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Feb 14 2020

10 Senators With A Voucher Problem: Where the impact of the voucher crisis will be hardest felt

The Ohio House and Senate are advancing two competing plans to address Ohio’s private school voucher explosion, but without a fix, some lawmakers will feel acute pain as their local schools see funding losses skyrocket.

Without action, the impacts on local school districts could be catastrophic.

Thanks to years of policy changes expanding eligibility for vouchers, the scope of the problem continues to grow, with local public schools set to lose $62 million more to private school vouchers this year alone. As the two plans to address the crisis are debated at the statehouse, it’s important to understand just how much of an issue this could become for lawmakers considering these changes.

Without action, the impacts on local school districts could be catastrophic. Next year the number of local school buildings where students would be eligible to take a voucher to attend private schools is set to skyrocket:

2019-20202020-2021
Public school buildings affected by voucher losses4831,221

Districts statewide will be affected, but some lawmakers see more impacts than others.

For example, State Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, would see the number of public school buildings in his district eligible to lose students to private school vouchers rise next school year by 53 from 11 to 64.

Likewise, state Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, would see the number of buildings losing students (and funding) to vouchers jump from 9 to 58. 

Top Ten Senate Districts Impacted By Rise In Voucher Eligibility:

Senator 2019-2020: Buildings eligible2020-2021: Buildings eligibleChange in number of eligible buildings
Tim Schaffer1164+53
Andrew Brenner90142+52
Tina Maharath97148+51
Jay Hottinger958+49
Bob Peterson1462+48
Frank Hoagland956+47
Terry Johnson549+44
Dave Burke1859+41
Rob McColley545+40
Theresa Gavarone4078+38

These exponential increases are thanks to a recent change in how the state assigns report card grades to school buildings that even the legislature’s top voucher proponent, State Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, has called “arbitrary.” In 2011, Huffman wanted to turn the entire EdChoice voucher program into an income-based voucher program, not unlike what House Speaker Larry Householder passed last week in House Bill 89.

“It should be based on need and ability to pay, not some arbitrary standard,” he said during his 2011 press conference about his House Bill 136 that would have created the statewide, income-based voucher program.

If nothing is done to fix this crisis over the next few weeks, Huffman’s Senate colleagues – many of whom represent rural districts – will have to explain to their constituents why they approved increasing the number of buildings eligible to lose state funding to private school vouchers by as much as 800 percent. 

Huffman is also in line to be the next Senate President.

Written by Stephen Dyer · Categorized: Education, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates · Tagged: Charter Schools, EdChoice, Public Schools, Vouchers

Jan 28 2020

Statehouse Preview: Make Or Break Time for Voucher Fix

This week, lawmakers are scrambling to pass legislation to slow down the problem of runaway private school vouchers that are draining millions of dollars from our public schools as a result of misguided policy changes expanding the school choice program. The problem — and a potential legislative fix that is under discussion — are explained well in this article in the Marion Star.

On the Innovation Ohio blog, Education Policy Fellow, Stephen Dyer explains in four charts how Ohio’s voucher problem got to where it is today and why, even with a short-term fix, it remains out of control.

The most likely scenario for a legislative patch is a bill already passed by the House will be amended in a Senate committee as early as today, and quickly move to the Senate floor. If it passes, the House must then vote to concur with Senate changes. The bill also requires a legislative supermajority in order to take effect immediately rather than in the normal 90 days. 

This all needs to happen before Friday in order to prevent another round of funding losses to hit public school districts. 


Elsewhere in the Statehouse, House leaders scheduled–and later postponed–a committee hearing featuring testimony on the House version of the Ohio Fairness Act (HB369), prohibiting discrimination in housing and employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Ohio still has no anti-discrimination law on the books. The new hearing date is now planned for February 4.

Also this week, two House proposals to weaken Ohio’s gun safety laws (HB425 and HB381) are getting sponsor testimony in committee. See below for schedules.

New legislation

Below are the bills that were introduced last week that we’ll be keeping an eye on in the coming months:

  • House Bill 475 (K. Smith, Galonski) – Presidential Candidates – to require a candidate for President or Vice-President of the United States to submit copies of the candidate’s five most recent federal income tax returns for publication on the Secretary of State’s official web site.
  • House Bill 478 (A. Miller, Miranda) – School Vouchers – to make changes regarding the eligibility criteria for the Educational Choice scholarship program.
  • Senate Bill 260 (S. Huffman) – Abortion Drugs – regarding abortion-inducing drugs.

>> You can monitor the status of all the bills we are watching here.

>> Sign up for our weekly Statehouse Preview newsletter for even more insight on what’s happening on Capitol Square this week.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: K-12 Education, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Charter Schools, private schools, Public Education, school vouchers, voucher explosion, Vouchers

Jul 17 2019

Innovation Ohio Statement on Charter School Provisions in Operating Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2019
Contact: Michael McGovern mcgovern@innovationohio.org
Columbus, OH – Today, Innovation Ohio President Janetta King issued the following statement regarding the charter school provisions in the state operating budget:
“It is disappointing that Republicans in the legislature have once again placed the interests of failing charter schools ahead of Ohio students and communities. The budget passed today weakens state oversight of charter schools like ECOT, which ripped off Ohio schools and taxpayers to the tune of $200 million. After the ECOT debacle, we should be strengthening, not loosening, the rules regulating charter schools. Ohio taxpayers – and more importantly, Ohio students – deserve better.”
Founded in 2011, Innovation Ohio is a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank that blends policy research and advocacy to fight for working families in Ohio.

