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2001 SESSION

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HB 2498 Education Certificate Act; created.

Introduced by: William P. Robinson, Jr. | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Education Certificate Act. Establishes the Education Certificate Act to create a local option voucher system to provide choice in education for children in grades K-12 eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The bill establishes certain parameters for the use of vouchers and places conditions on public and nonsectarian private schools that choose to participate. The measure provides that all public schools participate in the program; specific standards are set forth governing private school participation in the initiative.

Participating schools must execute an agreement with the Board of Education guaranteeing that the participating school will provide a child who is accepted for enrollment, and who presents a certificate, a supplementary tuition payment in an amount sufficient to satisfy any remainder of the participating school's tuition and fees, and an education equivalent to that provided other children attending the school. All or part of the funds for such supplementary tuition payment may be secured from the individual student's personal education account established under the provisions of this article.

Participating private schools must demonstrate that no funds generated through the acceptance of the certificates are used for classes in religious instruction, and in no case shall such funds constitute aid to any church, sect, or religious denomination, or aid in any way any sectarian institution for which the acceptance and use of public funds is prohibited.

The value of a certificate for any student awarded a certificate to attend a participating school shall not be worth less than 80 percent of the basic aid appropriated for the support of public education in the school division. No certificate shall be redeemed for more than the amount of the tuition and fees regularly charged by the participating school for providing educational services.

The measure also includes various provisions addressing a phase-in period for the initiative.


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