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Determining the Fiscal Impact of School Voucher, Tax Credit, and Education Savings Account Programs
Public school voucher, tax credit scholarship programs, and education savings accounts (ESAs) are becoming increasingly popular school choice options. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures 13 states and the District of Columbia have school voucher programs as of January 2014, 16 states have scholarship tax credit programs, and 5 states have an education savings account program. As of April 22, 2016, legislation to create new voucher, tax credit, or ESA programs have been introduced in several states. Given the saturation of existing voucher and voucher-like programs, and continued appetite for new voucher or voucher-like programs, it is important to understand whether such programs are, or are likely to, improve or worsen state budgets. *Please note that this is a draft template for organizations to use to develop their own fiscal impact analysis.
ESA Voucher Costs Video
This video from SOS Arizona answers the one billion dollar question—do Esa vouchers defund Public Schools? Arizona's K-12 system is based on a complex formula using state federal and local dollars and most school funding comes from the state which is funded by income and sales tax. Arizona state budget is tiny and underfunded in fact it's one of the smallest per capita in the entire United States. Only 44 percent goes to K-12 education which means there's not nearly enough funding for public schools and the 1.1 million students who rely on them. ESA vouchers draw directly from state funding and will siphon one billion dollars away from public schools this year
The Fiscal Consequences of Private School Vouchers
The use of publicly funded vouchers to support enrollment in private schools has a long history, but only over the past dozen years have private school vouchers gained significant traction in the United States. In some states over this time period, the growth in voucher programs has been dramatic.
The True Cost of Private School Voucher Programs
In this fact sheet Public Funds Public Schools reveals the true cost of private school vouchers.
Future Costs of Idaho SB 1038’s Universal ESA Projected to Rise Sharply
Senate Bill 1038, which is before the Idaho Senate, would create a universal private education program. According to the bill’s fiscal note, in its first year (FY2024) Freedom in Education Savings Accounts (ESA’s) would cost the state about $45 million in Fiscal Year 2024 by serving about 6,600 Idaho students and providing administrative funds for the new program.
Universal Vouchers Will Cost Florida Billions in Education Dollars
On March 27, 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1 into law.1 This bill makes vouchers, known as Florida Empowerment Scholarships and Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarships, available to all students in the state who are eligible for kindergarten through grade 12, regardless of family income. Vouchers already cost $1.4 billion — dollars that are redirected from public education to private schools.
Estimating FL’s SB 202 Universal Voucher Cost in First Year
The SB 202 proposed legislation in Florida would further expand the already substantial voucher program, pulling an estimated $4 billion in state aid from public school districts to private education in 2023-24 though Florida Empowerment Scholarships with the cost increasing annually. Estimates of the cost of this program at the district and state level were made based on a variety of assumptions described below. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, providing $568 million in vouchers in 2021-22, is also poised for expansion, but estimates for that program are not included here.
The Cost of Universal Vouchers: Three Factors to Consider in Analyzing Fiscal Impacts of CS/HB 1
The Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee offered a proposed committee substitute (PCS) to HB1 that included a fiscal analysis estimating the universal private education voucher bill will cost $209.6 million in year one for Florida Empowerment Scholarship (FES) vouchers. As of February 24, the PCS is now the new version of HB1, CS/HB1. Why is the fiscal analysis price tag so much smaller than the $4 billion estimate provided by Florida Policy Institute (FPI) and Education Law Center (ELC)? Because the FPI/ELC estimates follow a set of key assumptions that were not considered in the House’s fiscal analysis.
Testimony on HB 33
As advocates for sustainable and equitable opportunities for all Ohioans regardless of their ZIP code or what they look like, we believe that protecting public schools and providing a strong education is the foundation of a functioning democracy. Some of the proposals in House Bill 33 would strengthen that foundation. Others would undermine it.
Testimony on SB 11
As advocates for sustainable and equitable opportunities for all Ohioans regardless of their zip code or what they look like, we believe that protecting public schools and providing a strong education is the foundation of a functioning democracy. Senate Bill 11 would weaken that foundation.
