Latest news with #EdChoice-Exp
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio voucher program: Data shows nearly 90% of participants are not low-income
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — State data shows nearly 90% of students enrolled in Ohio's voucher program this year are not low-income qualified, a dramatic turnabout from the program's stated initial purpose. Ohio's K-12 voucher program has made headlines recently as lawmakers consider trimming millions in state funds for public schools while expanding funds for state vouchers. Ohio offers five voucher programs, which provide state scholarships for students to attend private school. Of them, EdChoice and EdChoice Expansion have the largest participation by far. The EdChoice program began to help low-income students in struggling districts, but the EdChoice-Exp program made it so any Ohio student could get at least a partial scholarship, regardless of income. The expansion rapidly increased scholarship enrollment, but most of the recipients are not low-income eligible. See previous coverage of vouchers in the video player above. Tax credit would help fund Ohioans with young children According to state data, fewer EdChoice and EdChoice-Exp participants qualified as low-income this school year when compared to last. Further, according to a report from the General Assembly, 17% of EdChoice-Exp scholarships go to the state's top earners, all making more than $200,000 per year. This means the third-largest percentile of scholarship participants are among the top 8.4% wealthiest households in Ohio. Wealthy recipients receive less state money, so payments to top tax bracket participants only made up 3% of all voucher payments, $11 million. Proponents of scholarships say helping low-income students isn't the only goal of vouchers. Statehouse leaders call free school lunch programs 'wasteful' 'This is about more than economic need. This is about providing all families with a choice and flexibility in education,' Donovan O'Neil, director of Ohio's chapter of Americans For Prosperity, said. Scholarship participation skyrocketed once universal vouchers were implemented. However, private school enrollment did not follow the same trend, indicating that many of the students who embraced universal scholarships were already affording private school beforehand. Many Democratic lawmakers, public school advocates and teachers' unions point to state data like this to say vouchers no longer help low-income students and instead defer money from public schools. 'Ohioans deserve to live in a state where everyone can succeed. That means fully and fairly funding public schools rather than handing out vouchers to private or unregulated charter schools,' State Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin) said. Fact check: Has legal cannabis increased crime in Ohio? Vouchers also cannot help all Ohio students. Eight counties — Carroll, Champaign, Hardin, Holmes, Meigs, Morgan, Noble and Vinton — have no eligible EdChoice voucher schools, representing around 35,000 students, according to U.S. Census data. Comparatively, there are only 21,184 low-income eligible EdChoice and EdChoice-Exp students this school year. 'There is a lack of supply of schools that accept these dollars, especially in rural communities,' O'Neil said. 'Maybe the numbers aren't capturing lower-income families in rural areas simply because the option is not available.' Nearly 1 million students are participating in the EdChoice-Exp voucher program this school year. Ohio lawmakers will continue to debate school funding budget choices in the House, then the Senate before implementation this summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Sen. Jon Husted has backed Ohio school choice and religious education programs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Within two minutes of Jon Husted accepting Gov. Mike DeWine's appointment to the U.S. Senate, he spoke of education. 'One of the first bills I introduced was a bill focused on school choice,' said Husted, a former state legislator who served as DeWine's lieutenant governor. 'And I remember thinking, 'Who could possibly be against having the opportunity to give kids in failing schools a chance for a better education?' And well, I quickly learned the hard truth that there were plenty of people and special interests that would fight against it.' Husted spoke of Ohio's EdChoice voucher program, which allows qualifying students to attend private school using state-funded scholarships. The voucher program is one of several educational programs Husted has supported that have received the pushback he mentioned while agreeing to serve out Vice President J.D. Vance's Senate term through 2026. Watch Husted agree to the term in the video player above. Ohio lawmakers tackling higher education with new bill Ohio's newest senator has been intertwined with multiple educational programs that opponents say defy the separation of church and state. Husted, and fellow proponents of EdChoice, charter schools and programs allowing religious education during the school day, argue these provide parents a choice in their students' education and a chance to embrace religion. EdChoice was introduced to Ohio in 2005 under Husted, who was serving as Speaker of the Ohio House. The pilot EdChoice program was included in the 2005 General Assembly's biennial budget bill and required first-time awardees to students at or below 200% of the poverty level or in a school that has been designated as being in a state of academic emergency for three years. The voucher program has expanded dramatically after legislators introduced EdChoice-Exp, which allows any student, regardless of income or school district, to receive a state-sponsored voucher. After this expansion, the program became the subject of a lawsuit alleging the program harms public schools. Husted, who lives in Upper Arlington, addressed Upper Arlington schools when they joined the lawsuit, writing that most families on the EdChoice scholarship were lower income families and said Upper Arlington's involvement would waste taxpayer dollars. In 2024, more than 300 Upper Arlington students were on EdChoice-Exp but just 24 qualified as low income. According to the U.S. Census, the median income in Upper Arlington is $150,993, meaning many students may not be eligible for EdChoice. Ohio lawmakers discuss immigration after executive order In Husted's advocacy for EdChoice and the charter schools that the program works with, he was connected to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, the online charter school found to have taken more than $117 million in state dollars. ECOT students were reportedly paid to attend graduation and take state tests to get funding. In at least 2001 and 2002, the graduation ceremony took place at the Ohio Statehouse, an honor not bestowed to any other graduation. Husted was ECOT's commencement speaker in 2007 and 2003 and was its first and only 'honorary graduate.' He was not the only noteworthy conservative speaker, along with current Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, former presidential candidate Jeb Bush, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and television host Tucker Carlson. Husted also received at least $27,500 in political donations from ECOT from 2002 to 2007. According to the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Husted and DeWine jointly received an additional $52,517 after 2010. Husted is also closely associated with LifeWise, one of the largest religious release programs in the nation. In 2022 and 2023, Husted and the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted a series of roundtable meetings across the state featuring LifeWise Academy, which is based in Hilliard. Husted reached out to local districts and invited them to join him and LifeWise CEO and founder Joel Penton. NBC4 obtained a copy of one of these email invitations. 'I will be hosting a small, private, closed to press roundtable with local leaders in education and the non-profit community to discuss a growing movement to provide faith-based character development during school hours and off school property called 'release time,'' the email, sent to educators in Lorain County, said. 'I know how much educators and administrators have on their plates, so my intention is to create a forum for leaders to quickly learn more about this growing trend.' Trump order may spur Ohio death penalty debate In recent years, LifeWise has become politicized. Opponents of LifeWise say the program takes away from the school day and pressures students to participate in teachings. Those in favor of LifeWise and release-time programs welcome it as an opportunity to incorporate religion into students' lives. Husted completed the statewide tour promoting LifeWise in his official capacity but said it wasn't political. 'When I do something publicly, it seems like it's political. This isn't political. This is about kids in the community,' Husted said during a meeting promoted by LifeWise. 'I am here as a lieutenant governor. Sure, the governor's office of faith-based initiatives is behind us, but it's not about me. It's about the responsibility we have as Christians and as citizens to educate our children and to share the message of Jesus.' Husted has repeatedly voiced support for LifeWise since, and he and Penton have maintained at least somewhat of a relationship. Penton and Husted were present for the signing of House Bill 8, known as the 'Parents Bill of Rights.' Husted was sworn into the Senate last week, where he will serve until at least January 2027. In November 2026, he would have to run in a special election, with the winner serving out the rest of Vance's term, ending in 2028. It is unknown who will replace him as lieutenant governor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
