Indiana Choice Scholarship Voucher Program Information

Significant changes in the Indiana School Choice (Voucher) Law make many more families eligible for either a Choice Scholarship or a grant from a Scholarship Granting Organization.  The state estimates that 90% of families may qualify under the new income guidelines.

The new law expands the guidelines to include a larger number of our current and future students. We now have the possibility of helping more of our families continue Catholic education for their students.  Please carefully review the changes to see if your family or other families you may know meet the new guidelines.

Scholarship Granting Organization-“SGO”
A Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) is a state-approved organization that may receive private donations from individuals or corporations for the purpose of giving scholarships to individual students who meet income requirements. These scholarships are referred to as “SGOs”. If a child’s family income meets the income eligibility requirements as outlined in the fourth (far right hand) column of the Income Eligibility Guidelines section of this newsletter, they can receive a $500 SGO for one year. If the family then meets the Choice Scholarship (voucher) requirements, they will qualify for the voucher and each subsequent year they meet the voucher requirements. In short, a $500 SGO this year can qualify a child for Choice Scholarships (vouchers) for the remainder of their high school career, with significant financial savings on tuition.

Eligibility Guidelines – SGO

If you are a current Pope John XXIII or Shawe family who has not already qualified for an SGO or voucher and meets the current year income guidelines, you may qualify for an SGO scholarship award of $500. Then next year, all children in the family can qualify (under the sibling rule) for a School Choice Scholarship voucher if the family meets the income guidelines for the voucher.

Choice Scholarship-“voucher”

If a family meets income requirements as outlined, the Income Eligibility Guideline document of this letter, the parents may designate that the state public funding assigned to their child will follow their child to an accredited non-public school.  Some people refer to Choice Scholarships as “vouchers.” For more information regarding school vouchers see the DOE guidelines at http://www.doe.in.gov/choice

Eligibility for a Choice Scholarship (voucher)

  • Your child may be eligible for a Choice Scholarship voucher if you meet any one of the following criteria:
  • your child received a voucher and your family continues to meet the income guidelines
  • your child will be an incoming student at Prince of Peace and your child spent the previous two semesters in an Indiana    public school, and your family meets the income guidelines

Additional Eligibility Guidelines for Choice Scholarship

(other ways to qualify for a voucher)

  • your child is currently a student at Prince of Peace and has a sibling who received either a voucher or an SGO award last year/previous year, and your family meets the income qualification guidelines
  • For example: If a grade school student received a voucher in a previous year and has an older sibling at Prince of Peace, the older sibling would be voucher eligible.
  • your child attends or would attend a public school with an “F” ranking from the Indiana Department of Education, and your family meets the income qualification guidelines. To determine if your local public school has received an “F” ranking see www.doe.in.gov
  • If your child has an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and meets the income guidelines listed below. An IEP is only developed for students who have designated learning disabilities.
  • The voucher eligibility of children of divorced or separated parents is determined by using the income of the parent who has shared legal custody of that child.  The school can use the lowest income possible to benefit the child/family.
  • For more household income guidelines please visit this link.
Income Eligibility Guidelines for 2022-2023

 

If you think you qualify under the criteria listed above and meet the income guidelines, please contact Phil Kahn at poppresident@popeace.org  or by calling 812.273.5835 ext: 245