worry if the program gets off to a slow start. Schools and parents need to learn the rules and get comfortable with how it works.

“I hope we will begin a sea change of parents exercising their rights to begin to find schools that meet their needs,” he said. “As that culture begins to manifest itself, the scale of the program will be a secondary question. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

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