​ESA Is Not OK Advocacy Campaign Toolkit
​Tell Indiana Lawmakers to Vote NO on HB 1005, SB 412, and SB 413!

Toolkit Resources
Talking Points Handout
Appendix to Talking Points: Fast Facts, Figures, and Data
Model School Board Resolution Opposing ESAs and Voucher Expansion
Find and Contact Your Legislator by Phone or Email
Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program Research Paper
Press Release: ISBA announces ESA Is Not OK Advocacy Campaign Toolkit
Press Release: ISBA calculates new price tag for ESAs, voucher expansion
Latest version of HB 1005
Latest version of SB 412
Latest version of SB 413

ESA Is Not OK
House Bill 1005 and Senate Bill 412 create education savings accounts (ESAs) that give selected parents who withdraw their children from public school the equivalent of a taxpayer-funded debit card loaded with an estimated $5,000 to $7,000 per child per year.

Participating parents receive 90% of the basic per-pupil funding that would otherwise go to the local public school district to spend however they want on private schools, home schools, tutoring, therapy, and any number of private education products and services. 

Unlike traditional vouchers, ESA funds go directly to parents, not private schools, so there's even less oversight of taxpayer money.
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​Oppose Voucher Expansion
Indiana lawmakers also want to spend more money on the school voucher program so upper class families can send their children to private school at taxpayer expense. 

Voucher eligibility would expand to include a family of four earning $145,000 annually--about double the state’s median family income--and a family of five earning $170,000. These families likely already have the means to pay for a private education.

Middle class families who are already voucher-eligible could also receive more money. HB 1005 and SB 413 increase the voucher amount for middle class families from 50% to 90% of the state's basic per-pupil funding.

Fiscal Update
House Bill 1001, the state budget bill, allocates $144M in new state funding over the next two years to pay for the expansion of school vouchers and the establishment of education savings accounts.​

​Urge Legislators to Vote No on ESAs and Voucher Expansion!

• Given the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, now is not the time to create a new entitlement program that will drain needed resources away from public schools. Indiana ranked 39th in per-pupil spending in 2018.
• Private schools and home schools lack financial transparency and taxpayer accountability. All schools that receive public funds should play by the same rules.​
• Peer-reviewed research published in 2018 and 2019 by professors at the University of Notre Dame and University of Kentucky found Indiana's voucher program has not improved student achievement.
• Lawmakers should build on the good budget for public education passed in 2019 by continuing to address the teacher pay gap and funding a tuition support increase that keeps pace with, or exceeds, inflation. ​
• Public funds should fund public schools, which are open to all children and fulfill a state constitutional duty.​​
• Choice is already an option for Indiana parents. The state has spent more than $1 billion over the past 10 years on vouchers for children to attend private schools and currently funds more than 100 charter schools. Moreover, family-friendly public school transfer laws already ensure that children are no longer limited by zip code.

Testimonials
Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education: ESAs have a significant risk of harming students
House Education Committee testimony from Carla Schmid, a mother of two, in opposition to HB 1005
​Letter from veteran schools attorney Dennis Harrold on why lawmakers must vote NO on education savings accounts
Terre Haute Tribune-Star editorial: House education bill is out of step with Hoosiers
KPC News letter to the editor: HB 1005 and SB 412 will have large negative impacts on public education
Terre Haute Tribune-Star editorial: If put to a voter referendum, voucher expansion would never pass
KPC News editorial board: Lawmakers need to choose 'schools' over 'school choice'
Evansville Courier and Press letter to the editor: Bills will hurt economy by damaging access to quality education
Letter to the editor from ISBA President Dr. Robert Stwalley: Who Benefits From School Choice?

School Board Resolutions
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
Warsaw Community Schools
Fort Wayne Community Schools
Greater Clark County Schools
Paoli Community School Corporation
Lakeland School Corporation
Fairfield Community School Corporation
Silver Creek School Corporation
Jennings County School Corporation
Fremont Community Schools 
Lake Central School Corporation
M.S.D. of Warren Township
Zionsville Community Schools
Whitko Community School Corporation
Delphi Community School Corporation
Covington Community School Corporation
Northeast Dubois County School Corporation
Goshen Community Schools
Hamilton Southeastern Schools 
M.S.D. of Washington Township

 
​Social Media Graphics

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Further Reading

Forbes.com: Six Big Problems With Education Savings Accounts
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