On Feb. 15, the House Finance Committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 290, the "Backpack Bill." This legislation would create a statewide voucher system, with amounts of $5,500 per K-8 student and $7,500 per pupil for a high school student.
Preliminary estimates by OEPI indicate that the HB 290 Backpack voucher program would cost more than $1 billion annually just for those students currently home-schooled and attending private schools.
The bill sponsors, Rep. McClain and Rep. John, highlighted a visit to a private school during their testimony. We also want the bill sponsors and all legislators to have experiences in their public schools. If you haven’t already, please reach out to your Senator and House Representative to schedule a visit to your school district for April.
Click here to watch the full recorded hearing.