New PFPS Fact Sheet: The True Cost of Private School Voucher Programs

This item may be of interest to readers.

If you have trouble viewing this news alert, please click here. September 19, 2023 NEW PFPS FACT SHEET: THE TRUE COST OF PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAMS In the face of widespread misinformation, the newest resource in the Public Funds Public Schools fact sheet series details the true, staggering costs of private school voucher programs. Recent efforts to enact large-scale voucher legislation, including “universal” voucher programs, demand a factual accounting of the real fiscal consequences of these programs. PFPS fact sheets are designed to provide research-based, concise, downloadable tools for advocates, students, families, educators, and policymakers. The latest PFPS fact sheet provides succinct, evidence-backed talking points explaining that: Voucher programs are expensive, with costs further increased by fraud and waste; Spending on voucher programs increases over time; Voucher program costs frequently outpace initial estimates. Private school voucher programs divert vital funding away from public schools. In addition to their financial costs, these programs harm educational outcomes, increase segregation, and facilitate discrimination against students and families. Public funds must be invested in public schools, which welcome all children and are responsible for serving the vast majority of students. The full PFPS fact sheet list, policy briefs, webinars, and other advocacy tools to fight vouchers are available on the Advocacy page of the PFPS website. Press Contact: Sharon Krengel Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications Education Law Center 60 Park Place, Suite 300 Newark, NJ 07102 973-624-1815, ext. 240 skrengel@edlawcenter.org Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Public Funds Public Schools | 60 Park Place, Suite 300, Newark, NJ 07102

Introducing the New and Improved PFPS Voucher Bill Tracker

This is an interesting tool and I wonder if it can also monitor cyber charter school legislation.

January 31, 2023 INTRODUCING THE NEW AND IMPROVED PFPS BILL TRACKER Public Funds Public Schools has redoubled efforts to provide public school advocates with as much information and support as possible in the fight against privatization. With many state legislative sessions in full swing, the interactive bill tracker on the PFPS website makes it possible for visitors to monitor proposed private school voucher legislation of all types, plus related bills, across the 50 states and the U.S. Congress. Now, website visitors can access a new and improved version of the PFPS bill tracker. The updated tracker offers a more user-friendly interface and enhanced visual display. It allows users to conduct more targeted searches for bills using custom, PFPS-assigned categories. The categories indicate whether legislation proposes a new voucher program or a change or expansion to an existing program, if a bill is connected to the COVID-19 pandemic or the state budget, and whether legislation provides vouchers that can be used for homeschooling, among other topics. The new search feature can also be used to filter for legislation based on voucher program type (tax credit, education savings account, traditional) and/or eligibility criteria (e.g., income requirements or specific student characteristics). Users are also now able to easily download their search results by clicking “Download CSV.” “The updated bill tracker is a crucial tool for public education supporters and allies,” said Nicole Ciullo, Research & Policy Associate at Education Law Center, which supports the PFPS campaign. “Not only have we improved the user experience, but now public education advocates can delve more deeply into trends in voucher legislation around the country.” The bill tracker continues to allow users to search for bills, by number or keyword, that are introduced in a specific state legislature or in Congress. The tracker contains all the voucher bills PFPS has tracked across the country from 2019 through the current legislative session. Clicking on a specific bill provides extensive information, from a brief description to sponsors, amendments, bill status, and PFPS’s own summaries of bills that have advanced furthest in the legislative process. The bill tracker is updated by PFPS staff every Friday. If you believe a voucher bill introduced in your state is missing, or if you need additional information regarding a bill, please contact PFPS at info@pfps.org. Click here for a brief demonstration of how to use the bill tracker. Press Contact: Sharon Krengel Policy and Outreach Director Education Law Center 60 Park Place, Suite 300 Newark, NJ 07102 973-624-1815, ext. 240 skrengel@edlawcenter.org Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Public Funds Public Schools | 60 Park Place, Suite 300, Newark, NJ 07102

Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Funding of New Hampshire Voucher Program

These are important reads for everyone.

