INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO):  The state of Indiana is spending a record $153 million for the 2017-2018 academic year as a result of the Indiana school voucher program. That is a 3.4 percent increase from last year, according to The Journal Gazette. There are currently 35,000 students that are helped to attend private school in lieu of public schools.

Allen county also has an increase in voucher students.  They have over 6,200 students using the voucher program.  According to the report, the cost to public schools in Allen County in 2017 was $25.8 million.  It is estimated that around $20 million of it was the cost to Fort Wayne Community Schools, followed by almost Four million for East Allen County Schools, $721 thousand for Southwest Allen County Schools and $801 thousand for Northwest Allen County Schools.   However Allen County private schools each received more than $1 Million because of the vouchers. Bishop Dwenger got over $2 million with Bishop luers and Concordia getting around $1.8 million.  These reports are based on the number of students living within district boundaries who attend voucher schools.

The school voucher program started in 2011. Parents of indiana who couldn’t afford or meet the critera to enroll their children in private school, were excited about the program.  Numerous citizens in Indiana didn’t want to send their kids to failing public schools.

As of the end of 2017, over 50 percent of the 35,458 students on the program have never attended a public school.

Many people are critical of the program fearing that there will be an unbalance in our education system because of how the public money is used.