Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
E-mail 
E-mail Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2011 > April > 18 > Entry
Private school vouchers quadruple in Kasich plan
The number of tuition vouchers parents could use to move their children from chronically low-performing public schools to private schools would quadruple under Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget.
The state is approaching the mandated 14,000 cap on vouchers, with 13,062 students already enrolled in the program this school year.
The number of publicly funded vouchers would expand to 30,000 next year and 60,000 students by 2013 under the governor’s plan.
School choice proponents say the expansion would give more parents options; opponents argue it will hurt public school districts by draining more funding and students from there. Dayton Public Schools has lost $30 million since Ohio started using vouchers in 2006. About 1,636 former Dayton Public students are now using vouchers.
Dayton residents Jeffrey and Ilisha Schwartz got involved in the program in 2008 because they were unhappy with the district. Today, their two children attend Mother Brunner Catholic School in Trotwood, which has 250 voucher-users — more than any other school in the area.
“I think we did the best thing we could do for our children,” Ilisha Schwartz said.
Bills focus on expanding school voucher program in Ohio
More than 1,700 students in the Dayton area use private school vouchers to opt out of attending public schools designated as “academic watch” or “academic emergency” for two of the past three years.
In the Dayton area, there are 27 schools in the Dayton Public, Jefferson Twp. Local and Trotwood-Madison City school districts that meet the criteria.
Students can use the vouchers to attend 23 private schools in Montgomery County that are registered to participate in the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program, commonly known as EdChoice.
State lawmakers have spent recent weeks hearing testimony on two separate bills that would expand the program in Ohio, including the governor’s budget proposal that would raise the number to 60,000 available vouchers by 2013.
Under Gov. John Kasich’s proposal, the amount deducted from school districts for EdChoice scholarships would be reduced from $5,200 to the actual amount paid for the scholarship or a maximum of $4,250 for grades K-8 and $5,000 for grades 9-12. Additional eligibility criteria using Performance Index rankings would be added that will likely increase the number of eligible students, according to the Ohio Department of Education.
House Bill 136, introduced in March by state Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, would create two new statewide voucher programs — one for K-12 students that would replace the EdChoice and Cleveland scholarship programs, and another for special education students. “We’re not opposed to choice but we do believe private schools should not be paid for with public money,” said Damon Asbury, director of legislative services for the Ohio School Boards Association in Columbus, which gave joint opposition testimony with seven other groups, including the Ohio Education Association and American Federation of Teachers unions. “We believe the focus of the General Assembly’s attention should be on children in the public school system of Ohio,” Asbury said. He believes the state should work on improving public education by putting the necessary resources into the system, not “outsourcing” it to private schools.
But Chad Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio, which supports expanding the voucher program, disagrees.
“The dollars we spend on education are to educate the kids,” he said. “Our position is the money should follow the child to where the parents believe they can get the best education.” In Montgomery County, Trotwood’s Mother Brunner Catholic School — the result of a merger last year between Precious Blood School and St. Rita, which closed in June after years of declining enrollment and financial pressures — tops the list with 250 voucher-users. That’s where Jeffrey and Ilisha Schwartz of Dayton decided to send their two children, Xavier, 12, and Sydney, 7.
“We kind of got fed up with Dayton Public Schools, to be honest with you,” she said.
A long waiting list had prevented them from enrolling their son in 2008 at a different district school they wanted him to attend so they used a voucher to make the public-to-private school leap.
They’re happy with their decision and are grateful vouchers were available to give them that choice, she said.
The vouchers cover their tuition but the family has to pay for uniforms and supplies, she noted.
The state’s current school voucher program, which began in 2006, almost reached its student enrollment cap during the 2010-11 school year. It is expected to reach the mandated 14,000 enrollment cap with the latest enrollment period for the 2011-12 school year that ended at midnight Friday. Those numbers are expected to be released next week, Aldis said.
A complete list of private schools eligible to accept EdChoice scholarship recipients and a list of the chronically underperforming public schools can be found online at www.scohio.org.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Private school vouchers
Tweet
Comments
By Eric Spain
May 16, 2011 9:37 PM | Link to this
Most ohio public schools are failing. I can only speak for my district as I don’t know much about the others. But what I have found out on how they run on the local level. They should be investigated by the state. I can’t belive what I found out investigating them. These kids will be out looking for jobs with this kind of education??? Thank God Gov. Kasich is giving us a way out!
By not an entitlement
April 20, 2011 10:25 AM | Link to this
You are not entitled to a private school education. The state provides a public education period. If you don’t like it, get off of your butt and join the PTA. Schools welcome parental involvement. Firing teachers and lowering their pay across the board means that we also cannot afford vouchers. Where is the consistency? I went to private schools, and my parents never received vouchers. These schools can cost $5K per child per year or more. And obviously, not everyone can afford that, so you’re doing more damage by draining the public school system.
By lucifer sam
April 20, 2011 10:21 AM | Link to this
All education dollars should be put into a single fund which would be evenly distributed to all schools based only on the number of students. Funding schools with local property taxes is unconstitutional and only promotes inequality.
