Demand Voucher Program Accountability
Across the country, state-funded private school voucher programs — including traditional vouchers, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), and tax-incentive scholarships — divert billions of taxpayer dollars to private institutions with little to no public oversight. Unlike public schools, which are subject to rigorous financial audits, standardized academic assessments, and civil rights protections, most voucher-accepting private schools face minimal accountability requirements. Independent research has found that students in voucher programs frequently perform lower academically than their public school peers, and multiple programs have faced documented cases of fraud and misuse of public funds.
Constituents are urging their state legislators to pass comprehensive voucher accountability legislation that includes: (1) mandatory annual independent financial audits of all private schools receiving voucher funds; (2) standardized academic testing requirements for voucher recipients, with results reported publicly so taxpayers can evaluate program outcomes; and (3) income-based eligibility caps to ensure that public dollars are directed toward families with genuine financial need — not used to subsidize private school tuition for wealthy households who would have enrolled regardless.
These reforms would protect the integrity of public education funding, ensure that diverted tax dollars produce measurable student outcomes, and restore transparency to programs that currently operate as a largely unaccountable parallel school system. Legislators should act now to require that any school accepting public voucher money meets the same basic standards of accountability demanded of the public schools those funds were originally meant to serve.
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Live Call Script
Hello, I am an assistant calling on behalf of a constituent, {{first_name}} {{last_name}} from {{city}}, {{state}} zip code {{zip_code}}. The constituent is calling to urge {{representative_name}} to support and co-sponsor legislation imposing strict accountability requirements on taxpayer-funded private school voucher programs in our state. Specifically, the constituent asks that {{representative_name}} champion a bill that includes three core provisions: First, mandatory annual independent financial audits for all private schools that accept voucher funds, with results made publicly available to taxpayers. Second, standardized academic testing requirements for voucher recipients, with publicly reported outcomes so legislators and constituents can evaluate whether these programs are delivering results. Third, income-based eligibility limits to ensure that public education dollars are directed to families with demonstrated financial need — not used to subsidize private tuition for high-income households. Independent research has consistently shown that voucher program students often underperform academically compared to public school peers, and multiple programs nationally have faced fraud and abuse due to weak oversight. Meanwhile, every dollar diverted without accountability is a dollar no longer available to the public schools that serve the vast majority of students in {{state}}. The constituent respectfully requests that {{representative_name}} take a clear position on voucher accountability legislation and commit to supporting these reforms. Can a member of the office share the representative's current stance on voucher oversight and whether they would support such a bill?
Voicemail Version
I am calling on behalf of {{first_name}} {{last_name}}, a constituent from {{city}}, {{state}} {{zip_code}}. The constituent is calling to urge {{representative_name}} to support legislation requiring strict accountability for taxpayer-funded private school voucher programs, including mandatory annual financial audits, standardized testing requirements for voucher recipients with publicly reported results, and income-based eligibility limits to protect public funds from subsidizing wealthy families. Research shows voucher students frequently underperform academically and these programs are vulnerable to fraud without proper oversight. The constituent asks that {{representative_name}} prioritize these commonsense reforms to safeguard public education funding in {{state}}. You may contact me at {{phone_number}} to discuss further.