Sylvia Thomas, of Gary, said her daughter NyCole became stressed out and physically ill last year as a freshman at Gary's Roosevelt Career and Technical Academy. NyCole's supposedly advanced classes had many students not at the same level, Thomas said.
She also said there was not enough student discipline and a perception of too much negativity.
Then Thomas heard about Indiana's recently enacted voucher program.
After researching the program on the Internet and contacting the Indiana Department of Education, she learned Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond had been approved for the School Choice Program. Thomas completed the paperwork and enrolled her daughter, taking advantage of a $7,900 scholarship. This fall, Nycole, 15, will be a sophomore at Bishop Noll, proudly wearing the navy and gold.
"She got the full scholarship," Thomas said. "It's beautiful. I don't have to pay anything."
People are also reading…
Indiana's new voucher program, which is authorized under Indiana Code 20-51-1 and 20-51-4, allows Hoosier families to send their children to a school of their choice. A voucher, or so-called Choice Scholarship, is a state payment that qualifying families can use to offset tuition costs at participating schools. Students qualify based on total household income, and the amount of the scholarship corresponds with the public school corporation in which the student lives.
As of Monday, the Indiana Department of Education said 2,230 students across Indiana are taking advantage of the Choice Scholarship Program.
A strong proponent of school choice, state education leader Tony Bennett said the measure gives students and parents a choice.
"Every child, regardless of ZIP code or amount of money in the family bank account, deserves access to a high-quality school that drives academic growth and inspires excellence," he said.
Bennett has made a commercial with Jamal Smith, executive director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, promoting the program. Commission spokesman Brad Meadows said they found it important to work with the department because the voucher program will allow low- and moderate-income families to take their children to a school outside their district, providing them with equal-educational opportunities.
Critics of the new bill say it shatters the barrier between church and state. They also say the most disadvantaged students will remain in low-performing schools with the worst teachers, because poor parents are less likely to be aware of the provision to opt out of their child's school and take advantage of the voucher program.
In July, the Indiana State Teachers Association sued in Marion County Superior Court to block the state from implementing the voucher program. A hearing is scheduled Thursday.
Concerns cloud the concept
John Ellis, Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, said the state is actually in its third year of offering vouchers. The past two years, the state offered tuition tax credits, but this third year features a greatly expanded program, touted to be among the biggest school-privatization programs in the nation, Ellis said.
"My primary concern is that the resources come from public school funding," he said. "The biggest concern I have personally is the trend of opening vouchers to home schools and virtual schooling, because there is much less accountability.
"When you look at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis or the Archdiocese of Gary, they have accountability measures in place with good programs," Ellis said. "But when you start watering it down and applying it to every situation, it worries me that kids will get far less than they would in other venues, public or private."
Highland Superintendent Mike Boskovich said there's always been competition between public and parochial schools but it's on a different level now, yet the "playing field" isn't level.
"If you want fair competition, all rules should apply, with parochial schools accepting all students just as public schools do. Everyone should be judged on the same criteria. I also believe it's going to be something the court will ultimately decide," Boskovich said.
Chet Nordyke, principal at Munster's St. Thomas More School, which has students up to eighth grade, said he is excited that vouchers will allow more students to have a Catholic education. He said he is offering a class for non-Catholic parents so they will know and be more comfortable with what is being taught about the religion.
Philip Frusti, the new principal at Immanuel Lutheran School in Valparaiso, said he recently completed the application to become a member of the School Choice Program. The school, which has about 300 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, draws mostly from the church and community.
"We hope it works out that we can offer the program this fall, but if not, we'll be offering next fall," he said.
As a parent, Gary's Thomas said she's told friends about the application process and that it's not nearly as difficult as it may seem.
"If the public schools aren't giving kids the education they need, then let the money go to the schools which are," Thomas said. "It's hard out there. Kids need a good education. My daughter is an honor student. There was no reason for her to be as stressed out going to school as she was. Roosevelt is not the same school it was when I was a student there. I think the state needs to step in and completely reorganize that school."
East Chicago parent Susana Rosa said her daughter Xitlalic, 15, also is heading to Bishop Noll as a freshman. Rosa said she also has two sons at St. Stanislaus School in East Chicago. She said her daughter previously was in Catholic school but when it became unaffordable she sent her to public school and maintained the two boys at private school.
Even though her boys won't benefit from the voucher program, Rosa said her daughter will, and she believes "the money should follow the student."
