The link below will take you to a google sheet with the latest voucher\/financial data<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1Kke5WUzF6VF1rMkxcSKlR0t9dUkEs_HZij5LLgOuSMI\/edit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n School Funding and Indiana\u2019s Choice Program Talking Points<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All comparisons run from Jan of 2010 to Oct of 2020 unless noted<\/p>\n\n\n\n Executive Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Growth in Indiana\u2019s budget for public school personnel has not kept up with growth in its general fund or even inflation. Specifically, the current budget for public school personnel is $161M behind the 2009-10 budget when inflation is taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vouchers are also funded from the budget for public school personnel. In 2020-2021, about $172M of this budget was utilized to fund Vouchers — with very little accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The girls and boys attending Indiana\u2019s public schools are currently educated utilizing a budget that is lagging by $334M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indiana\u2019s General Fund (i.e., monies legislators control)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Consumer Price Index (inflation rate) has grown by 20.17%<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Indiana General Fund has grown by 28.87%<\/p>\n\n\n\n K-12 Tuition Support Budget has grown by only 17.66%<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuition Support funds nearly all personnel working in public schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering inflation, but momentarily ignoring the impact of Vouchers, the Tuition Support Budget is $161,102,832 behind 2010 funding for the current school year<\/p>\n\n\n\n How Vouchers Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on family income and number in the household, a qualifying child can receive a Voucher worth up to 90% of their local public school\u2019s per student funding<\/p>\n\n\n\n The qualifying income range can run from 90% for a household of 1 making $23,606 per year to 50% for a household of 10 making $196,396 per year<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly 61% of voucher recipients have never attended a public school, but are now an additional cost taken from the Tuition Support Budget<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of the remaining 39%, the majority attended public schools for only one year before the Voucher program, but not the same year<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 324 schools that are receiving vouchers, down from 326 last year<\/p>\n\n\n\n The average public school student receives a little more than $6600, the average Voucher student receives a little more than $4900<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Voucher money is not taken from the local school, it is taken out of the Tuition Support Budget, (there is not a simple transfer of funds between the two schools) thereby decreasing the dollars for all public schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n Number of students\u2019 educations funded by the tuition support budget<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Public school enrollment during 2009-2021 is volatile, ranging from an increase of 3523 students in 2017-18 to a decrease of 4877 students in 2011-12. The pandemic has caused a significant drop of 18,385 public and charter students and 1,181 Voucher students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 2010 to 2018, the US Census Bureau projects Indiana has lost 23,453 school-aged children. In that same period of time Indiana\u2019s public and charter schools\u2019 enrollment has only dropped by 12,074 from 1,036,839 students to 1,024,765 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Voucher Program has increased the number of students funded in the Tuition Support Budget without a corresponding increase in funding<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impact on the amount of money allocated per student by Indiana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Voucher Program decreases funding for all public school students<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2009-10, the Tuition Support Budget allocation divided by enrolled public school students was $6,192<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020-21, the Tuition Support Budget allocation divided by only the enrolled public school students would be $7,506, which is a 21.2% increase from 2009-10. However, the addition of Voucher students cut the average to $7,318 – only a 18.1% increase while the rate of inflation was 20.17%. NOTE: this point is significantly impacted by the approximately 19,000 students who stayed away from school during the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This results in approximately $172 million taxpayer dollars spent to fund vouchers that could have been utilized for the benefit of girls and boys attending public school<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiduciary Oversight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no fiduciary oversight by the state of the Voucher money<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no requirements that keep Voucher taxpayer dollars from being used to enable the receiving organization to redirect its existing money for non-education purposes<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n IDOE – Students Mobility After ADM Count Date request<\/p>\n\n\n\n IDOE – Historic Voucher v Traditional Enrollment numbers request<\/p>\n\n\n\n IDOE – Number of teachers request<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budget Numbers from https:\/\/www.in.gov\/sba\/2364.htm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n IDOE Public Corporation Transfer Report<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/data\/inflationcalculator.htm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/p>\n\n\n\n http:\/\/www.stats.indiana.edu\/topic\/population.asp<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n