The new federal private school voucher program rushed into last year’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill is another assault on public education, and it’s bound to be a costly one. Once fully implemented, it will almost certainly serve to transfer wealth to already well-off families, subsidizing tuition payments for their  children to attend private and religious schools that aren’t subject to  many of the standards and requirements of public schools. Layered atop voucher programs in place in many states, this federal tax credit program will  further the defunding of universal public education and accelerate the disinvestment from one of the most important tools for building democracy, spurring a vibrant economy, and fostering a stronger, more unified nation.

The news is not all bleak, however. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that there is a growing number of state lawmakers who are reconsidering their state education voucher programs,  which are turning out to be budget busters.

The report dives into a number of states where skepticism of the effectiveness and value of vouchers is leading to misgivings–and potential policy changes. Here’s the Center’s sampling, which we’re reproducing in full:

• For the second year in a row, Louisiana Senate leaders indicated they may reject Governor Landry’s proposal, currently under consideration, to double spending on school vouchers. They want more information about the vouchers’ impact on student outcomes, especially because prior research found that school vouchers caused declines in Louisiana students’ test scores, particularly in math. Lawmakers chose to fund public school tutoring instead of a private school voucher expansion last year, citing concerns about possible public school funding reductions, lack of voucher-related benefits in rural areas, and ongoing costs, which could reach $500 million annually when fully expanded.
• Senate leaders rejected the Mississippi House of Representatives’ signature school voucher expansion proposal without debate in early February. They cited concerns about new recurring costs of up to about $400 million annually and little accountability for private schools. For example, private schools would not be required to provide essential supportive services for students with disabilities or report student assessment data to the state, as public schools do.
• Georgia’s legislature passed a budget that cuts the state’s school voucher program by $41 million this year due to lack of demand from eligible students in 2025. Current eligibility includes only students from families with low and moderate incomes attending the 25 percent of public schools with the lowest test scores. Low test scores are associated with poverty, but Georgia provides no supplemental funding for economically disadvantaged students. Of 20,000 applicants, only about 8,000 qualified for the vouchers, suggesting demand for private school tuition subsidies is greater among families with higher incomes than among the eligible population. This matches reports from other states, where between 69 and 86 percent of new school-aged voucher users had previously attended private school or were homeschooled prior to vouchers becoming available. 
• Florida’s Senate Bill 318 (SB 318), which would have added guardrails to the state’s $4 billion school voucher programs, ultimately failed this year, though it did have bipartisan support from Senate lawmakers and could be reconsidered next year. This legislation was introduced to address a dearth of financial accountability uncovered in program audits. Florida lost track of as many as 30,000 students, resulting in late payments of $47 million to school districts and between $60 million and $110 million in excess voucher payments. SB 318 would have required voucher overpayments to be returned to the Department of Education within 30 days and guaranteed minimum payments to school districts, among other accountability measures. A 2020 Urban Institute report found that close to 60 percent of Florida voucher students returned to public school within two years, so guardrails, like those in SB 318, to ensure that public schools receive adequate funding for the students they educate are critical.
• The South Carolina senator who sponsored the state’s 2025 school voucher law is now supporting a proposal, being considered as part of the state budget, to prevent giving $7,500 vouchers to children who are being homeschooled and have not previously received them. While the original law excluded children who were being homeschooled, the state agency implementing the program has allowed certain homeschooling set ups to qualify for the voucher. Additionally, some lawmakers have expressed concerns over a lack of data on the overall voucher program, including the homeschool component. South Carolina’s school voucher program was modeled after Arizona’s program, which, according to one report, has enabled parents to misspend over $10 million on items including gift cards, luxury hotel stays, and wedding gifts. 

As governors and other state leaders consider whether to opt into the federal voucher program, these efforts at the state and local levels should prompt them to demand a full accounting of the real cost of the program. Given that nine out of ten school children attend public schools, they might also want to take into account which constituency they hope to serve best.