JCCA getting boost from voucher offer

Indiana’s new school voucher program couldn’t have come at a better time for the Jay County Christian Academy.
Eighteen of last year’s 51 students at the academy weren’t going to be returning this fall. Some were heading to Jay County High School, and some from the pre-school program were going to public elementary schools.
But the voucher program is providing a boost to this fall’s enrollment.
So far, principal Michael Eads said this week, a dozen students will be making use of vouchers, known as the Indiana Choice Scholarship.
“We’re at 60 kids,” said Eads. “That’s 27 new ones.” The other 15 are pre-schoolers, he added. “The voucher system is going to open up some doors,” said Eads.
The 12 Jay County students using the vouchers are part of more than 2,230 that will be receiving the scholarships this year, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
That number could rise before the program closes out in mid-September. The Indiana General Assembly had authorized up to 7,500 in the initial year.
Jay Schools superintendent Tim Long said the program, which still faces a legal challenge over whether it violates the state constitution, should have no significant impact on local public schools this fall.
“Our enrollment is really strong right now,” Long said. “But that’s just preliminary.”
Jay Schools receives about $6,200 in state funding per student, an amount calculated by dividing the total budget by enrollment. A shift of 15 students to JCCA  would mean a loss of approximately $93,000 in funding for Jay Schools.
Jay County Christian Academy, one of 250 religious or private schools taking part in the program, has been working toward vouchers since the idea appeared in the last session of the state legislature.
“We went to Indianapolis three times this year because we really wanted to be involved,” said Eads. “When we found out it was going to be (launched) this fall, we were really elated.”
To be eligible for a scholarship, a student must have attended public school the previous two semesters.
If a student meets that criteria and is on the free or reduced lunch program, approval for a voucher is automatic, said Eads. The application process is handled by the academy and can be completed in as little as 5 minutes.
The scholarship provides up to $4,500 for grades 1-8 or the school’s tuition, whichever is lower. In the case of the Jay County Christian Academy, the annual tuition is $3,500, so that’s what the voucher provides.
Long noted that next year, the program will expand to provide up to 15,000 vouchers. “In the third year, the cap comes off,” he said. He noted that Indiana currently has almost 116,000 students in 742 different private schools, mostly in grades 1 through 8. About 23,000 more who are currently being home schooled don’t qualify under the current terms of the program.
“When the vouchers become unlimited, we’re going to have to turn people away,” Eads predicted. “If we could get another 15 to 20 voucher kids, that would help us.”
Long said his concern is that public education be adequately funded. “I’m not opposed to vouchers as long as we fully fund public education,” he said. “For public education, we need to compete. It should make us all better.”
A Marion County judge was expected to hear arguments Thursday about whether to grant an injunction blocking the voucher program.[[In-content Ad]]