Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board members approved a resolution opposing state legislation that would expand school choice scholarships and create Education Savings Accounts.
Board members approved a resolution Monday stating the board "opposes and condemns the establishment of education scholarship accounts and the expansion of the Indiana choice scholarship program" proposed in House Bill 1005 and Senate Bill 412.
In regards to school choice, the resolution states that non-public schools are exempt from public oversight.
"The expansion of the Indiana school choice scholarship program would direct additional resources to non-public schools that are not held accountable to taxpayers for the use of public funds," the resolution states.
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The resolution also maintains that most families who benefit from school choice scholarships and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) would be "relatively affluent," while the proposed budget under HB 1001 would limit funding for "public schools that serve students from poverty."
The resolution also holds that education savings accounts would "incentivize families to withdraw from public schools" and take funding away from public education.
"Education savings accounts take money from public schools for individuals to spend on education products and services, including textbooks and school uniforms, yet Indiana does not provide full funding for textbooks for public school students," the resolution states.
It adds that the proposed bills would allow the use of up to $26,000 of "unspent, tax deductible education savings account funds" to pay a child’s college tuition.
Superintendent Jim Roberts explained that under HB 1005, eligible students can accumulate up to a $2,000 a year, so 13 years of K-12 education could add up to $26,000.
“Saying that we’re going to offer or make school choice available is one thing," he said. "But then getting into a situation where a person might be able to accumulate $26,000 toward a college situation, that’s getting beyond school choice.”
HB 1005 states that, “At the end of the year in which an account is established, the parent of an eligible student or the emancipated eligible student may roll over for use in a subsequent year a maximum of two thousand dollars ($2,000). However, for each year thereafter, the parent of the eligible student or the emancipated student may roll over two thousand dollars ($2,000) plus any amount rolled over in a previous year.”
The bill lists tuition and fees "at an approved postsecondary educational institution or vocational school" as qualified expenses for scholarship money in an account.
One of HB 1005’s co-authors, Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, answered questions about the bill at a recent virtual Third House meeting. He emphasized that under the bill, eligible students for ESAs would be those who have disabilities, are from active military families or are foster children. The accounts are intended to help not just with tuition, but also a child’s specific needs, he said.
"The point of the ESA is to give flexibility to these kids in fluid situations, to have more options available to them," he said. "And, especially students with disabilities have extra expenses that not every kid has, whether it’s assistance, personal assistance, direct services.”
HB 1005 would establish an education scholarship account program, and parents of eligible students (or an emancipated eligible student) would be able to create an ESA. A child with an ESA who attends a "qualified school" would receive an annual grant for "tuition at an accredited nonpublic school or education related expenses."
Among other things, the bill would also change eligibility requirements for choice scholarships and "makes changes to the amount of tuition an eligible choice scholarship student is entitled to receive to attend a choice scholarship school."
SB 412 would establish an education scholarship account program with eligibility for students with disabilities and those in foster care, but not those from military families. It contains similar allowances for postsecondary costs and the same roll over policy for unused funds.
Both bills, along with SB 413 (which pertains to choice scholarships for foster children), have also been publicly opposed by the Southeastern Indiana School Study Council in a letter to the Indiana General Assembly. Roberts was among those who signed off on the document.
“We ask you to vote no on these three bills as they will divert funding away from public schools," the letter stated. "In our communities, our public schools provide vital services supporting our children and families. This fact has been reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Again and again, schools have risen to the occasion.”
The letter also stated that public schools, private schools, businesses and communities all benefit from "strong public schools." It also cited the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission report’s findings that more funds need to be invested into increasing teacher pay.
“HB 1005 is reported to cost $202M over two years," the letter said. "The report states additional $600M investment in public education is needed to increase teacher compensation to be competitive in the region. The cost of HB 1005 should be diverted back into the public school funding formula and begin the work on the recommendations of the report.”
BCSC’s resolution likewise stated that HB 1005 and SB 412 would "further erode the financial support provided to Indiana’s public schools, which serve over 90% of Indiana’s students, and divert resources away from improving Indiana public school teachers’ salaries."
Roberts said that while there is often talk of how the state is increasing funding for K-12 schools, those funds go to a lot of different categories. These can include charter schools, virtual charter schools, choice scholarships, scholarship granting organizations and, potentially, ESAs.
"When the next budget is set, they can probably say the same thing. ‘We’re spending more on K-12 education than we ever have,’" he said. "And that is true, but there are also a lot of places that those dollars are now going to that they weren’t 10 years ago."
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For more on the resolution: A video of Monday’s school board meeting can be viewed on BCSC’s YouTube page.
For more on viewpoints from Rep. Ryan Lauer and Sen. Greg Walker about school choice and ESAs: A video of a recent virtual Third House meeting focused on education can be viewed on the Columbus Educators Association YouTube page.
For more information on House and Senate Bills: Information on state legislation can be found at the Indiana General Assembly’s website, under Indiana General Assembly 2021.
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