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School Choice YearbookSchool Choice Yearbook
20052005SCHOOL CHOICE LEGISLATION
INTRODUCED IN 2005
HI
38 States Introduced School Choice Bills
PASSED ONELEGISLATIVE HOUSE
2005 LEGISLATION PASSED
PASSED TWOLEGISLATIVE HOUSES
PA
NH
VA
OH
LA
MNWI
FL
UTNV
AZ
HI
11 States Made Progress
New School Choice Programs
Ohio’s new statewide educational choice scholarship
program, the largest in the country targeted to K-12 education
students in failing public schools, provides scholarships
to 14,000 children in public schools on academic watch or
academic emergency for three consecutive years. The students
could use the scholarships, which would range from $4,250 for
K-8 to $5,000 for grades 9-12, to attend the public or private
school of their choice.
Utah’s Carson Smith Scholarship for Students With Special
Needs Act authorizes the distribution of scholarships for
Utah’s special needs children to attend private schools. The
scholarship is equal to the amount the state earmarks for
disabled public school students and is based on the amount of
time a child receives special education services per day.
Improved Programs
NEW
EXPANDED
PROGRAMS PASSED / EXPANDED
PAOH
FL
21
1
11
1
UT
AZ1
1
MN
1
Arizona passed a bill eliminating marriage penalties
in tax credits that raised the minimum amount that
can be donated to a scholarship organization under
the individual tax credit program. Phasing in an
increase from $625 to $1,000 per couple.
In Florida, thousands of new students exercised
school choice with the corporate scholarship
tax credit program cap increase from $50 to $88
million. The dramatic enhancement nearly doubles
the current program that enables students to use
scholarships to attend private schools.
Minnesota enacted a modest expansion in the
value of the existing education tax credit and the
number of eligible families.
In Ohio, the improvement of the current Cleveland
Scholarship Program beginning this fall extends
eligibility to the 11th and 12th-grade students.
Programs Passed or Expanded This Year
continued on back
The most successful legislative year ever for school choice
AZ – – Expanded Scholarship Tax Credit
FL – – Expanded Corporate Scholarship Tax Credit
FL – – New Pre-Kindergarten Voucher Program
MN – – Expanded Education Tax Credit
OH – – New Educational Choice Scholarship Program
OH – – Expanded Cleveland Program
OH – – Extended Ohio Autism Program for two years
PA – – Expanded Education Improvement Tax Credit
PA – – New Accountability Standards
UT – – New Special Needs Scholarship Program
Scholarship amounts will be increased in
2006 from up to $3,000 for K-8, and $2,700
for high school to as much as $3,450 for all
students. New legislation also extended
the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program for
two more years and increased scholarship
amounts from $15,000 to $20,000.
Pennsylvania expanded its existing
Education Tax Credit Program with a $4
million increase, two-thirds of which
goes toward scholarships that increase
educational opportunities for more than
2,000 Pennsylvania schoolchildren. The
Legislature also approved reasonable
additional reporting requirements to
ensure accountability for scholarship,
educational improvement and pre-K
scholarship organizations involved with
the credit program.
32,495
73,00680,,55155
89,88594,763
104,083
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Growth in Targeted School Choice Programs
Pre-K Vouchers Break Out2005 was a breakout year for the new trend of preschool vouchers
(continued from other side)
Alliance for School Choice 5080 N. 40th St., Suite 375, Phoenix, AZ 85018 AllianceForSchoolChoice.org
New Developments in 2005New Developments in 2005
8,034
1199,,88331125,253 26,749 29,590
130,858
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Growth in Pre-K Programs
Katrina ReliefIn response to a natural
disaster, the federal
government overwhelmingly
and with bipartisan support,
approved and issued vouchers
to 150,000 displaced students.
The Alliance for School Choice
estimates that 14,000-18,000
vouchers were used in private
schools across the nation.
Also Noteworthy in 2005
Louisiana made history when the House passed the state’s fi rst
ever voucher bill, and the Virginia House, Nevada and
New Hampshire Senates passed school choice bills this year.
The fact that the bills progressed as far as they did is a testament
to the powerful momentum of the school choice movement.