From: Mary Kendrick
Columbus
As the Indiana legislature pushes for the expansion of the school voucher plan, I am reminded of when I moved from Washington, D.C., to the South and entered the fifth grade.
I was an average student, but I proceeded to skip the sixth grade the following year. Why? The schools in the south were depleted of the parent groups who volunteer and support the schools as PTA members and organizers of fall festivals. Those families had left the public schools to avoid integration. The schools were far behind their counterparts in the North without this core group; a similar story is playing out in Indiana.
Students with high expectations are leaving the public schools and are getting paid to do it because of vouchers, and the essential money for public schools is shrinking when they most need it. Indiana continues to undermine the public education that is promised to all students and families by promoting “school choice,” charter schools, and vouchers for families that already have school choice.
It is no longer a program to allow underprivileged families to seek the best schools for their children. The issue is aggravated by using the tax revenues of all families to support the few and depriving the public schools of that support. And in today’s environment, with the devastating impact of COVID-19, all possible support is needed for public schools to recover, offer safe return to full time in person learning, and remediate students who have fallen behind.
All voices and perspectives are not being heard as proponents and lobbyists tout the virtues of “more choices.” And perhaps some of our lawmakers stand to benefit from these expanded guidelines.
For the above reasons I urge you to contact your state legislators and to urge them to vote against House Bill 1005 and Senate bills 412 and 413.
