School Privatization Bills on a Fast-track Across the Nation

SB387 would allow local tax dollars and foundation program funding to flow to charter schools. The state has never fully funded the foundation program, and now they want to gamble millions of dollars on charters.

Click here to take action in Alabama.

HB487, is a bill that would allow local tax dollars to follow a child to a public charter school.

The bill failed in this legislative session.

HB559 would increase the amount of tax credits available for donating to a Scholarship Granting Organization.

No vote has been taken on this bill.

From our friends at Save Our Schools Arizona:

ESA voucher mega-expansion bill SB 1452 passed the House Ways & Means Committee and may be heard on the House Floor at any time.

Click here to take action in Arizona.

SB 1058 is pending in the House Education Committee. The bill requires schools to compile and publish a list of every resource used in classrooms the previous year — including online videos, articles, and websites. The purpose is to allow the parent to opt their child out if they do not agree with the instructional content. The bill does not apply to private schools, including those whose students receive vouchers, and charter schools have more relaxed rules. 

SB 1041 is pending in House Rules Committee. The bill would increase the amount the state spends on corporate School Tuition Organization vouchers, from $5 million to $20 million.

SB 1273 is a STO voucher expansion bill. It has been passed the Senate and House Ways & Means Committee (on party lines). It is ready for a floor vote.

Stay tuned for more information and possible actions on these bills.

HB 1371 would create the Arkansas Child Academic Opportunity Scholarship and Grant Act. “Scholarships” to private or religious schools could be given to any family with income less than 200% of the poverty level. It is a dollar for dollar income tax credit program. 

The bill failed in this legislative session.

Senate Bill 680, the “Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids Program” would create a tax-credit scholarship program. Families making up to 200 percent of the federal free and reduced-price lunch income level would be eligible. Tax credits are worth 100 percent of donations with a cap of $2 million per year. The maximum average scholarship size is 80 percent of the state portion for K-8 students and 90 percent of the state portion for grades 9-12.

The bill was narrowly passed in both houses and was sent to the governor.

This bill is now law.

HB 6175 would establish a tax credit for donations made to nonprofit entities that provide educational access and opportunity scholarships.

The bill has not made it out of committee.

SB 48 aims to merge and expand the multiple voucher programs that already exist into two large programs.

If passed, this bill would also reduce the frequency of audits to detect fraud from every year to once every three years, increase the yearly growth rate of voucher programs, and via ESAs, expand the use of public funds.

The bill failed in this legislative session.

HB 7045 consolidates student scholarship programs by repealing two existing scholarship programs and merging similar provisions into the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program (FES), which includes an education savings account (ESA).

From the Georgia Coalition for Public Education:

Georgia SB 47 (Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program) is a voucher bill that gives scholarships to students with individualized education plans to attend a private school OR a public school of their choice.

The bill passed and was sent to the Governor’s desk on 4/13.

HB 2551 establishes the Education Savings Account Act. Families whose total annual income does not exceed an amount equal to 2.5 times the income standard used to qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch under the national free or reduced-price lunch program qualify for the State Board to make a grant to an Education Savings Account.

The bill has not made it out of committee.

HB 1005 would greatly expand the state’s voucher program allowing families with annual incomes up to $145,000 to participate. That amount is near twice the median income of families in the state and provides taxpayer assistance to families who can already comfortably afford to send their child to a private school. 

Some 12,000 students already attending such schools would be eligible for state funding–costing taxpayers $100 million in the first year alone. In addition, the bill would add a new “Education Savings Accounts,” which would be made available to parents with students with special needs. 

These provisions were added to the state budget which passed on 4/23.

These voucher programs will take effect in July.

HF813, would allow anyone, including for-profit corporations, to found a charter school. 

Iowa’s existing charter school law, which requires local district authorization, has allowed a limited number of charter schools to open and has prevented out-of-state, for-profit operators from creating charter schools in Iowa.

Making these changes to Iowa’s existing charter school law won’t “promote innovation” or give Iowa’s parents the ability to “choose the best educational options” for their children — it will benefit only those who seek to profit off of our schools.   

