Why you should call your legislator about the Indiana Voucher Bill

• It will shatter the barrier between church and state in K-12 schools observed since the 1851 Constitution.

• It will divert $58.5 million during the next two years from public schools to private schools based on 7500 vouchers in the first year and 15,000 vouchers in the second year. As schools begin laying off teachers due to budget problems, this is a bad time to undermine public school funding in this way.

• It adds an income deduction for home school parent expenses and private school parent expenses costing the taxpayers $3.7 million per year. This would be the first state benefit for home schools in Indiana history, giving new money to home schools while public school budgets are struggling.

• It would end the 160 year practice of giving state funding only to public schools to educate young citizens about our democracy in a non-partisan, non-sectarian forum. Public schools have been the bedrock of our democracy and the centers of our communities, but vouchers could fragment this system.