For the last twenty years, school choice advocates have been pushing to enact a law that would allow parents to use state tax dollars to send their children to private or religious schools. Public school supporters have long resisted the idea claiming such a program would hurt public schools.
This year the Republican controlled General Assembly appears to be on the verge of establishing a school-voucher program.
A Senate passed bill that creates a program for poverty level and some middle-class families to apply for $5,000 dollar scholarships that can be used at private and religious schools is in the House Education Committee. It has the backing of the Republican leadership. It would apply only to 15 thousand applicant families for the first three years.
