GOSHEN —
Opponents of Indiana’s new school voucher law are seeking to get the law overturned. So what does this mean for local private schools and the parents and students hoping to take advantage of it?
The new law, which went into affect Friday, came under fire the very same day when a group of plaintiffs headed by the Indiana State Teachers Association, filed a lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality.
According to the ISTA, the program, signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels May 5, violates the provisions of the Indiana Constitution put in place to protect taxpayer dollars from being funneled to private, religious and for-profit organizations. In addition, opponents of the law feel it will damage state public schools by funneling state funding away from public schools and into private school coffers.
Proponents of the new law, however, say the voucher program is needed to ensure that low- and middle-income parents who feel their children would received a better education through a private school are given that option by significantly reducing the burden of cost.
The lawsuit filed Friday is seeking a preliminary injunction, which means that the new school voucher law would be stalled while the lawsuit plays out. Whether or not distribution of school vouchers will be forthcoming in the future depends on the outcome of that lawsuit.
Mark Myers, superintendent of schools for the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, isn’t particularly concerned about the lawsuit, however.
"People have a right to use the courts, and we respect that," Myers said. "We don’t agree with why they’re doing it, but we think our people in the legal community have told us this law is constitutional, and they’re optimistic it will meet constitutional scrutiny. That gives us great confidence."
Myers is the go-to guy concerning matters involving Goshen’s St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, one of several private schools in the area preparing to offer vouchers to incoming students who qualify.
"We think it’s a good law, and we believe in it," Myers said. "We feel if the government has a monopoly on education, that’s not a good thing. We believe it’s a matter of social justice."
Along those lines, Myers said he has no plans at this time to halt preparations for getting the new voucher program up and running, adding that many schools within the diocese have already had meetings with parents informing them of the program and what it takes to qualify.
"The state superintendent of schools (Tony Bennett) has told us to proceed, and that this should not affect our work or our campaign to inform parents," Myers said. "So while we respect what these other people are trying to do, we believe we are going to prevail in having this school choice law."
Amy Weidner, principal at St. John’s Catholic School, said she has already received several queries by local parents interested in taking advantage of the new school voucher program, adding that she anticipates more inquiries will be forthcoming as word of the voucher program becomes widespread.
"We’ve had probably about eight to 10 calls from parents asking questions about the vouchers," Weidner said. "We’ve been doing a lot of webinars that are provided by the state and things like that to get prepared, and right now we’re just waiting for the application process to be put online for the parents. There is an income guideline for the vouchers, so I’ve told the parents that I would send them the guidelines, and if they qualify, then as soon as it’s online we can help them get signed up."
As things stand now, families that qualify for free or reduced lunch and send their children to a public school could get a full voucher worth around $4,500 each year for students in grades 1 through 8, and approximately $5,500 for high school students.
In addition, those who earn up to 150 percent of what it would take to qualify for free and reduced lunch are eligible for vouchers worth half that much.
Other private schools in the Goshen area that could also be impacted by the voucher lawsuit include: Bethany Christian Schools, Goshen; Clinton Christian School, Goshen; Elkhart Christian Academy, Elkhart; and Howe Military School, Howe. Officials at those schools could not be reached for comment.
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