Attorney General No.

SA2004RF0012

Secretary of State No.

1051

Description

SCHOOL VOUCHERS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Authorizes state funded scholarships, for parents of children attending underperforming public schools only, to enroll children in eligible nonpublic schools. Determines K through 12 scholarship values at lesser of per pupil state funding for school or district in which child resides, or actual tuition and fees at eligible nonpublic school. Requires scholarship-redeeming schools to agree not to compel scholarship students to profess specific ideology or to worship. Provides scholarship expenditures count toward minimal constitutional public education funding requirements, but participants not counted toward public school enrollment. Requires two-thirds vote of Legislature to amend measure. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown impact on overall state spending for K-12 education. State would incur costs potentially over a billion dollars annually in the long run to provide scholarships to eligible pupils who would otherwise have attended private schools absent this measure. Per pupil funding for pupils remaining in public schools likely to grow more slowly over time.

Proponents

Stanley Lee Harper, c/o Dana W. Reed, Reed & Davidson, 520 South Grand Avenue, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90071-2665, (213) 624-6200

Date

4-8-2004

Document Type

Initiative

Qualified

Failed to Qualify

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