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Ohio School Voucher Program Tops Nation

Posted on: Monday, 11 July 2005, 03:01 CDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio is more than tripling the size of its school voucher program, making it the nation's largest since the practice of using public money for private school tuition was found constitutional three years ago.

The tuition aid, which has been available only in Cleveland since 1996, will allow as many as 14,000 additional pupils statewide to leave schools that persistently fail academic tests and move to private schools, beginning in fall 2006.

"This is a commitment that needed to be made, providing Ohio parents and children with more choices in education," said Karen Tabor, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Jon Husted.

The state's $51 billion budget that Republican Gov. Bob Taft signed Thursday includes funding for 14,000 children. The state will pay $4,250 for pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade and $5,000 for high school students.

Supporters of school choice have worked to set up and expand programs since 2002, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Cleveland's program - which includes religious schools - did not violate the separation of church and state.

Voucher measures in seven states failed this year. In Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada and Texas, lawmakers defeated startup voucher programs or left sessions with the bills stalled. An expansion in Wisconsin and a new program in Arizona were vetoed.

Source: Augusta Chronicle, The

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