State Senate Presents Voucher Problem For School District

Already suffering from a proposed , a pending state Senate bill could further tighten the Woodland Hills School District’s purse strings.

If passed, the bill would give some public school students tuition vouchers to use toward a private school education—with funding for those vouchers being paid by the student’s home school district.

Multiple school board members at the regular meeting Wednesday night said vouchers are not good for public education and voted unanimously to pass a resolution opposing the bill. The resolution will be presented to the state Senate. 

Although exact figures and a timeline is unknown right now, board member said anywhere from $3,500 to $5,800 per student could be used per year. It is not clear how many students within Woodland Hills would receive vouchers.

“We have a high quality of education in the school district and people want to be here,” Lott said. “I don’t think it is going to be a mass exodus, but it is concerning.”

The vouchers would be given to students on an application basis, starting with school districts perceived by the state as failing, Lott said.

Originally, when Governor Tom Corbett’s administration started to look into vouchers, Woodland Hills was slated to be in the third round of school districts receiving them. Now, the school district is included in the first wave of vouchers, which could start as early as next year.

Vouchers also are not monitored. After the check is handed to a student, it could potentially end up being used for more than just tuition aid.

, said students can take the money and use it to help pay for uniforms or books. She said she is “opposed 100 percent to the use of vouchers.”

“We, bottom line, are paying for it,” she said. “They are taking from public school education.”

Messina said she is not against different choices for students, but vouchers limit the number of students who are given alternatives.

“Tuition vouchers do not give opportunities to people who don’t have a choice to go anywhere else,” Messina said.

Multiple board members met with state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, before Wednesday’s meeting. The board said Costa supported opposing the bill and is aware of the impact vouchers would have on the district.  

The board hoped it would be a few years before vouchers caused another blow to the

“We are already struggling mightily to our own budget concerns,” Lott said. “We are hoping the Senate delays implementation of this bill by at least a year.”