Tag Archives: school vouchers

Tax Credit Scholarship Program reintroduced with bipartisan support

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On May 7, Representatives Andrew Brenner (R – Powell) and Bill Patmon (D – Cleveland) reintroduced legislation that would create a Tax Credit Scholarship Program for Ohio’s kids. House Bill 158 was introduced with 15 bipartisan co-sponsors, and it is currently awaiting discussion in the Ohio House Education Committee.

Under the proposal, individuals, married couples or certain businesses that donate to nonprofit Educational Scholarship Organizations would be eligible to receive a dollar-for-dollar, nonrefundable tax credit. Educational Scholarship Organizations would then use the donations to help provide scholarships to low-income students to attend a private school.

Credits would be limited to $1,000 annually for individual donors, $2,500 for married couples and up-to $300,000 for other taxpayers, such as businesses or utilities. Credits could be carried over for up to three years before they expire.

Educational Scholarship Organizations that receive the donations would have to contribute at least 90% of the donations it receives toward scholarships for eligible students who reside in Ohio, are eligible to attend a public school and whose family meets certain financial eligibility requirements. At least 50% of the scholarships awarded each year would be required to go to students who do not currently attend a private school.

The scholarships would be worth up to $4,250 for grades K-8 and up to $7,000 for grades 9-12 each year. Families that are awarded scholarships could use them to cover the cost of tuition at any participating private school.

We are excited to hear about this proposal for a Tax Credit Scholarship Program for Ohio’s kids. We completely support it, and we’re going to need your help to get it passed! Please contact the members of the Ohio House Education Committee and encourage them to support the passage of House Bill 158.

To read House Bill 158 or learn more about it, click here.

Senate President Keith Faber speaks at Rally for School Choice

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A few weeks ago, almost 2,000 school choice supporters gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to rally for expanded school choice for more Ohio families. It was so great to see students, parents, school leaders and supporters from across the entire state come together to show their shared support for school choice.

At the rally, we got to hear from some awesome speakers who wanted to voice their support for school choice. Senate President Keith Faber addressed the crowd and encouraged empowerment for parents to be able to make decisions on what kind of education is best for their children.

We completely agree with Senator Faber. No one is better suited to choose the best learning environment for their child than parents themselves.

Check out a video of Faber’s speech by clicking on the picture below.

 

 

 

District superintendents see importance in putting students’ needs first

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Steve Dackin, Superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, spoke out as a supporter of school choice at a panel discussion put on by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute on Friday.

Dackin shared some thoughts on school choice, saying that choice plays an important role in student success and parent satisfaction. He believes that schools need to start tapping into students’ passions and interests rather than focusing on a “one size fits all” education. One idea in particular that he said he aspires to is a version of an individualized education program (IEP) for every student in his district.

Reynoldsburg City Schools practices open choice, which allows students to attend the school of their choice within the district. The district offers many different options, including charter and STEM, giving families an array of choices when trying to find a great fit for their student. Dackin also addressed a critical element of choice: offering transportation to make it practical for a child to actually get to the school their family chooses.

Come to find out, a survey of 344 Ohio public school district superintendents conducted by the Farkas Duffett Research Group and Fordham found that Dackin is not the only district superintendent that is a school choice supporter. The survey found that there are other district superintendents from across the state who also support school choice.

Survey Says:
70% of district superintendents report that their districts have a total open enrollment policy

  • What it means
    District superintendents believe it is important for families to be able to choose the best learning environment for their students.

Survey Says:
59% of district superintendents believe that blended learning will bring fundamental changes for education

  • What it means
    One size does not fit all, and blended learning offers students the chance to mix technology and teacher-based instruction to create an education that fits their needs. District superintendents realize that individualized education is important for students to succeed and are working to bring it to their districts.

Survey Says:
2% of district superintendents support school choice in the form of vouchers and charter schools

  • What it means
    This handful of district superintendents support the right of parents to make the choice when it comes to the best education for their child. We couldn’t agree more! We applaud these pro-choice leaders who are putting students’ needs first.

The presentation and discussion ended with a conclusion from Dr. Richard Ross, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ross stressed that Ohio needs to focus less on education as an institution and more on educating students based on their individual needs. According to Ross, education needs to be a portfolio of options for students, because they need choice and more options inside their schools.

It is great to see district superintendents from across the state voicing their support for school choice. We applaud these leaders that see the importance of putting students’ educational needs first.

