A Republican proposal would allow failing private and religious schools an appeal process to keep receiving publicly funded vouchers to pay student tuition.

The Indiana House of Representatives passed their version of preschool expansion Tuesday but not without concerns about links to private school vouchers.

What's happening in education at the Indiana Statehouse?

Proposed legislation to expand the state's publicly funded preschool program is tangled up in the ongoing feud over private school vouchers.

The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University compared school voucher programs in Indiana, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Louisiana, Ohio and Wisconsin - all places with a similar voucher program.

The state spent $131.5 million in scholarships this year, which is $18 million more than last school year.

After five years of rapid growth, the number of students attending private school using public funds appears to be plateauing in Indiana. This year, the state's voucher program grew by 12 percent, the smallest bump since it launched in 2011.

The number of Indiana students receiving school vouchers has grown by 47 percent this school year to more than 29,000, according to the Indiana Department of Education annual report.

Gov. Mike Pence has called on the Indiana General Assembly to make education a major focus of this year's current session. To help explain the legislative issues, 90.1 WFYI's Eric Weddle and Christopher Ayers will discuss a related topic Fridays during "Morning Edition" the next several weeks. This week, Chris and Eric discuss Indiana's school voucher programs and Governor Pence's proposal to lift the $4,800 choice scholarship cap for grades 1-8.