Sponsor Will Dial Back Voucher Expansion Bill HB 136 in Face of School District Opposition
The sponsor of a bill — House Bill 136 — that would expand Ohio’s school voucher program from urban areas to the entire state is scaling his bill back in response to opposition from school districts, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Dispatch’s Catherine Candisky writes that “GOP sources” say:
HB 136 sponsor [Rep. Matt Huffman] reportedly is proposing to: lower income requirements so fewer students would qualify for a voucher; cap the amount of tax revenues a school district would lose for students transfering to a private school with a voucher; limit the number of students a district could lose to the program to no more than 1 percent of enrollment; and eliminate a provision that would allow parents to deposit any unused voucher money into a college savings account for their child.
But lobbyists from the Ohio School Boards Association and the state organizations of school superintendents and business officials said in an email that changing parts of the bill is not enough:
It appears that the bill sponsor is circulating various amendments to HB 136 in an attempt to gain enough votes to get approval on the House floor. We want to make it clear to legislators that amendments to this bill will not lead to our support. The shift in public policy represented in HB 136 is detrimental to public education and must be stopped.
Nearly 300 school districts and educational service center from across Ohio passed resolutions opposing the bill. (See the full list here.) Their main concern is that the dramatic expansion of the voucher program, which allows students to use public dollars to pay tuition at private schools, would siphon both students and state dollars from their districts.
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Although an expansion of Ohio’s existing school voucher program was approved earlier this year, HB 136 would expand vouchers even further:
- HB 136 would allow any student in any district whose family makes less than $95,000 a year to get a voucher covering the cost of tuition at a private or parochial school. The current state voucher program gives preference to low-income families.
- Currently, only students assigned to schools rated “D” or “F” for two of the last three years can get vouchers. (Cleveland has a separate voucher program.) HB 136 would allow students to get vouchers no matter how their schools performed.
Under the version of HB 136 that was reported out of committee, the state would deduct about $5,800 from a school district’s state aid for each student who receives a voucher.
School Districts Opposing Voucher Expansion Bill HB 136
District Name | County |
|---|---|
| Akron City | Summit |
| Allen County ESC | Allen |
| Amanda-Clearcreek Local | Fairfield |
| Amherst Ex Vill | Lorain |
| Arcadia Local | Hancock |
| Archbold Area Local | Fulton |
| Ashland County-West Holmes JVSD | Ashland |
| Ashtabula Area City | Ashtabula |
| Ashtabula County Technical & Career Center | Ashtabula |
| Athens-Meigs ESC | Athens |
| Aurora City | Portage |
| Austintown Local | Mahoning |
| Ayersville Local | Defiance |
| Barnesville Ex Vill | Belmont |
| Bath Local | Allen |
| Bay Village City | Cuyahoga |
| Bellbrook-Sugarcree Local | Greene |
| Bellefontaine City | Logan |
| Belpre City | Washington |
| Benjamin Logan Local | Logan |
| Benton-Carroll-Salem Local | Ottawa |
| Bethel-Tate Local | Miami |
| Big Walnut Local | Delaware |
| Bloom-Carroll Local | Fairfield |
| Boardman Local | Mahoning |
| Botkins Local | Shelby |
| Bowling Green City | Wood |
| Bristol Local | Miami |
| Brookfield Local | Trumbull |
| Brooklyn City | Cuyahoga |
| Brown County ESC | Brown |
