Ohio parents could get more taxpayer money to help send their schoolchildren to private and religious schools, or fund homeschooling, under changes to a voucher program that must soon be hammered out.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio parents could soon see more taxpayer money in their pockets to help send their schoolchildren to private and religious schools, or fund homeschooling, under changes to a voucher program that Republican state lawmakers and the governor must hammer out by month’s end.
More than 60,000 students use EdChoice as of 2023 at an annual cost of nearly $350 million, according to Ohio's Office of Budget and Management.In January, via his version of the state budget, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine announced a proposal to increase income eligibility for vouchers to those at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $111,000 for a family of four.
The House bill would further extend the vouchers to unregulated, non-chartered private schools and homeschooled students.The budget office estimates that DeWine's proposal would add $50 million to the current program's cost of nearly $700 million over the next two years. But the House bill could cost a whopping $1.13 billion annually, the commission estimates. That figure includes more than 185,000 students already attending private schools or being homeschooled, but not those in public schools.
Opponents, including Democrats and teachers' unions, fear that as more state money is directed to private schools, less will be available to support the public schools that serve about 80% of Ohio's children.
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