On June 30, 2011, Governor John Kasich signed the state budget into law and finalized the creation of the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program. After five years of advocating for this program, parents of students with special needs now have new options for their children's education. This scholarship places students' needs at the center of their education and empowers parents with options.
Students with disabilities require options tailored to their special needs and the scholarship gives parents the chance to find the education setting that is most appropriate for their child. Rather than having to fight through a lengthy legal process to secure the services their child needs when their public school isn't working, families will be able to direct part of the tax dollars already set aside for their child's education to the school of their choice.
Named for special education advocate and former Representative Jon Peterson, the program will build on the success of the state's Autism Scholarship Program by providing a scholarship to any student with special needs who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
The program will be administered by the Ohio Department of Education and is expected to begin in the 2012-13 school year. While many of the details are still being worked out, below is the most up-to-date information about the program. School Choice Ohio will update this page as new information becomes available. You can also sign up below to receive updates on the program.
What expenses will the scholarship cover?
Families will be able to use the scholarship to pay for tuition at private schools that offer special education services and for additional services at private therapists and other service providers. In addition, this scholarship can be used at other public providers (i.e. school districts) if the district chooses to accept the scholarship students.
Which students are eligible?
Students in K-12 who have a finalized IEP from their home public school district
Current private school families are eligible as long as they have a finalized IEP (not a service plan or 504)
How do I apply for the scholarship program?
Beginning in 2012, there will be two separate application periods each year with deadlines of April 15 for August enrollment and November 15 for January enrollment. The Department of Education will need to determine the details of the application process, and School Choice Ohio will post the application information as soon as it becomes available.
What private schools will accept the scholarship?
All private schools and service providers will have to be approved by the Ohio Department of Education. When that is finalized, School Choice Ohio will post it on our website. Typically, both mainstream private schools that offer special education services and private schools that specialize in serving students with special needs will sign up to participate.
How many scholarships will be available?
The number of scholarships available is capped at five percent of the students with special needs in the state. Ohio has approximately 235,000 students with an IEP, which means around 11,750 scholarships will be available.
How will each scholarship amount be determined?
Each scholarship will be worth 90 percent of the student's special education funding amount, with a cap of $20,000. See the funding chart below for the amount for each category of disability.
| Special Education Category |
Scholarship Funding per Student |
Number of Ohio Students in Category |
| 1 – Speech |
$7,196 |
21,554 |
| 2 – Learning Disability |
$7,608 |
163,611 |
| 3 – Hearing or Vision Impaired |
$14,832 |
20,730 |
| 4 – Major Health Impairments |
$17,902 |
2,178 |
| 5 – Multi-handicapped |
$20,000 |
12,289 |
| 6 – Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hearing and Vision Impaired |
$20,000 |
15,096 |
What is required of private schools to participate in the scholarship?
Have a licensed special educator on staff
Register through ODE’s online application (which will launch in early January)
Create fee structures for the different services and subcontractors
Develop a process to coordinate services provided in-house and off-site
Create and submit quarterly progress reports for each scholarship recipient
Administer all state assessments to scholarship recipients (tests are provided free)
Is there any research on the effectiveness and impact of special needs scholarship programs?
In 2003, Dr. Jay Greene and Dr. Greg Forster released the first report on the effect of Florida's special needs scholarship program. In 2008, Dr. Greene and Marcus Winters of the University of Arkansas released a study analyzing special needs scholarships and their impact on public school achievement.
Click here for a research brief that highlights the findings from both studies.
Additional Information
Do you have questions or want more information? Do you want to stay informed on the progress of this program and be notified once applications are being accepted? Would you share your story of how this scholarship will help your family? Enter your information below, and we will keep you updated.
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Thank you for taking this opportunity to tell us why you believe a special needs scholarship is needed for Ohio's families. Your story could make all the difference.
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