School Choice & Charters

Pa. Adopts Budget With Funding for Vouchers

By Robert C. Johnston — May 12, 1999 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Gov. Tom Ridge celebrated at least a temporary victory last week in Pennsylvania’s heated debate over school choice, when he signed a $19 billion state budget that included $63 million for a statewide voucher pilot program.

The funding would cover the first year of a five-year, $600 million plan to provide vouchers to needy families beginning this coming fall. The vouchers, which could be used in public, private, or religious schools, would then be phased in for wealthier families.

“I’m eager to join this latest battle to win school choice for Pennsylvania’s parents,” Mr. Ridge, a Republican, said in a prepared statement after the legislature passed the fiscal 2000 budget. “The momentum is on our side.”

Despite the governor’s enthusiasm, though, the fight is not over. Debate on the legislation that is needed to authorize the voucher plan could begin this month, and the outcome is far from certain. Meanwhile, late last month, Florida became the first state to approve a statewide voucher program. (“Florida OKs First Statewide Voucher Plan,” May 5, 1999.)

“We’re very concerned about vouchers,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, the assistant executive director of government relations for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. “But our reading is that they don’t have much support.”

Special Education

Mr. Gentzel argued that lawmakers hurt the governor’s cause during their budget talks by taking the $63 million for vouchers from what could have been spent on special education.

“It will be hard for the administration to argue that they’re not pushing vouchers at the expense of public schools,” Mr. Gentzel said.

But Ridge administration officials point out that the $6.3 billion K-12 budget the governor signed May 5 actually raises special education funding to $720 million. That is $42 million, or 6.2 percent, above last year’s amount and far more than the 2 percent hike in overall K-12 funding. The budget also includes $35 million for the first year of a new four-year, $100 million reading initiative. If the authorizing bill for the voucher program fails, the money for it could be carried over to fiscal 2001 or added to supplemental funding for fiscal 2000.

House Majority Leader John M. Perzel, a Republican, was unsympathetic to critics who say special education was shortchanged.

“They want dollar-for-dollar reimbursement for whatever they call special education,” he said. “I’d be some kind of a nitwit to do that.”

But Mr. Perzel was doubtful that lawmakers were ready to approve the pilot voucher program, or Mr. Ridge’s separate bid to make vouchers optional in a limited number of low-performing districts.

Mr. Perzel is offering his own plan to give troubled districts up to two years to improve before making vouchers available. "[The governor] wants to give a voucher right away,” Mr. Perzel said. “I think it’s going to be tougher to argue against [vouchers] if schools have a chance to improve.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 12, 1999 edition of Education Week as Pa. Adopts Budget With Funding for Vouchers

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Literacy Success: How Districts Are Closing Reading Gaps Fast
67% of 4th graders read below grade level. Learn how high-dosage virtual tutoring is closing the reading gap in schools across the country.
Content provided by Ignite Reading
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by Boys Town

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Private School Choice: What the Research Says
Private school choice programs are proliferating as debates continue about their effects on low-income students and public schools.
7 min read
Image of research, data, and a data dashboard
Collage via iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters States Are Spending Billions on Private School Choice. But Is It Truly Universal?
More than half a million students in eight states last school year took advantage of private school choice open to all students.
7 min read
data 1454372869
filo/DigitalVision Vectors
School Choice & Charters Explainer How States Use Tax Credits to Fund Private School Choice: An Explainer
Twenty-one states have programs that give tax credits for donations to organizations that grant private-school scholarships.
12 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice in the 2024 Election, Explained
Three states will ask voters to weigh in on private school choice, and another state could pave the way for more funding for choice.
7 min read
3D illustration of a character walking on the road leading to many different paths with open doors. The pathway and doors are light in color against a dark blue backgroud.
iStock/Getty