Public schools are uniquely equipped to provide an equal opportunity for every student to succeed. In 2021, seven states expanded their voucher program eligibility to include higher-income families or students with no history of public school attendance. In these cases, vouchers cost the state more money to benefit families who already can afford private school tuition, leaving behind students who can’t afford those private schools.
Voucher programs are a classic example of initiatives growing well beyond their intended scope. In most cases, what starts as a small, targeted program ends up expanding over time. Consequently, states with vouchers find themselves sending significantly more taxpayer dollars towards private school tuition. Ohio’s largest voucher program – the Educational Choice Scholarship Program – has more than doubled in costs to the state, ballooning from $175 million to $444 million in the last seven years.
Arizona recently passed the first universal voucher program in the U.S., making every student in the state, regardless of socioeconomic background or history of public school enrollment, eligible for a $7,000 Empowerment Scholarship Account. Arizona has already seen its voucher program skyrocket from a $2.5 million cap in 2011 to costing the state more than $150 million in 2021.
As responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is imperative the Texas legislature does not use taxpayer dollars to subsidize private school tuition. Public dollars should remain in public schools.
