Overview
- SB 318 would separate voucher appropriations from the main K–12 funding formula and require unique student IDs and regular family confirmation of a child’s education setting before funds are released.
- The package responds to an Auditor General report that found the state could not locate roughly 30,000 voucher students on a given day, flagged a pay‑then‑chase model, and cited shortfalls that left public schools underfunded.
- Lawmakers added a $250 million stabilization reserve to cushion enrollment swings so vouchers can be funded even if participation exceeds projections.
- Oversight measures include annual audits of the Department of Education and scholarship organizations, a cut to administrative fees from 3% to 2%, tighter application documentation, and limits on scholarship groups holding large unspent balances.
- The House has not filed a companion plan and has previously resisted separating voucher funding, leaving the Senate’s bipartisan plan to face an uncertain path.