December 20, 2022 LAWSUIT CHALLENGES ILLEGAL FUNDING OF NEW HAMPSHIRE VOUCHER PROGRAM By Jessica Levin, Deputy Litigation Director at Education Law Center A lawsuit filed this month charges that New Hampshire’s 2021 private school voucher law—one of the broadest in the nation—violates state statutes governing education funding as well as the state constitution. The suit, Howes v. Edelblut, asks the court to stop the state from transferring millions in public education dollars to the “education freedom accounts” voucher program. The New Hampshire Legislature passed the voucher law despite deep public opposition. The voucher program is expansive, with eligibility for families earning up to three hundred percent of the federal poverty level and no requirement of previous enrollment in the public education system. The program provides an “education savings account” voucher where families receive a pot of money to spend on a wide array of private education expenses in addition to tuition, including online courses, tutoring, technology, summer programs, and transportation. The state is also using a third-party organization, Children’s Scholarship Fund NH, to administer the voucher program, and this organization can approve use of voucher money for any education expense. The recently filed lawsuit highlights that Amazon was the biggest beneficiary in 2021, receiving 18% of the funds released to parents. The voucher amount is equal to the per pupil funding that the state allocates to public school districts. The vouchers are financed via transfers from the Education Trust Fund (ETF), which was established by the state to fulfill its constitutional duty to provide adequate public education to all New Hampshire students. In just the first year after passing the voucher law, the state transferred over $9 million to the program, and has continued transferring millions more. The Howes lawsuit alleges that the voucher program violates state law because it is funded via transfers from the ETF. The ETF statute enumerates its permissible uses, which do not include private education or vouchers, and states that the funds are not to be used for any other purpose. Additionally, the lawsuit charges that the voucher law violates the state constitutional provision mandating all proceeds from the state-run lottery, which are deposited in the ETF, be used to support public school districts. Finally, the lawsuit claims the state has unlawfully delegated its constitutional duty to provide an adequate education by transferring that duty to the private organization running the voucher program. There are scant oversight and accountability protections governing the Children’s Scholarship Fund NH’s administration of the voucher program and a severe lack of transparency. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is taxpayer Deb Howes, who is also the president of the American Federation of Teachers-New Hampshire. Proponents of New Hampshire’s program claim the vouchers will give families previously inaccessible education options, but it has been reported that approximately 75% of voucher students previously attended private and religious schools. New Hampshire also received an “F” in Education Law Center’s 2022 Making the Grade report on school funding fairness, meaning it received the lowest possible score for distribution of public education funds to districts with high levels of student poverty. Meanwhile, legislation has been proposed for the 2023 legislative session that would remove income eligibility requirements from the voucher program, which is funded entirely with public education dollars. For research showing private school voucher programs like New Hampshire’s undermine public education and harm both public and private school students, see Public Funds Public Schools’ fact sheet Research Shows Private School Vouchers Don’t Work for Students and Harm Public Schools. For more information debunking the claim that vouchers are cost effective, see PFPS’s fact sheet on The Myth of Cost Savings from Private School Vouchers. Education Law Center directs the work of the Public Funds Public Schools anti-voucher campaign. ELC is the nation’s legal defense fund for public education rights. Based on decades of experience litigating school finance and other education equity lawsuits, ELC offers a range of resources to support litigation, including expert consultation, regular communications on developments in the field, a case documents library, and an annual Litigators’ Workshop. For more on these resources, please visit this webpage.   Press Contact: Sharon Krengel Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications Education Law Center 60 Park Place, Suite 300 Newark, NJ 07102 973-624-1815, ext. 240 skrengel@edlawcenter.org Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Public Funds Public Schools | 60 Park Place, Suite 300, Newark, NJ 07102

Private School Vouchers: Still Wrong for Nevada

Not K-12 distance, online, and/or blended learning related, but an important read for anyone who cares about public education.

