Rally denounces proposed Ind. voucher expansion

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of people have rallied at the Indiana Statehouse against a proposed expansion of the state's private school voucher system.

The Tuesday afternoon rally sponsored by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education came a week after similar event by supporters of the voucher expansion.

Indiana PTA president Sharon Wise told the crowd of about 500 people that the proposed expansion was a "massive overstep" that would strip money from traditional public schools.

The Legislature is considering a Republican-backed proposal to expand Indiana's 2-year-old voucher system that already is the nation's largest. A bill already approved by the Indiana House this year would allow kindergartners and some other children to be eligible without first spending a year in public schools.