Rabbi A.D. Motzen speaks at Rally for School Choice

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A few weeks ago, almost 2,000 school choice supporters gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to rally for expanded school choice for more Ohio families. It was so great to see students, parents, school leaders and supporters from across the entire state come together to show their shared support for school choice.

At the rally, we were lucky to hear from some awesome speakers who wanted to voice their support for school choice.  We had the pleasure of hearing from Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Ohio regional director for Agudath Israel of America, who told the crowd that they need to “ask legislators the following questions: Will you please support giving all children in Ohio, regardless of their zip code, the opportunity to attend the school of their choice? As a parent, will you please trust me to decide what school is best for my child?” We think that’s great advice!

Check out a video of Rabbi Motzen’s speech by clicking on the picture below.

Accountability and voucher-accepting private schools

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Some people say that private schools that enroll a certain number/percentage of students who pay tuition using a state voucher should have a state report card just like public schools.

Those people are right. Parents are looking for information on the quality of their private school options, and private schools need to be accountable for the results of students funded by taxpayers. However, their report card solution is problematic for a number of reasons:

  1. The achievement of all students at a private school does nothing to account for their use of public funds. As taxpayers, our interest is in how students who are voucher recipients fare, compared to how they would have otherwise.
  2. Public school funding is estimated at around $12,000 per student and the maximum voucher amount is about a 60% discount at $5,000 on the high end. It is strange to imagine that a school that gets a portion of the funding would be subject to the same level of reporting.
  3. We know from national studies that the real impact of private school comes in higher graduation rates, which Ohio does not track for voucher recipients. That would be a welcome addition to the private school accountability rubric.
  4. Ohio already meets the national standards for voucher accountability:
    -All school voucher recipients take the same state assessment as their public school peers
    -The results of these tests are required to be posted online (separated by private school where it would not violate federal student privacy laws) for all the world to see

Whether there are some private schools that would want to buy in to the full accountability system in exchange for full funding is a conversation for another day.

For now, Ohioans can rest assured that private schools ARE accountable – not only to the state, but also to their parents because their families, tuition-paying or otherwise, are always free to vote with their feet if they see that their child is not succeeding.

How public is public and how exclusive is private?

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Education “cream-skimming” is the fear that certain schools (public or private) take the “best” students, and leave behind the students that can’t make the grade or have less motivated parents. Even though private schools can have selective admission, the dichotomy between private schools being so exclusive and public schools being so inclusive is not so stark as it might seem.

  • Yes, private schools can have selective admission … just like the suburban districts that charge the steep tuition of higher property taxes. Or the public magnet schools, which also have admission tests but with 3 times the money.
  • Speaking of money, private schools don’t have any. Most of them pay their teachers unbelievably low salaries already. So, no, they cannot serve all students who come to them. The large number of private schools that already participate in the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship in its first year demonstrates that private schools are happy to open their doors as much as they can when they are funded at appropriate levels to meet the needs of the students.
  • Often, the best public school students are doing just fine in their public schools and their parents are satisfied and not looking for a change.
  • Not all private schools have selective admission. Levels of selectivity vary among private schools, just like public magnet schools.

Not that money is all that matters by any means, but the state saves money on every voucher student because the scholarship amounts are 1/3 of public school funding levels. That’s a deal, regardless of the prior achievement level of the student.

On the other hand, states that mandate open enrollment policies for voucher-accepting private schools have seen the mix of voucher-receiving and tuition-paying parents at a school decline, which limits socio-economic integration.

State leaders do need to be careful to design programs so that they promote equity and help families break poverty cycles.

Badly-designed choice programs can exacerbate inequities rather than alleviate them. Take the example of a scholarship program that does not have any income limitations and only provides $1,000 voucher. There is no way that program is going to help many families of modest means because they won’t be able to cover the gap between private school tuition (usually $4,000/year for elementary and middle school) and the $1,000 voucher amount.

But Ohio’s programs are not designed that way. They promote equity by giving low-income families first priority for vouchers and requiring the private schools that enroll them to waive any tuition overages.

Ohio’s low-income students, who have been kept from a quality education because of their inability to control their families’ income, need the same opportunities as their higher income peers to receive an education that they deserve and will help them succeed.

EmpowerU session on school vouchers

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Our friend, Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Ohio regional director for Agudath Israel of America, is offering a 90 minute information session through EmpowerU about Ohio’s school choice programs. Interested in learning more? Details for his session are below.