HF813 passed both houses and awaits the Governor’s signature.

HF 847 was amended and passed the Senate on a 42-6 vote. The bill added language that:

• increases the cap on School Tuition Organizations from $15 million to $20 million in 2022
• increases the tax credit to STOs from 65% to 75%
• places geographic limits on where charter schools can operate

House Bill 2068 and Senate Bill 61 were folded into HB 2119. The bill is designed to expand school vouchers in the state via a tax credit program. They are, at their core, an attempt to create a taxpayer-funded invitation to discriminate. 

According to the Kansas School Boards Association, this bills would allow private schools that discriminate in admissions based on achievement, religion, gender, disability, or sexual preference to participate in the tax-credit program. They would neither be required to be accredited nor report student results. 

The bill is pending in the Senate Education Committee.

Stay tuned for more information and possible actions on this bill.

House Bill 563 creates “education opportunity accounts” to be used on private school tuition in Kentucky’s most populated counties, and would pull up to $25 million from public schools. The bill passed the House by the narrowest of margins, 48-47, and was vetoed by Governor Beshear. The Senate voted 23-14 to override his veto, and Beshear said the bill may be challenged in court. You can read the latest about the bill here.

This bill was passed over the Governor’s veto.

HB 556 creates an Education Savings Account (ESA) Program. The bill passed the House Education Committee unanimously and is headed to House Appropriations. 

HB 443 provides for individual income tax credits for donations made to school tuition organizations. The bill passed in the House and has been sent to the Senate. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs on 5/5.

Stay tuned for more information and possible actions on these bills.

There is only one intent of Senate Bill 55–to destroy public education in Missouri. 

The bill: 

• Requires an election to recall a school board member if a petition is submitted signed by at least 25% of the number of voters in the last school board election. 
•  Creates up to $100 million in tax credits for donations to an organization that gives out scholarships for students to attend a home school or private school – including for-profit virtual schools.
• Authorizes charter schools to be opened in an additional 61 school districts.

The bill has not yet been voted out of the Senate, but was placed back on the Senate calendar on 5/12.

HB 633 would establish a charter school program in the state. The bill was tabled in committee because the deadline was missed for a needed appropriations bill.

The bill failed in this legislative session.

HB 279  would increase the allowable tax credit for donations to private and for-profit schools from $150 to $200,000.

The bill was sent to the governor on 5/4.

HB 329 would establish an ESA voucher for students with disabilities.

The bill failed in this legislative session. 

LB 364 is called The Opportunity Scholarship Act. It establishes “opportunity scholarships” for private and religious school tuition. Contributions would result in up to a 50% tax credit against State income taxes. Funds from this account would be distributed as tuition aid for students to attend private and religious schools. 

Senate Bill 333 would raise $10 million in public funding for charter school facilities by creating a corporate tax credit program that would allow businesses to donate to charter schools and get the money back based on a tax credit.

The bill stalled on 4/10 with no additional action allowed in this legislative session.

The bill failed in this legislative session.

House Bill 20 would create a universal voucher program entitled “Education Freedom Accounts,” which would take state dollars from monies allocated to support public schools and give them directly to parents to use for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and other education-related expenses. The per-student amount would range from  $3,786 and $8,458 based on eligibility and costs.

According to the nonprofit, Reaching Higher New Hampshire HB 20, as proposed, would be the most far-reaching voucher bill in the country.

• HB 20, as proposed, would be the most far-reaching voucher bill in the country.

• HB 20 has substantially fewer protections for students, less transparency and oversight of public funds, and almost no accountability for ensuring that programs funded by taxpayer dollars are being used appropriately or effectively.

SB 130, which is virtually identical to HB 20, passed the Senate and then was tabled. It has been folded into the budget, which makes the bill much more difficult to stop.

Stay tuned for more information and possible actions on this bill. 

House Bill 292 would create a universal voucher program entitled “Education Freedom Accounts.”  

The bill has not made it out of committee.

HB32 would expand the already existing voucher program, the Opportunity Scholarship program, by expanding eligibility, increasing the amount of the voucher, and increasing funding for marketing and administering the program. It would also merge the program with the existing Education Savings Account program, which puts tax dollars on a debit card for parents to spend on private educational services in lieu of attending a public school. It would even allow vendors to charge “transaction or merchant fees” of up to 2.5% of all spending. 

