3 Indiana schools lose bid to enroll more voucher students
Source: Associated Press
Darcy Costello, Associated Press
Updated 5:00 pm, Wednesday, May 10, 2017
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three private schools lost their bids Wednesday to accept additional students who receive vouchers under Indiana's school choice program, the first test of a new state law granting underperforming schools a second chance at avoiding penalties.
Indiana has one of the nation's largest programs allowing parents to use public funds to send their children to faith-based or independent schools, with more than 34,000 students in 313 schools currently receiving vouchers, according to the state Department of Education. State officials have a formula that grades voucher-accepting schools, and those that perform poorly can face consequences — including a ban on accepting new voucher students until the school improves.
A measure Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law less than two weeks ago allows those schools to appeal their penalties to the state Board of Education. It can grant a one-year waiver to a school that proves the majority of its students "demonstrated academic improvement."
Three schools — Fort Wayne's Lutheran South Unity School and Indianapolis' Central Christian Academy and Turning Point — were the first to request such a waiver allowing them to accept new voucher students and state money. Five of eight board members present voted to back the waiver for all three schools, but six votes were needed for approval.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/3-voucher-schools-ask-school-board-for-delay-in-11134936.php