School Choice: A parent and taxpayer’s guide to educational freedom in Ohio

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Green Township Senior Center

Learn about Ohio’s current school voucher programs and how school choice may be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.  Will your child be eligible?  Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Ohio regional director for Agudath Israel of America, will explain how school choice helps families, saves taxpayers money, and is the key to Ohio’s future.

There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required.

For more information about EmpowerU and to sign up for the class, visit: http://www.empoweruohio.org/courses/descriptions/item/school-choice

New national reports share great school choice findings

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Two recent national reports demonstrate both increasing support for school choice programs nationwide, as well as demonstrated student performance improvement among voucher recipients.

 A recently-published study found a 24 percent increase in college enrollment among low-income, African American students who used education vouchers when compared to their public school peers. The Effects of School Vouchers on College Enrollment was published jointly by the Brown Center on Education at the Brookings Institute and the Harvard Kennedy School Program on Education Policy and Governance.

The study, published by Paul Peterson and Matthew Chingos, focused on the New York City School Choice Foundation Scholarship, which provided a half-tuition voucher to 20,000 lottery-selected students in the New York City Public School District beginning in 1997. The study analyzes data from a randomized field study of students and found that only 36 percent of African American students in public schools went on to college within three years of anticipated graduation, compared to 45 percent of voucher recipients.

This information builds on evidence that shows school voucher usage has a dramatic increase on high school graduation rates. Recently published reports on the effects of voucher programs in Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. showed increases of between 12 and 18 percent in graduation rates among students who have taken advantage of vouchers in comparison to those students who have remained in public schools.

The Effects of School Vouchers on College Enrollment was published at the same time as the results of the most recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, which showed a considerable increase in public support for allowing students the choice to attend a private school utilizing a public voucher. Forty-four percent of respondents said they supported the idea, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

This is the 44th such poll PDK/Gallup has conducted, and it used the same questions that were used in the previous polls. Used to measure Americans’ attitudes toward the public education system in the U.S., the authors note that it is “unique and significant because its longitudinal data documents important changes in American opinions about education over time.”

The full PDK/Gallup survey on Public Education in America can be read here. The full Brookings/Harvard Kennedy School report can be read here.

Parent portion of Cleveland voucher now covered by state

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An email from the Ohio Department of Education this week confirms the elimination of the parent co-pay in the Cleveland voucher. The scholarship will now be paid out in the same way and same amounts as the EdChoice Scholarship, except that high school students can be required to pay the tuition overage. 

This is a huge win for Cleveland parents!

Dear Cleveland Scholarship Parent:

Recent legislative changes have eliminated the family share percentage effective for the 2012-2013 school year. Previously, parents were responsible for paying 10 or 25 percent of the scholarship amount.  Students will now receive the maximum scholarship amount of $4250 for grades K-8 and $5000 for grades 9-12 not exceeding the actual tuition amount of the private school.  Family tuition responsibilities are now as follows:

  • Students in grades K-8 whose family income is at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline are not responsible for any remaining tuition beyond the scholarship amount.
  • Students in grades K-8 whose family income is above two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline will be charged any remaining tuition that goes beyond the scholarship amount.
  • Students in grades 9-12 whose family income is at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline will be charged any remaining tuition that goes beyond the scholarship amount.
  • Students in grades 9-12 whose family income is above two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline will be charged any remaining tuition that goes beyond the scholarship amount.

As in the past, the Cleveland scholarship covers tuition only.  Parents and guardians continue to remain responsible for additional fees such as registration, graduation or any similar fees. Please contact your participating private school if you have questions regarding your tuition amount or volunteer service activities available in lieu of cash payments.

Thank you for your continued participation in the Cleveland Scholarship Program!

Cleveland Scholarship Program Staff

EdChoice School Visits Nation’s Capital

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Recently, Arlington Christian Academy visited our nation’s capital while studying the Civil War. The Akron school accepts EdChoice students; in fact, 90% of the middle school students receive the scholarship. School Principal Teresa Sayles was kind enough to share photos of the trip and her thoughts about the life-changing opportunities that the EdChoice Program provides to Ohio students.

“The EdChoice Scholarship along with school choice legislation provides many under-served children with limitless opportunities and exposure to information and resources that might never be available to them prior,” said Teresa.  “A significant number of our students would otherwise not have had the opportunity to travel anywhere close to our nation’s capital.”

Thank you for sharing the photos, Principal Sayles! We are thrilled to see how the EdChoice Program is changing the lives of your students in Akron.

Arlington Christian Academy students seated on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with Principal Teresa Sayles.

ACA students in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr.Memorial in Washington, D.C.