Indiana school voucher expansion bid scaled back; hefty pricetag blamed
By TOM DAVIES February 18, 2013 12:25PM
Updated: February 18, 2013 12:26PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican lawmakers have scaled back a large proposed expansion of Indiana’s private school voucher system.
Changes approved Monday by the House Ways and Means Committee would allow kindergarteners and some other students to be immediately eligible for the program if their families meet income limits. But the committee removed a provision that would have opened the voucher program to current private school students by not requiring them to first spend at least one year in public schools.
Committee chairman Tim Brown says that move was too expensive with a potential cost of up to $40 million.
House Education chairman Robert Behning sponsored the broader expansion, but said allowing students to enter at kindergarten is a good starting point.
The bill now goes to the full Republican-controlled House for consideration.
