FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2011

Contact: Pam Benigno, Education Policy Center Director

303-279-6536, pam@i2i.org

Local Board Adopts Private School Choice

Program
Institute: Douglas County Vote “Milestone for Educational
Freedom”
GOLDEN, Colo.—The Independence Institute, Colorado’s leading voice for free
market policy, lauds a landmark local school board vote enabling parents to opt for
private schools with public funds.
On Tuesday night the Douglas County R-1 Board of Education unanimously
approved a wide-ranging set of reforms that expand school choice, including the
adoption of a groundbreaking program that will provide publicly-funded “choice
scholarships” to cover or defray private school tuition.
“Today is a milestone for educational freedom,” said Pam Benigno, director of the
Institute’s Education Policy Center. “Our hats are off to Douglas County for following
through on a bold vision to empower more families with genuine learning options.”
Along with a number of local community members and school leaders, Benigno
and senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow have served on the district's School
Choice Task Force since June 2010.
Tuesday’s vote is believed to represent the first local Board-initiated private school
choice program in the United States. Also, unlike most states that have adopted
vouchers or tuition tax credits, eligibility is not limited by student ability or family
income.
The maximum scholarship value is estimated to be about $4,575 for the coming
school year, based on 75 percent of Douglas County’s expected per-pupil revenue (PPR).
The district will retain the remaining 25 percent ($1,525) to administer the program and
to provide additional revenue. To be eligible to receive student scholarship funding,
“partner” private schools must agree to limited terms. The choice program will start as a
pilot during the 2011-12 school year, serving 500 departing district students who opt to
participate.
“This district board has broken barriers and set a new standard for promoting
parental choice,” Benigno said.
More than 61,000 students currently are enrolled in Douglas County R-1, located
between Denver and Colorado Springs, the third largest school district in Colorado.
The Independence Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy research
organization based in Golden, Colo.
###
13952 Denver West Parkway, Suite 400 · Golden, CO 80401 ·
www.independenceinstitute.org