Ronak Shah: Could universal grants save Indiana public education?

Caden is a former student I think about often. He was like a candle—bright, filling the room when he spoke. Unfortunately, he had an erratic school year. He bounced between the charter school where I teach and a private school a few miles away. He lived between the schools, and each parent preferred a different option. He started with us but shifted to the private school because of a peer conflict.

But his parents felt the private school wasn’t servicing his disability, so they came back to us. Then in March, they moved a few miles south. Neither school offered transportation, but the private school was near his mom’s work, so he finished there.

It’s been 12 years, and I’ve lost track of Caden. But I often wonder: What would have been best for him?

I was thinking of Caden when I learned about Sen. Ryan Mishler’s proposal to overhaul school choice in Indiana. The idea would consolidate K-12 funding into an amount that would go straight to families to use on school tuition but also on other educational expenses like transportation, tutoring, internships, summer programs, college visits, extracurricular activities and disability services.

This is a drastic change, and I worry about implementation. Could a family claim money for homeschooling without providing an adequate education? Will private schools serve vulnerable students equitably?

Public schools aren’t perfect, but we are required by law to welcome and educate irrespective of need. We are accountable to families and voters if we aren’t holding up our responsibility. I expect the same of anyone receiving public funding.

Sen. Mishler shares these concerns about governance. But in a banner year for vouchers, private school accreditation remains optional, and private schools enjoy many exceptions to public school rules. Could universal education grants raise every publicly funded school to the same expectations while also addressing barriers to educational equity outside school walls? With the right safeguards, possibly.

First, the amount that schools can pull for tuition should be capped. Today, public schools receive a set amount per student. But even if Caden’s family used a voucher to attend the private school, the school was allowed to charge more, as if Caden’s worth changed. Even charging a dollar of tuition above the baseline the state provides is an unethical barrier to access.

Second, every school must equitably meet the needs students bring with them. Public schools already must do this and receive state and federal supplements to help. But even private schools accepting vouchers are exempt from some of these responsibilities. That was what brought Caden back from the private school to our public school. This new funding approach is an opportunity to eliminate that barrier.

Third, we need to address transportation. Indiana schools are not required to offer transportation, and some of the best schools offer none. Districts that choose to fund it must leverage ever-changing property taxes—usually requiring a referendum. We can stabilize this by earmarking state funds specifically for transportation. When a family uses the school bus, this funding can go directly to the provider. If a student attends a school that doesn’t offer transportation, those funds would instead go to a district bus system to get the student to school. And if students walk, drive or use public transportation, they can save those funds for tutoring, internships or college visits.

Sen. Mishler’s proposal presents an opportunity to address some of the most persistent issues in Indiana’s education system. Let’s make sure each option families have is worthy of public funding. Let’s make sure every barrier to learning is torn down across every county in the state.•

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Shah is a seventh-grade science teacher at a charter school and a Teach Plus senior writing fellow.