In April of this year, the Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE), joined organizations across the country in supporting the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act, federal legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Mazie Hirono that would repeal the recently created federal private school voucher program.

The bill targets the federal tax-credit voucher program established through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” creating what critics describe as the nation’s first federal private school voucher initiative. This program diverts federal taxpayer dollars away from public schools and the common good, to instead subsidize private, mostly religious school tuitions. Private schools are not required to serve every student nor meet the same accountability standards as public schools.

This issue is especially relevant in Indiana, where years of voucher expansion and privatization policies have already placed increasing financial pressure on neighborhood public schools.

“Public dollars belong in public schools,” said our ICPE President Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer.“ At a time when Indiana schools are already facing significant financial pressures, expanding voucher schemes at the federal level threatens to further destabilize public education  which serves the overwhelming majority of children. Federal dollars should be spent on programs that serve all students, fully fund special education, for example, and not on institutions that often discriminate against vulnerable kids.”

The federal voucher program mirrors policies Hoosiers have already seen in Indiana—policies that have increasingly siphoned public funds away from local public schools while raising concerns about transparency, accountability, and equitable access for students with disabilities, rural families, and low-income communities.

According to statements released by Senators Kelly and Hirono, the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act is intended to stop federal resources from being diverted away from public education and ensure all students continue to have access to quality public schools.

House Support Effort Underway

While the Senate bill has already been introduced, Representative Gwen Moore is leading efforts in the House to build support and secure co-sponsors ahead of formal House introduction, which is expected around June 19.

Rep. Moore’s office has already circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter to House members with details about the legislation, and ICPE’s national ally, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS), is encouraging constituents to contact their Congressional delegation and ask them to sign on as co-sponsors.

Supporters are hoping this outreach effort can be completed by May 31.

Indiana residents who want to urge their members of Congress to support the bill can do so through this action page: Take Action Here

More Information

If you are looking for more information on the federal voucher program, our national partners at Public Funds Public Schools from the Education Law Center have put together a comprehensive page of information. Learn more here.