| Brown Local (Carroll0 | Carroll |
| Brunswick City | Medina |
| Buckeye Central Local | Crawford |
| Buckeye Local (Ashtabula) | Ashtabula |
| Buckeye Valley Local | Delaware |
| Bucyrus City | Crawford |
| C-Tech JVSD of Licking County | Licking |
| Canfield Local | Mahoning |
| Carey Ex Vill | Wyandot |
| Cedar Cliff Local | Greene |
| Centerburg Local | Knox |
| Chagrin Falls Ex Vill | Cuyahoga |
| Champion Local | Trumbull |
| Chardon Local | Geauga |
| Chillicothe City | Ross |
| Chippawa Local | Wayne |
| Clark County ESC | Clark |
| Clark-Shawnee Local | Clark |
| Clay Local | Scioto |
| Cleveland Municipal | Cuyahoga |
| Clinton-Massie Local | Clinton |
| Columbia Local | Lorain |
| Columbiana Ex Vill | Columbiana |
| Columbus Grove Local | Putnam |
| Conneaut Area City | Ashtabula |
| Conotton Valley Union Local | Harrison |
| Coshocton City | Coshocton |
| Crestview Local | not specified |
| Crestwood Local | Portage |
| Crooksville Ex Vill | Perry |
| Cuyahoga Heights Local | Cuyahoga |
| Danville Local | Knox |
| Dayton City | Montgomery |
| Deer Park City | Hamilton |
| Delaware City | Delaware |
| Dublin City | Franklin |
| East Guernsey Local | Guernsey |
| East Holmes Local | Holmes |
| East Knox Local | Knox |
| Eastern Local (Brown) | Brown |
| Eastern Local (Meigs) | Meigs |
| Elida Local | Allen |
| Elyria City | Lorain |
| Euclid City | Cuyahoga |
| Fairbanks Local | Union |
| Fairborn City | Greene |
| Fairfield City | Butler |
| Fairfield Union Local | Fairfield |
| Fairland Local | Lawrence |
| Fairless Local | Stark |
| Fairview Park City | Cuyahoga |
| Fayetteville-Perry Local | Brown |
| Federal Hocking Local | Athens |
| Felicity-Franklin Local | Clermont |
| Field Local | Portage |
| Finneytown Local | Hamilton |
| Firelands Local | Lorain |
| Forest Hill Local | Hamilton |
| Fort Frye Local | Washington |
| Franklin City | Warren |
| Franklin Local | Muskingum |
| Fredericktown Local | Knox |
| Fremont City | Sandusky |
| Galion City | Crawford |
| Georgetown Ex Vill | Brown |
| Gibsonburg Ex Vill | Sandusky |
| Goshen Local | Clermont |
| Graham Local | Champaign |
| Granville Ex Vill | Licking |
| Green Local | not specified |
| Greenon Local | Clark |
| Groveport Madisod Local | Franklin |
| Hardin-Houston Local | Shelby |
| Highland Local | not specified |
| Howland Local | Trumbull |
| Huntington Local | Ross |
| Independence Local | Cuyahoga |
| Ironton City | Lawrence |
| Jackson-Milton Local | Mahoning |
| Jefferson Area Local | Ashtabula |
| Jefferson County ESC | Jefferson |
| Jefferson County JVS | Jefferson |
| Jefferson Local (Madison) | Madison |
| Jennings Local | Putnam |
| Kalida Local | Putnam |
| Kenston Local | Geauga |
| Kent City | Portage |
| Keystone Local | Lorain |
| Kirtland Local | Warren |
| Knox County Career Center | Knox |
| LaBrae Local | Trumbull |
| Lakeview Local | Trumbull |
| Lakewood City | Cuyahoga |
| Lawrence County JVS | Lawrence |
| Leetonia Ex Vill | Columbiana |
| Liberty Local | Trumbull |
| Licking County ESC | Licking |
| Lima City | Allen |
| Lincolnview Local | Van Wert |
| Lisbon Ex Vill | Columbiana |
| Logan-Hocking Local | Hocking |
| Lordstown Local | Trumbull |
| Loudonville-Perrysville Ex Vill | Ashland |
| Lucas County ESC | Lucas |
| Lynchburg-Clay Local | Highland |
| Manchester Local | Summit |
| Mapleton Local | Ashland |
| Maplewood Career Center | Portage |
| Mariemont City | Hamilton |
| Marietta City | Washington |
| Marion City | Marion |
| Marysville Ex Vill | Union |
| Maumee City | Lucas |
| McDonald Local | Trumbull |
| Medina City | Medina |
| Medina County ESC | Medina |
| Meigs Local | Meigs |
| Mentor Ex Vill | Lake |
| Middletown City | Butler |
| Millcreek-West Unity Local | Williams |
