Springfield Superintendent Bob Hill bemoans the EdChoice money that city schools “lost,” but students transferring to EdChoice-eligible schools means that city schools are educating fewer children, and “revenue per pupil,” which is total tax dollars devoted to public education per student, is approximately $17,500 in Springfield, $26,200 in Dayton, and $16,200 state-wide. The EdChoice voucher is a maximum of $5,550 per K-8 student and $7,500 per 9-12 student. The educational system, taxpayers, are clearly saving money with EdChoice, not losing money.
Superintendent Hill also repeats a common misperception that private schools “send back the students with disabilities or students that do not meet their preconceived mold or are difficult to serve.” Springfield private schools, like most state-wide, are underutilized and generally take all applicants, and Ohio has wisely addressed the extraordinary needs of students with disabilities with the targeted Autism Scholarship and Peterson Special Needs programs.
Wealthy parents have always been able to choose their child’s education; the EdChoice program provides modest financial assistance such that struggling families also have educational alternatives. These struggling families are usually the same whose ZIP code would otherwise lock them into a public school that fails to educate, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Quality education is the key to a better future and is not limited to public education.
Chris Wilson is founder and trustee of the Wilson Sheehan Foundation.
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