A New Hampshire bill that would have established a statewide voucher program at a staggering cost of $100 million per year has been put on hold for now.
The think tank Reaching Higher found that the bill, H.B. 20, could cost the state $100 million annually because the measure would pay for both private education and home schooling.
The high price tag apparently gave members of the state House of Representatives pause, and they put the bill off until next year.
The measure called for establishing a system of “Education Freedom Accounts,” a euphemism for vouchers. The accounts would have an average value of $4,600 but could climb as high as $8,000. The vouchers could be used to pay for private school tuition or home schooling.
A similar situation played out in West Virginia recently. There, Republican legislators pulled back on a voucher bill after learning it might cost more than $100 million per year. The bill was sent back to a committee for more study but later resurfaced with the vouchers reduced from $4,600 to $3,000, and is expected to become law.
