Catholic Schools Week Supplement

School choice expansion is a game-changer for families wanting a Catholic education for their children

By John Shaughnessy

John Elcesser considers the expansion of Indiana’s school choice program in 2021 as a game-changer—dramatically increasing the number of Hoosier families who will become eligible for vouchers that will help them choose where they want their children to attend school. (See more information here)

Regarding families who view a Catholic school as the best option for their children, Elcesser says the expansion of the program will help parents who believe they can’t afford Catholic education for their children, and it will also benefit parents who struggle and sacrifice to provide a Catholic education for their children.

“We believe there are probably quite a few families that may have wanted or even dreamed of getting a Catholic school education, but just probably didn’t think it was affordable. Now it probably is,” says Elecesser, the executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA), which represents the state’s more than 400 non-public schools, including Indiana’s 175 Catholic schools.

“There are also families who are continuing to struggle to make that tuition payment, working multiple jobs. And this is going to help them as well.”

As an example, Elcesser notes that under the new state guidelines, “a family of four can make up to $147,075 and still be eligible” for a voucher. Now, all eligible students will receive a 90% voucher, which represents 90% of the state’s tuition support for a child if they attended a local public school.

The important point, Elcesser stresses, is that the expanded program helps families choose where they want their child to be educated.

“The State of Indiana believes, our organization believes, and our schools believe that every family—no matter where their ZIP code is or their financial circumstances—should be able to send their children to the school that’s the right fit for them,” Elcesser says.

“For us in the Catholic sector, it aligns with our Catholic social teaching. We believe in the preferential option for the poor. We also believe that parents are our children’s primary educators. They should be making the decision about what school is the best fit for them, whether that be traditionally public, whether that be charter, whether that be a non-public—faith-based or secular.”

The recent expansion of Indiana’s school choice program comes 10 years after the program started in the state, which is considered at the forefront

of the effort to allow families to choose where they want their children to attend school.

“There are 26 other states and the District of Columbia that have some sort of choice program,” Elcesser notes.

In the 10 years of Indiana’s program, about 273,000 children have benefitted from it, by getting a Choice Scholarship that can be applied to tuition at the non-public school of their choice, he says. And more than $1 billion has been awarded to families to make that choice a reality.

“It’s hard to believe the number of families whose lives have been significantly impacted by these programs,” Elcesser says.

Now, he adds, many more families will have that opportunity, thanks to the expansion of the program.
 

(To apply for a voucher, contact the participating nonpublic school of your choice. For more information, visit the Institute for Quality Education’s website, www.myschooloptions.org.) †

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