Smith denounces universal vouchers as data shows program benefiting wealthier families

New data revealed last week that, for the first time, Indiana gave more private school vouchers to families earning more than $100,000 per year than to families earning less than $100,000. In all, Indiana’s voucher program cost Hoosier taxpayers $548 million last year. Indiana’s median household income is $71,957. In 2025, the Republican supermajority voted to remove the maximum income cap for voucher eligibility, effective July of this year.

State Rep. Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary) released the following statement:

“My Democratic colleagues and I warned that this is exactly where universal vouchers could lead. Now, we have the data to prove it.

“The General Assembly approved Indiana’s voucher program in 2011 as a lifeline for disadvantaged children who were underperforming in their assigned schools. Today, more of those vouchers go to families who never needed the help than to the students the program was supposedly built to serve.

“My constituents and families across the state believe their own government is neglecting public schools and the children in them. We are not doing right by our students, nor are we doing right by Hoosier taxpayers by diverting public school funding to wealthy families who can already afford private school. This is an egregious misuse of public funds.

“If my 59 years as an educator taught me anything, it is what a school needs to succeed. I assure you, the Republican supermajority isn’t meeting those needs. This is not smart governance; it is not conservative governance, and it certainly is not fair.”