The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes than some states are finally noticing that voucher programs are very expensive.
Skepticism about school voucher programs is growing in states that have such programs. For example:
- For the second year in a row, Louisiana Senate leaders indicated they may reject Governor Landry’s proposal, currently under consideration, to double spending on school vouchers. They want more information about the vouchers’ impact on student outcomes, especially because prior research found that school vouchers caused declines in Louisiana students’ test scores, particularly in math. Lawmakers chose to fund public school tutoring instead of a private school voucher expansion last year, citing concerns about possible public school funding reductions, lack of voucher-related benefits in rural areas, and ongoing costs, which could reach $500 million annually when fully expanded.
- Senate leaders rejected the Mississippi House of Representatives’ signature school voucher expansion proposal without debate in early February. They cited concerns about new recurring costs of up to about $400 million annually and little accountability for private schools. For example, private schools would not be required to provide essential supportive services for students with disabilities or report student assessment data to the state, as public schools do.
- Georgia’s legislature passed a budget that cuts the state’s school voucher program by $41 million this year due to lack of demand from eligible students in 2025. Current eligibility includes only students from families with low and moderate incomes attending the 25 percent of public schools with the lowest test scores. Low test scores are associated with poverty, but Georgia provides no supplemental funding for economically disadvantaged students. Of 20,000 applicants, only about 8,000 qualified for the vouchers, suggesting demand for private school tuition subsidies is greater among families with higher incomes than among the eligible population. This matches reports from other states, where between 69 and 86 percent of new school-aged voucher users had previously attended private school or were homeschooled prior to vouchers becoming available. (See figure above.)
- Florida’s Senate Bill 318 (SB 318), which would have added guardrails to the state’s $4 billion school voucher programs, ultimately failed this year, though it did have bipartisan support from Senate lawmakers and could be reconsidered next year. This legislation was introduced to address a dearth of financial accountability uncovered in program audits. Florida lost track of as many as 30,000 students, resulting in late payments of $47 million to school districts and between $60 million and $110 million in excess voucher payments. SB 318 would have required voucher overpayments to be returned to the Department of Education within 30 days and guaranteed minimum payments to school districts, among other accountability measures.
There are more. Read the full listing here.