Attorney General No.

SA93RF0035

Secretary of State No.

624

Description

SCHOOL VOUCHERS. STATE FUNDING OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Requires State to provide voucher for every resident school-age child, redeemable at qualifying private schools of parents' choice, including religious schools, and qualifying special schools established by public organizations. Voucher amounts increase as program phases in. Imposes admission quotas and reduced tuitions for low-income children. Restricts new regulation of voucher-redeeming schools. Requires voucher-redeeming schools to administer standardized academic tests, disclose information to families, and submit to state audit. Withholds vouchers from schools advocating unlawful conduct or teaching specified "hatred." Increases local control and classroom share of spending in public schools. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Fiscal effect largely unknown and depends on implementation and response to measure. Long-term state fiscal impact of vouchers, testing, and administrative requirements ranging from annual net costs exceeding $1 billion to net savings in excess of $100 million. Short-term state fiscal impact ranging from annual net costs of hundreds of millions of dollars to annual net savings of hundreds of millions of dollars. Potential costs to school districts in the tens of millions of dollars annually due to testing provisions. Capital outlay savings possibly in excess of $100 million annually for state and school districts after 10 to 20 years.

Proponents

Stephen D. Sugarman, 6172 Harwood Avenue, Oakland, California 94720 (510) 654-0588; Terry M. Moe, 574 Villa Real, Palo Alto, California 94306 (415) 494-8020; John E. Coons, 58 Domingo Avenue, Berkeley, California 94705 (415) 848-4286; Alan Bonsteel, M.D., 765 Watson Canyon Court, #337, San Ramon, California 94583 (510) 735-9060; Carlos A. Bonilla, 1020 N. Commerce, Stockton, California 95202 (209) 466-7678

Date

1-13-1994

Document Type

Initiative

Qualified

Failed to Qualify

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