School Officials Back Ohio House Voucher Plan

Ohio's major school associations representing superintendents, school treasurers and school board members are backing the House plan to phase out the voucher program known as EdChoice.

The Ohio House passed legislation last week that would grant vouchers based on a family's income instead of basing vouchers off of a school building's academic performance.

There are 1,227 public school buildings set to be designated as "failing" on the EdChoice voucher list, making all students in those districts eligible for vouchers.

Tom Perkins, Northern Local Schools superintendent, said if something doesn’t change, more voucher money will suddenly be pulled from districts for students who were already going to private schools.

"The fear isn't the students leaving, it's the ones that are currently there that have never attended and the funding going to them, that's the real concern," Perkins said.

School groups prefer an income-based voucher system. But EdChoice supporters say changing it would pull the rug out from under parents who are already counting on the current law.

The Senate's version of the plan would keep part of the program that grants vouchers to students at failing schools while also increasing the threshold for income-based vouchers.

The House and Senate are expected to hold hearings about the future of Ohio's EdChoice program.

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