Toledo Blade: Ohio lawmakers expand under-used voucher program

Article published December 20, 2006
Ohio lawmakers expand under-used voucher program

HOW THEY WORK Up to 14,000 students from certain low-income families at 212 academically struggling schools could receive vouchers, or scholarship money, of $4,250 through the eighth grade or $5,900 for high school toward tuition at the public, private, or religious school of their choice. The statewide voucher program is separate from Ohio’s continuing program focusing solely on Cleveland schools.

Toledo Blade
By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU
[Note: There are two charts in this article; one is barely visible and the other is totally invisible (a white space just to the right of these words). I couldn't get them to show up properly, but if you highlight them with your mouse, you'll be able to read them. KBB]
COLUMBUS - With three-quarters of Ohio's 14,000 school vouchers left unused in the program's inaugural year, lawmakers yesterday again expanded the pool of students eligible to apply.

Students in 19 academically struggling Toledo Public Schools buildings, up from five currently, could apply for scholarships of $4,250 through eighth grade and $5,900 for high school toward tuition at the public, private, or religious schools of their choice.

Lawmakers yesterday also approved measures toughening the math and lab science curriculum for high school students, setting dates to close failing charter schools, and giving the Department of Education authority to conduct regular criminal background checks on licensed teachers.

The voucher and charter school provisions were inserted into a bill late Monday night and rushed through both the House and Senate yesterday to ensure the measure reached

Gov. Bob Taft's desk before the current two-year session ends and his Democratic successor, Ted Strickland, takes office on Jan. 8.

Mr. Strickland is no fan of vouchers.

TARGETED SCHOOLS The following school buildings have been in academic emergency or academic watch for two of the last three years, making their students eligible to apply for vouchers: TOLEDO Chase Elementary Cherry Elementary * Fulton Elementary Garfield Elementary Nathan Hale Elementary * Jones Elementary Lagrange Elementary Leverette Elementary Libbey High Lincoln Academy for Boys McTigue Junior High Newbury Elementary Pickett Elementary * Raymer Elementary Reynolds Elementary Robinson Junior High Scott High * Sherman Elementary Woodward High * SANDUSKY Hancock Elementary Mills Elementary * LIMA Freedom Elementary * Liberty Elementary Lima North Middle * Lima South Middle * Unity Elementary * (*) Currently in program SOURCE: Ohio Department of Education

Interim Toledo Public Schools Superintendent John Foley called the vote "a challenge to urban education" and "a slap in the face to teachers."

"It doesn't support us making progress but hinders our progress," he said.

The bill passed the House 70-29 and the Senate 21-12.

Currently, Ohio's Educational Choice Scholarship Program affects students in families earning 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level at 99 school buildings classified as having been in either academic emergency or academic watch for the last three years.

The bill sent to Mr. Taft would expand the number to 212 buildings by lowering that threshold to two out of the last three years, assuming the school hadn't improved to effective or excellent in the last year.

"There just hasn't been much interest in the voucher program, so I don't see how expanding the program is going to make much difference,'' said Kathy Young, interim president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. "This is coming in just the last few minutes of a legislation session. There's been no chance for the public to have any input on this at all.''

House Republicans had pushed for broader expansion but were met with resistance from Democrats and Senate Republicans.

"There is not one additional voucher slot in this bill,'' said Sen. Randy Gardner (R., Bowling Green). "There is not one additional charter school in the bill. There is more accountability for charter schools in this bill.''

The voucher program is separate from Ohio's continuing program focusing solely on Cleveland schools, the program that served as the vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of using public dollars to send children to private and religious schools.

Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) criticized legislative leaders for holding up for a year a bill giving more power to state education officials to go after wayward teachers so they would have a vehicle for these last-minute education amendments.

"I wonder how many children were at risk during that year and how many teachers abused and maybe would have lost their licenses,'' she said.

The bill authorizes the department to demand criminal background checks every five years for licensed teachers and would require all schools, public or private, to report suspected misconduct by teachers to licensing officials.

In other action, House Republicans attracted six Democratic votes to support passage of Ohio Core, a stiffening of math and lab-science requirements that high-school students must meet as a condition for getting into most of the state's public four-year colleges and universities.

In exchange, Republicans agreed to delay the requirements two years so that they won't take effect until the class of 2014, ultimately affecting today's fifth-graders.

They also earmarked $16.8 million for schools to recruit and retain teachers to prepare for the inevitable on top of $13 million already spent.

The bill, sponsored by Mr. Gardner and pushed heavily by Mr. Taft and the business community, passed the House by a vote of 55-40 with six Democrats joining Republicans in support. The Senate was expected to follow late last night.

"Enactment of the Ohio Core is a victory for the students of Ohio,'' Mr. Taft said.

"They must complete a more rigorous curriculum and will graduate from high school more prepared for college or a good entry-level job.''

"How can we not hold ourselves responsible for raising the bar for all students?'' Rep. Arlene Setzer (R., Vandalia) said.

Democrats, however, argued that, while the concept was sound, lawmakers were rushing to the finish line.

"We gave a [graduation] test before we gave [academic] standards, and now we're doing it again…,'' Rep. Ken Carano (D., Youngstown) said. "No one wants Core to go away. …Why do we have to do it so fast?''

Staff writer Joshua Boak contributed to this article.

Contact Jim Provance at:
jprovance@theblade.com
or 614-221-0496.