Unlike charter schools, full-scale voucher proposals to allow state money to follow students into private and parochial schools have not received bipartisan support. No state has passed a statewide voucher amendment, although the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico did so in 1993. That program was challenged and struck down as unconstitutional in April 1994, but the case is being appealed. Milwaukee, Wisconsin has implemented a voucher program that is limited to low-income families and restricts the number of students who can take part. Most state constitutions forbid any support of private institutions, so implementing vouchers would require the legislature or voters to amend the state constitution. California's ballot initiative in 1993 and Colorado's in 1992 both were defeated overwhelmingly.
See also "The
Vouchers Are Coming," "Bipartisan
Charter Schools," and "Choice - Vouchers
and Privatization," by Chris Pipho.