INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's Republican leadership is pushing ahead with a proposal that would be the nation's broadest use of school vouchers, allowing even middle-class families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to private schools.
Unlike other systems that are limited to lower-income households, children with special needs or those in failing schools, this one would be open to a much larger pool of students, including those whose parents earn up to $60,000 a year. And within three years, there would be no limit on the number of children who could enroll.
Students receiving vouchers make up less than 1 percent of enrollment nationwide, but vouchers have been one of the top priorities among conservatives. Indiana's GOP -controlled Legislature hopes to deliver soon on its overhaul of public education now that Democrats who fled the state have returned.