The three state senators representing Lancaster County voted Wednesday for a bill that would implement a state-funded voucher program in Pennsylvania next year.

But their counterparts in the House aren't ready to endorse the controversial legislation.

Senate Bill 1 was approved Wednesday night by a 27-22 vote of the full Senate following four hours of debate.

Mike Brubaker of Lititz, Lloyd Smucker of West Lampeter and Mike Folmer of Lebanon, all Republican senators, voted for the legislation, which faces a tougher path to approval in the House.

Democratic State Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster city said he will vote "no" on the House version of the bill, but his Republican colleagues in the House were noncommittal.

Sturla opposes vouchers, he said, because they would divert state funding from struggling public schools and subsidize private and parochial schools in violation of the Constitution.

He's also concerned about the potential high cost of a voucher program.

Voucher supporters say the legislation would provide relief to poor students trapped in mediocre public schools.

SB 1 would give "opportunity scholarships" to students attending 143 schools — including two in Lancaster County — that are among the 5 percent lowest-performers in the state, based on their students' PSSA math and reading scores.

In School District of Lancaster, vouchers would be offered next year to students attending Hand Middle School or Phoenix Academy. They would total $6,328 per student for families of four earning up to $29,000 a year and $4,746 for families earning $29,000 to $41,000 per year.

In the following year, vouchers would be offered to any student living within the attendance area of the lowest-performing schools, meaning all SDL students that meet the income guidelines would qualify.

More than 77 percent of SDL students are considered economically disadvantaged, based on the same income criteria used in SB 1, but the district could not confirm how many of its students would qualify for vouchers.

Republican House members from Lancaster County expressed support for the intent of the legislation, which also would increase tax credits for businesses that contribute to scholarship funds and revise the state's charter schools law.

SB 1 would increase state scrutiny of charter school operators while making it easier for new charter schools to open and expand.

State Rep. Dave Hickernell of West Donegal Township, in an email, said he supports "education choice and providing parents with as many options as possible when it comes to the education of their children."

But because he was not able to fully digest the 166-page bill, Hickernell said, "I am unable to comment on specific provisions of Senate Bill 1 or say how I would vote on SB 1 as passed by the Senate."

State Rep. Ryan Aument of Landisville had a similar response.

While he supports Gov. Tom Corbett's education agenda, which includes vouchers, Aument said he is not yet prepared to endorse Senate Bill 1.

State Rep. Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom said he also supports school reform efforts, but he has concerns about the voucher proposal.

Before he can support it, Cutler said in an email, he wants to assure the bill won't allow private schools to "cherry pick" academically or athletically talented students or restrict access for special-education students transferring from public schools.

He's also concerned about whether private schools will be held accountable for the students they enroll with vouchers.

Corbett has not said whether he would sign SB 1, in its current form, into law, and House Republican leaders have made no promises on delivering the votes needed to pass the legislation, which would mainly benefit students at schools in Philadelphia and other urban districts largely represented by Democrats.

The cost of the legislation is another potential stumbling block.

The Senate Appropriations Committee projected SB 1 would cost about $43 million next year and increase to $94 million in 2015-16, when the program would expand to include any school where 50 percent or fewer students are proficient in math or reading.

Democratic lawmakers have claimed the actual cost may be much higher, perhaps as high as $200 million, when SB 1 is fully implemented.

The added expense of the vouchers would be offset by reductions in state aid to failing schools that award the "opportunity scholarships."

Voucher opponents say those cuts in aid will shortchange schools that rely heavily on state funding, hurting more students than the small number that might be helped by vouchers.

According to the Appropriations Committee analysis, about 2,200 students would get vouchers in the first year and 13,600 would receive them in the fourth year.

But supporters of SB 1 say the state has wasted enough money on underperforming schools and believe vouchers will spur all schools, public and private, to become more competitive.

"As a parent, why can't I have a choice in how my child — not the state's child, not the school's child — is educated?" Folmer said.

"I don't consider this dismantling public education. I look at this as an opportunity for public education to improve."

bwallace@lnpnews.com