State GOP Lawmakers Push to Expand Vouchers

Heather Coffy, at back, leaves St. Monica School with her children, left to right, Delano Coffy, 15, Alanna Marshall, 8, and Darius Coffy, 11, in Indianapolis. Indiana lawmakers are considering a proposal to create an ambitious new voucher program for low- and middle-income families. Ms. Coffy says her elder son was struggling in public school when she applied for a private school scholarship through an existing state program. The money she received helped put her children in Catholic school, where she says they are thriving.

—Michael Conroy/AP

Some legislation would extend eligibility to middle-income families

By Sean Cavanagh

Republican governors and lawmakers are pushing for a major expansion of voucher programs, efforts that in some cases seek to give taxpayer money for private school tuition to a much larger swath of the population, including middle-income families.

Many of those legislative endeavors come as no surprise, given that GOP candidates for state office made historic gains across the country last fall, in many instances after promising to expand school choice—a longtime priority for many Republicans.

But the proposals put forward this year are notable both for the diversity of strategies they use in attempting to channel more public funding for nonpublic school options, and...