August 30, 2022 PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS: STILL WRONG FOR NEVADA The pro-voucher lobby is at it again in Nevada. They are now trying to put an initiative on the November ballot that would establish one of the broadest private school voucher programs in the country. After a trial court judge blocked the effort in April, they appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court. The Public Funds Public Schools campaign, along with advocates for Nevada’s public schools, filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief urging the State Supreme Court to put an end to this latest attempt to siphon off Nevada tax dollars to pay for private and religious schools. The proposed initiative would enact a law establishing an Education Savings Account (ESA) voucher program open to any student entering kindergarten or enrolled in public school the previous year. The group behind the proposal, Education Freedom PAC, also attempted to put a similar constitutional amendment on the ballot, but that effort was thrown out by the state’s highest court in June. “Vouchers harm students, schools and communities in every state where they’re enacted,” said Jessica Levin, Deputy Litigation Director at Education Law Center and PFPS Director. “Nevada public schools are reeling from decades of severe underfunding. Diverting scarce tax dollars to private and religious schools is unconscionable.” The PFPS amicus brief provides the Nevada Supreme Court with crucial information about the costs and dangers associated with voucher programs, particularly in a state like Nevada where public schools are consistently plagued with extreme teacher shortages, excessive class sizes, poor building conditions, and a lack of programs to support struggling students. The brief argues the ballot initiative at issue violates the Nevada Constitution’s mandate that any proposed law requiring an appropriation or expenditure also include a revenue source. It points out that the proposed law fails to provide funding for the vouchers themselves and would create funding shortfalls in the public education system. The brief also provides crucial context about the persistent underfunding of Nevada’s public schools and resulting resource deficits. Education Law Center’s 2021 Making the Grade report gave Nevada an “F” on public school funding level, funding effort, and funding distribution. Several glaring omissions in the description of the proposed law are also highlighted in the brief. These include failing to explain the financial effect of vouchers, their negative impact on student achievement, how vouchers exacerbate school segregation, and the fact that they strip crucial legal protections from English learners and students with disabilities. The PFPS brief urges the Nevada Supreme Court to affirm the trial court’s conclusion that the initiative is misleading and cannot be placed on the ballot. This is not the first time pro-privatization groups have tried to bring vouchers to Nevada. In 2016, Education Law Center and other PFPS partners represented public school families in Schwartz v. Lopez, a challenge to a previous statute that would have diverted millions of public dollars to private schools. The Nevada Supreme Court declared that law unconstitutional, and the program was never implemented. The amicus brief filed by PFPS in the current case, Education Freedom PAC v. Rogers, was co-signed by the ACLU of Nevada and the Washoe Education Association, a union in the state’s second largest school district. The signers were represented pro bono by the firms Ropes & Gray LLP and Kemp Jones LLP. Press Contact: Sharon Krengel Policy and Outreach Director Education Law Center 60 Park Place, Suite 300 Newark, NJ 07102 973-624-1815, ext. 240 skrengel@edlawcenter.org Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Public Funds Public Schools | 60 Park Place, Suite 300, Newark, NJ 07102

Denial Of Distance Learning Plan Challenged, Nevada Lawsuit

This comes from the NACOL forums. It appears we are in for another lawsuit, this time in Nevada.

Denial of distance learning plan challenged
http://www.lvrj.com/news/17906074.html

By LISA KIM BACH
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

A Nevada charter school barred from expanding its distance learning program by the Nevada Board of Education is seeking a legal remedy.

Nevada Virtual Academy, or NVVA, has filed a request for judicial review with the district court in Carson City. A court date to hear the matter has not been set.

The school has unsuccessfully sought permission from the state board, which acts as its sponsor, to bring distance learning to students in kindergarten through third grade. It now enrolls students in grades four through eight.

“The result is many children who need this school option are being denied access, including the younger siblings of students who are currently enrolled in NVVA,” said Bill Bukovi, board chairman for the academy.

The school’s attorney, state Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, said in the petition that the board decision at issue was made on March 8, when five of 10 state board members voted against a motion to approve an amendment to the academy charter.

“The reasons for the votes by the certain members were unsupported by objective grounds and the board did not issue any written findings of fact or conclusions of law to NVVA for the denial of the amendment application,” Care said in the petition.

The Nevada Department of Education is also named in the matter. State Superintendent of Schools Keith Rheault was not available for comment Thursday.

The five state board members who voted against Virtual’s request were Anthony Ruggiero, Cindy Reid, Merv Iverson, John Gwaltney and Marcia Washington. Transcripts of the proceeding were included with the petition.

The charter school is asking the court to set aside the decision of the state board and require board members to comply with state law, which allows distance education in the primary grades.