Ohio House Passes Budget—Continues School Voucher Funding

(Columbus, Ohio,April 30, 2009)  The Ohio House of Representatives approved a budget yesterday that includes continued support for the state’s three school choice scholarship programs: the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, the Autism Scholarship Program, and the Educational Choice (EdChoice) Scholarship Program. The three scholarship programs currently serve over 16,000 students across the state.

“We are pleased with the actions taken by the Ohio House of Representatives to support these important programs that empower so many Ohio parents,” said Chad Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio. “This may never have happened without the efforts of parents across the state who met with legislators, hosted school tours, and wrote letters describing how these educational opportunities had changed their children’s lives. Parents and students have made their voices heard—and the House listened.”

In continuing the Cleveland and EdChoice Scholarship Programs, the House added some provisions that will further strengthen the programs. Students in the Cleveland Scholarship Program will now be required to take the state assessment to determine academic growth and achievement. While EdChoice students already participate in the state assessment, the test results for both the Cleveland and EdChoice Scholarship Programs will now be compiled at the statewide, school district, and private school building level and made available to the public. Finally, parents of students participating in the programs will have access to detailed information about how their child and similar children using the voucher are doing.

“As a proponent of empowering parents to make educational decisions, these changes make perfect sense,” Aldis added. “The new provisions will give parents important information that will help them to find the right school for their child’s needs and will increase the transparency of the scholarship programs.”

About School Choice Ohio
School Choice Ohio (SCO) is committed to the goal of every child in Ohio having access to a quality education. Because this is not yet a reality, the organization works tirelessly to educate both the public and our leaders on the importance of empowering parents to find the best educational setting for the needs of their children. SCO believes that all parents should have the opportunity to choose which school is best for their children, regardless of their income level.