By karon
April 19, 2011 7:24 PM | Link to this
By null, remember cheap oil created the suburbs and exburbs. With gas prices rising more people will be moving more toward the city and city schools will once again become stronger!
By Ashley
April 19, 2011 2:55 PM | Link to this
I went to a private school my entire life. I can most definitely say that the education I got, as well as the level of intelligence I now possess because of that education, far surpasses most of the kids who went to public schools in Dayton. I’m not saying that in a downgrading manner either, just stating a fact. My parents paid mine and my brothers way through private schools, and easily paid WELL over $50,000 in tuition. My sister now has a voucher, which I see nothing wrong with. My parents paid so much money into the private school system, that they more than deserve a voucher. Many, many, families that have put their older children through private schools are getting vouchers, and their children APPRECIATE the education they are getting. The others getting vouchers just ‘cuz it’s free’ are the ones that concern me. The voucher kids started rearing their heads the year before I graduated, and all the sudden the school atmosphere was completely ridiculous. Security cameras had to be installed, countless fights broke out in the hallways/lunch room, and there was an immense increase in the disruptions in class. These kids were pushed through a school system that was pathetic.. no control, no consequences, no learning. It pissed me off to constantly see the ghetto, foul behavior we had to tolerate because ‘they deserve a chance too’. BULLSHIT. They want ‘what they gots comin to em’ and since we’re handing these vouchers out, that’s just something else they can stick their dirty little hands in the pot to grab.
By School supporter
April 19, 2011 2:28 PM | Link to this
Kasich is a joke. Abolish the unions to save money then gives all of his staff a raise. He is self-serving and could care less about kids and the thousands of tax-paying citizens called teachers!
By null
April 19, 2011 12:06 PM | Link to this
I think you’ve got it backwards karon. The charter schools that I’m aware of will take most any student who can pay. It’s the parent who cares about education that strips the public schools of higher quality students. The parents who don’t care are disengaged and don’t seem to care if the children are learning, they don’t seem to care if the school is teaching. Those parents who take no responsibility in a child’s education are the true problem. If you take my voucher away’ my city tax dollars will flee the city to provide a brighter future for my child.
By Alleycat
April 19, 2011 4:31 AM | Link to this
Vouchers are the solution to a budgetary problem and take us one step closer to abolishing the dept of education, a mega billions of dollars saver.
By Paul
April 19, 2011 12:01 AM | Link to this
Our unionized public school system has failed us. The liberal influence from kindergarten through college is a recipe for failure.
By @Judi
April 18, 2011 9:57 PM | Link to this
Good idea to gut the educational system! Then we can eliminate unions so Ohio won’t be broke anymore.Vouchers are the answer. Finally a governor who can see the light at the end of the tunnel.Eliminate the entire dept. of education.
By Big Jack
April 18, 2011 6:32 PM | Link to this
If parents are required by law to put their kids in school, and the government has decided to pay for it, the least they can do is give the parents a worthy choice. Besides, we taxpayers get more for our money as well when kids are better educated. So many parents don’t have the means to pay tuition and most don’t have the option to homeschool. The voucher system at least gives them something besides a dead-end government school.
By Ohiogal
April 18, 2011 4:58 PM | Link to this
Judi; I don’t care WHO runs them as long as the kids get a decent education and can read and write and add/subtract without a calculator when they “graduate”. There’s nothing wrong with renovating the public school system, its not working now, has not worked for some time that well, and needs a CHANGE. I don’t care if it takes a company/corporation to come in and get a handle on the unions and the excessive taxation the homeowners are facing with dismal results to show for it!
By JUDI
April 18, 2011 2:40 PM | Link to this
Yes, let’s privatize schools…take government funds and give them to church sponsored organizations, or to some big corporation who probably also gets a cut of this. sor of like Kasich’s job program or liquor board ideas. Gut the educational system: no money, no improvements. When the Repubs are through, everything will be run by churches or big business.
By Squirrellygirl
April 18, 2011 2:13 PM | Link to this
I went to public schools my entire life. I sent my daughter to private schools when I was able to, when I could afford it. With the indoctrination of socialism in our public schools, parents want to make sure their children get a proper balance of education without the “America is evil” indoctrination, and teaching the 10 commandments never hurt anyone.
By Ohiogal
April 18, 2011 1:13 PM | Link to this
�The dollars we spend on education are to educate the kids,� he said. �Our position is the money should follow the child to where the parents believe they can get the best education.� I completely agree with this. The schools that are bad are still churning out kids that can’t read and write, so why not dismantle them and send the kids to a better educational program? Its time we identify the problems and put an end to the K-12 issues on poor quality education. Throwing good money after bad is not the solution, making school administrators accountable (even by removing funding) is the best way to invoke change in the entrenched system we have that we call “public education”.
By karon
April 18, 2011 12:14 PM | Link to this
These charter schools only pick the top students, then they can say that these schools are much better than public schools!