SB1395
(S. Allen)
Revises ESA Program
Provisions
Very detailed; entire summary
HERE.
In general, expands the ESA program, expands the "goods" parents can purchase with their funds, and creates oversight requirements.
-- Expands program to kindergartners and lowers eligible age to 4 years;
-- Allows Special Ed students with an ESA to remain qualified forever, without re-evaluation;
-- Expands program to any child
living in the district of a D- or F-rated school, even if not attending that school;
-
- requires ADE to contract with private financial management firms to manage ESAs;
-- Places a large number of administrative requirements on the Department of Education (ADE), with so far no release of funds set aside specifically for this;
-- Creates an ESA Review Council (short-term, through Dec. 2022).
Why Oppose
?
--
League does not support the expansion of the ESA program, which already takes money from public education (public tax money) and gives it to private (including religious) schools.
We support a) a separation of church and state; 2) the
same
accountability and transparency standards that apply to public schools, in all aspects of education funded via public taxes.
-- The
ADE should be given the funds already set aside to fully and adequately administer this program, vs. contracting out to a private vendor, which creates an unnecessary and more costly layer of management.
-- This
bill is heavy-handed in legislative micromanagement of the ESA program: e.g. ADE must submit a copy of the ESA policy handbook to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives before it can be published; revised or enforced.
