In some states, higher-income families can now use taxpayer money to cover private school tuition -- and more people than projected are taking the offer, which might force scrambles to shore up state budgets. It's especially an issue in states like Arizona and Iowa, where at least some families whose children were already in private school can now take advantage of public funding.
Advocates for school choice pitch vouchers as a way to give students in low-performing schools a way out – and, increasingly, to give parents control over what their children are taught. Programs funded through vouchers, tax credits or scholarships have been around since the 1990s and are now available in the majority of states. Whether students who change schools with the use of taxpayer money achieve better educational outcomes is in dispute.
Voucher supporters say demand exceeding expectations is not a problem. 'It’s exciting,' said Ryan Cantrell, director of government affairs at American Federation for Children, which pushes for the programs. 'I think that shows that parents want this option, that lawmakers are responding to something that families want.
Opponents of the programs are bracing for lawmakers to attempt to make up for the higher costs by further cutting public school funding, even though lawmakers have not publicly threatened to do so. 'It’s extremely frustrating because cuts are inevitably going to happen,' said Beth Lewis, a former teacher who serves as executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona, which supports public schools and opposes vouchers. In Arizona, nearly 69,000 scholarships had been awarded by Oct.