For nearly two decades, Ohio’s EdChoice program has unlocked private school options for tens of thousands of students by offering state-funded scholarships.
Some Ohio public schools may be headed for a world of hurt.
The start of a new school year means that big yellow school buses are back on the road. For many, they’re a welcome sign that a familiar routine has resumed. For others, they spark nostalgia. But for district and school administrators across Ohio, the sight of a yellow bus likely spurs stress and concern thanks to widespread bus driver shortages.
In early July, Governor DeWine put the finishing touch on a landmark state budget by signing House Bill 33 into law.
On June 30, the Ohio House and Senate passed the state’s biennial budget bill for FYs 2024–25, and Governor DeWine signed the bill into law on July 3.
The end of our parental education journey is drawing near: Less than a year from now, both of our children will be looking at college graduation.
Since 2005, Ohio has provided state-funded EdChoice scholarships, or vouchers, to help eligible students cover the cost of attending private schools.
In its biennial budget plan for FYs 2024–25, the Senate—as did the House—proposed a hefty increase in K–12 education spending.
To use football parlance, education reform often feels like three yards and a cloud of dust. Yet sometimes the gains are bigger—a long forward pass—and that’s what the Ohio Senate’s final budget bill, which passed the chamber yesterday, would amount to. These are the key proposals in their game plan.
Today, the Ohio Senate unveiled its version of the biennial state budget (Substitute House Bill 33). Among the K-12 education highlights from the upper chamber’s bill include: Increasing accountability for the state education agency to rigorously implement education laws through much-needed governance reforms;
Only one clip today, but it is illustrative beyond its singular presence.
Earlier this week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the state budget bill for FYs 2024 and 2025. The House legislation follows up on Governor DeWine’s budget introduced in February. Included in this massive legislation are hundreds of provisions affecting K–12 education. How did the lower chamber do?
The state budget bill that was passed by the House this week contains a provision that, if enacted, would be a boon to some of Ohio’s most vulnerable children and a vital support to the schools that serve them.
A basic principle of school funding is that dollars ought to follow students to the schools they actually attend. Funds shouldn’t be directed to the schools that children attended last year or the year before. That’s because the schools serving students today bear the responsibility—and costs—of educating them today.
In a series of articles, I’ve been looking at various issues
NOTE: Today, the Ohio House's Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 33, legislation establishing the state’s budget for fis
During his first term, Governor DeWine established a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at helping schools address the non-academic needs of students.
This being a budget year, state lawmakers will soon be delving into the minutia of school funding. To help inform these discussions, we’ve begun a series looking at Ohio’s funding system, including a deep-dive into the new formula that lawmakers enacted in 2021 and which Governor DeWine has proposed to maintain.
Last week, Governor Mike DeWine unveiled his state budget proposal for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
In anticipation of debates about school funding in the coming months, I recently began a series on Ohio’s new school funding formula.
In summer 2021, Ohio lawmakers passed a brand-new school funding formula for Ohio’s 600-plus school districts and 300-plus public charter schools.
Over the last few years, the federal government has sent billions of dollars in emergency funding to states via several relief packages aimed at addressing the impacts of Covid-19.
As the excitement of a new year dwindles and Ohioans settle back into their familiar routines, policymakers and advocates are gearing up for yet another budget season. Governor DeWine is scheduled to release his proposed biennial state operating budget in just a few short weeks, and by June, a host of new legislative provisions will likely become law.
Try saying it with us: “Choice and competition are good.” Don’t take our word alone. On the left, President Joe Biden said:
This report explores the impacts of Ohio’s EdChoice program on school district enrollments, finances, and educational outcomes. The study includes detailed analyses of the state’s “performance-based” EdChoice program that, as of 2021–22 provides vouchers to approximately 35,000 students as well as its “income-based” EdChoice program which serves approximately 20,000 low-income students.
First launched in fall 2007, Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program served more than 55,000 students in 2021-22. The program offers state-funded scholarships to eligible students and allows them to attend a private school.
Sylvia Allegretto and her colleagues at the union-backed Economic Policy Institute (EPI) have been arguing for over eighteen years that teachers are underpaid. Her latest in a long line of reports on the topic was published in August and follows the same methodology as all previous versions.
Recognizing the importance of an educated citizenry, Ohio taxpayers have made generous investments in K–12 education. In FY 2021, statewide spending on public primary and secondary education reached a record high of $21 billion or $13,300 per pupil.
Thanks to inflation and supply chain issues, back-to-school shopping was an especially tight squeeze for many families this year. But parents aren’t the only ones shouldering the financial burden. Teachers are, too.
Persistent school choice critic Steve Dyer recently posted a “takedown” of Fordham’s latest school choice policy recommendations.