| Mohawk Local | Wyandot |
| Morgan Local | Morgan |
| Muskingum Valley ESC | Muskingum |
| Napoleon Area City | Henry |
| National Trail Local | Preble |
| New Bremen Local | Auglaize |
| New Philadelphia City | Tuscarawas |
| New Riegel Local | Seneca |
| Newark City | Licking |
| Newbury Local | Geauga |
| Newton Falls Ex Vill | Trumbull |
| Niles City | Trumbull |
| Noble Local | Noble |
| Nordonia Hills City | Summit |
| North College Hill City | Hamilton |
| North Fork Local | Licking |
| North Olmsted City | Cuyahoga |
| Northeastern Local | not specified |
| Northridge Local | not specified |
| Northwest Ohio ESC | Fulton |
| Northwestern Local | not specified |
| Norton City | Summit |
| Norwood Local | Wood |
| Oak Hill Local | Hamilton |
| Oakwood City | Montgomery |
| Oberlin City | Lorain |
| Olmsted Falls City | Cuyahoga |
| Orange City | Cuyahoga |
| Orrville City | Wayne |
| Ottawa-Glandorf Local | Putnam |
| Ottoville Local | Putnam |
| Painesville City | Lake |
| Perry-Hocking ESC | Perry |
| Perrysburg Local | Wood |
| Pike-Delta-York Local | Fulton |
| Port Clinton City | Ottawa |
| Portsmouth City | Scioto |
| Preble County ESC | Preble |
| Reading Community City | Hamilton |
| Revere Local | Summit |
| Rittman Ex Vill | Wayne |
| Riverside Local | not specified |
| Ross-Pike ESD | Ross |
| Shaker Heights Local | Cuyahoga |
| Shawnee Local | Allen |
| Sidney City | Shelby |
| Solon City | Cuyahoga |
| South Central Local | Huron |
| South Central Ohio ESC | Scioto |
| South Range Local | Mahoning |
| South-Western City | Franklin |
| Southeast Local | not specified |
| Southeastern Local | not specified |
| Southern Hills JVSD | Brown |
| Southern Local (Meigs) | Meigs |
| Southern Local (Perry) | Perry |
| Southern Ohio ESC | Clinton |
| Southington Local | Trumbull |
| Southwest Licking Local | Licking |
| Spencerville Local | Allen |
| Springfield City | Clark |
| Springfield Clark CTC | Clark |
| Springfield Local (Lucas) | Lucas |
| Springfield Local (Mahoning) | Mahoning |
| St. Henry Consolidated Local | Mercer |
| St. Marys City | Auglaize |
| Steubenville City | Jefferson |
| Stow-Munroe Falls City | Summit |
| Strasburg-Franklin Local | Tuscarawas |
| Streetsboro City | Portage |
| Strongsville City | Cuyahoga |
| Talawanda City | Butler |
| Tecumseh Local | Clark |
| Toledo Public | Lucas |
| Tri-County ESC | Wayne |
| Tri-Village Local | Darke |
| Triad Local | Champaign |
| Trumbull County CTC | Trumbull |
| Trumbull County ESC | Trumbull |
| Tuscarawas Valley Local | Tuscarawas |
| Tuslaw Local | Stark |
| Twinsburg City | Summit |
| Union Local | Belmont |
| United Local | Columbiana |
| Upper Arlington City | Franklin |
| Upper Sandusky Ex Vill | Wyandot |
| Urbana City | Champaign |
| Valley View Local | Montgomery |
| Van Wert City | Van Wert |
| Vanlue Local | Hancock |
| Vermilion Local | Erie |
| Vinton County Local | Vinton |
| Wadsworth City | Medina |
| Wapakoneta City | Auglaize |
| Warren City | Trumbull |
| Washington Local | Lucas |
| Waterloo Local | Portage |
| Wauseon Ex Vill | Fulton |
| Waverly City | Pike |
| Wayne County JVS | Wayne |
| Waynesfield-Goshen Local | Auglaize |
| Wellston City | Jackson |
| Wellsville Local | Columbiana |
| West Branch Local | Mahoning |
| West Carrollton City | Montgomery |
| Western Brown Local | Brown |
| Westlake City | Cuyahoga |
| Wheelersburg Local | Scioto |
| Williamsburg Local | Clermont |
| Winton Woods City | Hamilton |
| Woodridge Local | Summit |
| Wooster City | Wayne |
| Worthington City | Franklin |
| Xenia Community | Greene |
| Yellow Spring Local | Greene |
| Youngstown City | Mahoning |
| Zanesville City | Muskingum |
Source: Ohio School Boards Association | Download data | Download pdf
