Statement On HB 2169, A New Approach to School Vouchers

HB 2169 is considered a strongly partisan bill, with 27 Republican sponsors to 2 Democrats. The bill is a new approach to vouchers. If it becomes law, the program will be open to students at all grade levels who reside within the boundaries of a school classified in the bottom 15% of public schools based on standardized testing. Parents who elect to take advantage of the program may transfer their students wherever they wish and take the students’ share of state education funding with them.

Pennsylvania per-pupil education spending averages $17,143, with $6,622 of that amount coming from the state. The Lifeline Scholarship program would therefore drain significant funding from the neediest of public schools. There is also no income-requirement for participation in the program, meaning funds could be diverted for the benefit of students from wealthy families as well as poor ones. 

Also troubling is the fact that there will be no oversight of how these state funds are utilized. The bill specifically precludes any state involvement with the academic programming of the funding recipient. The only “review” of services provided by the recipient is through the administration of an annual parent satisfaction survey.

A statement issued by a coalition of Pennsylvania groups opposed to vouchers points out that the bill could also have a negative impact on students with special needs. Private schools that receive Lifeline Scholarship funds are not governed by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. Accordingly, private schools could benefit from the enhanced sums designated for special needs students without any responsibility for complying with regulations intended to provide protections for these students. 

If the Lifeline Scholarship program is passed, millions of dollars of state funding will be taken from the most vulnerable schools and given to private, cyber, for-profit, and religious schools that will use the money with no oversight. This would happen at a time when education advocates are already suing the state for inadequate funding of public schools, citing research that shows test scores in low-performing districts improve with increased funding. 

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania therefore opposes the passage of HB 2169 and calls on the Senate to vote against the bill. Sign the letter here to make your voice heard!