These changes to a program that already diverts millions of dollars away from public schools would add $159 million in additional costs over the next nine years. 

The bill passed in the House on 4/13 and passed first reading in the Senate on 4/15.

HB 290, which was introduced on 5/5, establishes a universal voucher program. It is a “legislative intent bill” that would make every Ohio student eligible for a voucher. The bill is only two pages long and sponsors claimed “its purpose is not to lay out a specific plan but spark conversations about universal vouchers.”

The bill has been referred to the House Finance Committee.

SB 532 establishes the Education Savings Account Act and Program for certain eligible students.

The bill has not made it out of committee.

SB 658 establishes an education savings account (ESA) program to fund attendance at specified types of schools or education programs. Establishes Education Savings Program Fund and transfers moneys from State School Fund distributions for use in education savings accounts. 

The bill has not made it out of committee.

HB 1134 would provide for individual empowerment scholarship accounts and establish the Pennsylvania Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program, the Department of Education Empowerment Scholarship Fund and the State Treasurer Empowerment Scholarship Fund.

The bill is pending in the House Education Committee.

HB 1541 would lift the cap on education tax credits. 

The bill is pending in the House Education Committee.

The updates below are from our friends at Keystone Center for Charter Change at PSBA.

• Senate Bill 1, (Sen. Martin, R-Lancaster) is a charter school reform proposal as well as an automatic Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program funding escalator. Although the bill contains provisions which increase charter school transparency and accountability, it does not provide funding reform and would create a statewide charter authorizing commission that removes local control at district and taxpayer expense.
• Senate Bill 733 (Sen. Ward, R-Blair) creates the Education Opportunity Account Scholarship (EOAS) program, the latest attempt to establish an education voucher program in the commonwealth that would cost taxpayers as much as $600 million according to estimates. It de-funds public schools and sets the stage for a far more expansive tuition voucher program in the future.

Click here  to send a letter to your senator opposing Senate Bill 1.

Click here  to send a letter to your senator opposing Senate Bill 733.

SB455 establishes an education savings account program for learning at-home or at any other remote-learning site.

The bill was held in committee on 3/31 for further study.

HB 3976 establishes an education savings account program. This bill “would allow students living in households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level to apply for ‘education scholarship accounts,’ or ESAs, which would be funded by taking about $6,500 per student from the public school district a student is zoned to attend. The funds could then be spent on a range of educational services, including private school tuition.”

SB175 removes certain eligibility requirements for the state’s existing tax credit voucher, including removing the requirement that eligible students first attend public schools before qualifying for the voucher.

The bill was signed by the governor on 3/29.

SB 1252 enacts the “Opportunity Scholarships Program,” which creates a scholarship program for students who reside in certain LEAs with a minimum average growth of two percent in average daily membership over the previous five fiscal years to attend certain eligible private schools.

SB 5200 establishes a tax credit of up to 100% for contributions to a designated scholarship granting organization for tuition to a private school or private tutoring service. Students who received special education services or are in foster care would be eligible.

The bill failed in this legislative session.

House Bill 2012 would increase the number of charter schools that could be approved in a three-year period from three to 10. And it would lay the groundwork for charter schools that would operate virtually.

Right now, county school boards may authorize a charter school. This bill would add a West Virginia Professional Charter School Board as an authorizer.

Applicants with a rejected charter proposal have 30 days after that to appeal to the state Board of Education.

The bill was signed by the governor on 3/12.

This bill is now law.

House Bill 2013, the Hope Scholarship bill, would establish publicly funded education savings accounts for students to attend a private school or be home schooled.

The program would allot $4,600 a year, but that amount could vary depending on the state School Aid Formula.

The bill was signed by the governor on 3/29.

This bill is now law.

Senate Bill 130 passed both houses of the Wyoming legislature and was passed into law without the governor’s signature.

The bill allows the State Loan and Investment Board to create charter schools to circumvent school districts.

The bill is now law.