Impact Report 2021 – 22
The 2022-23 PPS Impact Report celebrates PPS’s continued commitment to advancing the role of families and communities in securing a high-quality public education for every child. The report also includes PPS’s statement in opposition to vouchers and work with other statewide advocacy groups against vouchers.
What to Know about Invest in Kids: Illinois' tax credit voucher program
Voucher plans are sweeping the country, transferring public funds to private schools. Many Illinois residents don't realize we have a voucher program right here in the form of a tax credit "scholarship" program, known as Invest in Kids.
Our expert panel looks at this national trend, examines the research on student achievement in voucher schools, gives a glimpse of the impact of vouchers on students in our neighboring state of Indiana, and presents important information about Invest in Kids.
IL’s Backdoor Vouchers: Invest in Kids Act
These slides are from IL Families for Public Schools' Diane Horwitz and Cassie Creswell’s presentation talking about the voucher program in Illinois, Invest in Kids.
IL’s Backdoor Vouchers: What you need to know about the Invest in Kids Act
Network 49 hosts a presentation from IL Families for Public Schools' Diane Horwitz and Cassie Creswell talking about the voucher program in Illinois, Invest in Kids.
Tell your legislator it's "game over" for Illinois' voucher program!
Illinois Families for Public Schools is calling for the Invest in Kids program to end permanently, along with more than 50 other state and local organizations. Vouchers harm the public good in a variety of ways: they violate the fundamental principle of the separation of church and state. They divert public dollars from our already underfunded Illinois public schools. Research shows that they do not improve academic outcomes for children who receive vouchers. And we know that voucher schools in Illinois are discriminating on the basis of religion, disability status, LGBTQ+ status and more---that's not what education equity looks like!
Inequity in School Funding
This report from the Education Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center illustrates that while southern states are failing to adequately fund their public schools, almost all of them are funneling scarce education funding to private schools through voucher programs and otherwise engaging in “culture wars” that seek to undermine public education.
The Myths of Cost Savings from Private School Vouchers
The notion that it costs less to educate students with publicly funded private school vouchers than it does to educate them in traditional public schools ignores important realities that make voucher programs expensive, impractical and unsound.
Tell NC Lawmakers: Time to Deliver the Funding Our Children are Owed!
While the Leandro plan remains unfunded, legislators are proposing another round of income tax cuts for the wealthy and a massive expansion of the current private school voucher programs. These programs will disproportionately benefit wealthy families while hampering opportunities for families living in poverty.
Say No to School Vouchers
The opportunity to access a high-quality public education is foundational to the American promise of liberty and opportunity for all—a promise protected by the constitution of every state to educate young learners. School vouchers, in practice, mainly subsidize private school tuition for affluent families in or near urban areas. Private schools that accept school vouchers often restrict access to students based on ability status, religion, or personal characteristics such as style of hair. When used for school privatization, public funds primarily function as an unregulated benefit for wealthy families on the taxpayer’s dime. Instead of spending valuable time and resources on voucher programs, states should invest in strengthening the public education system with research-based strategies that improve students’ content mastery and whole-child outcomes.
NEPC Review: Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit: Economic Analysis (Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, June 2023)
A recent report from the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts examines the monetary costs and benefits of the state’s Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit (QEEC). The QEEC is a type of voucher policy that provides a public subsidy for families to pay for private school tuition. Data show the tax credit results in $81 million of forgone state tax revenue per year. The report argues the QEEC provides a net fiscal benefit for Georgia’s state budget based on an estimate that the vouchers cause almost 20,000 students per year to choose private schools instead of public, thus removing the cost of educating those students from state and local budgets. However, because the report relies on unrealistic assumptions, its suggestion that program benefits outweigh costs is tenuous and risks misleading state education leaders. Instead, state leaders should invest educational dollars in policies that have a positive return on in- vestment and therefore help, rather than harm, state and local budgets.