Written by Michael McGovern · Categorized: K-12 Education, Ohio State Budget, Press Releases, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Charter Schools, children, ECOT, ECOT Scandal, education, kids, Larry Householder, Larry Obhof, Mike DeWine, Ohio, Ohio Budget, Ohio Politics, Republicans, schools, State Budget, Taxes, taxpayers

Jun 07 2018

Press Conference: Impact of ECOT Scandal to Local Schools

On Wednesday, June 6, Innovation Ohio was joined by local school officials to discuss the multi-year impact of state funding transfers to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), the former largest, now-closed online charter school found to have been vastly overstating its enrollment at taxpayer expense. >> Find out how your local schools were impacted by ECOT >> Visit our ECOT information central website

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: ECOT, Front Page, K-12 Education · Tagged: Charter Schools, ECOT

Apr 27 2018

Education Update – April 27

ECOT Chickens Come Home to Roost

Now that a courageous whistleblower has come forward to reveal compelling evidence that the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow engaged in a scheme to defraud Ohio taxpayers out of millions of dollars to educate children they never really had, it’s clear the rats are running fast from the former e-school giant. However, their past is riddled with examples of protection granted by powerful Ohio politicians, including ones now talking “tough” about ECOT. The issue has been bounced upon by statewide candidates, while those who benefited from millions of dollars worth of ECOT-related campaign contributions are ducking for cover. The reason is because now that it’s pretty clear that ECOT officials tried to subvert the system to keep getting paid for kids they didn’t really educate, criminal investigations may soon begin. And that’s bad for many politicians because this same whistleblower contacted them on several occasions and was met with inaction. This issue is dangerous for so many politicians because so many politicians took so many greenbacks from ECOT officials, especially the school’s founder, William Lager. Now that Lager may be facing serious legal entanglements, politicians who spoke at their graduations, or took honorary degrees from school officials are paying for their unwillingness to hold this school to account for 18 years. ECOT was caught overcharging the state in its first year of existence. Only 109 of more than 3,700 graduates from 2010 have college degrees today. But ECOT was allowed to continue defrauding taxpayers and, worst of all, the children and parents who were fooled into thinking ECOT was an educational operation rather than what it really was: A $1 billion taxpayer boondoggle. And now newspaper editorial boards are pointing out the obvious: ECOT is now politically radioactive. As the Toledo Blade said this morning:
Ohio’s student reimbursement money is as sacred as any taxpayer money can be. It is a duty of lawmakers to make sure that it is distributed scandal-free and with strict regard to fairness and honesty. The state of Ohio failed miserably in that regard with ECOT, and the children of Ohio are the victims.
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Written by Stephen Dyer · Categorized: ECOT, Featured Items, Front Page, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Charter Schools, ECOT

Feb 14 2013

News Release: Charter Schools Cost State Twice as Much per Student as Traditional Schools

For Immediate Release: February 14, 2013 Contact: Dale Butland, 614-783-5833

IO: Charter Schools Cost State Twice as Much per Student as Traditional Schools

Report Finds “Deduction” System Overpays Charters, Shortchanges Traditional Students; Says Majority of Charter Money Goes to Poorer Performing Schools

Columbus — Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank headquartered in Columbus, released a new report today which finds that charter schools not only cost the state twice as much money per student as traditional schools, but that the “deduction system” currently used to fund them “has a profoundly negative impact on the 90% of Ohio children who remain in traditional public schools.” The study also found that most of the state money transferred to charters went to schools with worse student performance scores than the school districts from which the money and students came.

Specific findings of the study include:
  • In FY 2012, charter schools received $7,141 per pupil in state money — more than twice the $3,399 traditional public schools received from the state after charter deductions;
  • Charter school funding is based on the cost of educating kids in a traditional school, despite the fact that charters have far lower actual costs. Charters pay teachers less, have no student transportation expenses, and are exempt from some 270 legal and regulatory requirements with which traditional schools must comply.
  • The resulting overpayment to charters comes at the expense of traditional school students. In FY 2012, for example, the $774 million transferred to charters gave traditional school children, on average, 6.5% less funding than the state said they needed.
  • Although proponents of “school choice” often cast charter schools as superior to traditional schools, 85% of those who transferred in the 2011-12 school year left districts with better state performance results than the charters to which they went. [Read more…]

Written by ronsylvester · Categorized: K-12 Education, Press Releases · Tagged: Charter Schools, School Funding

Feb 06 2013

Who is really served by latest Kasich budget?

served If Gov. John Kasich’s latest two-year state budget proposal proves one thing, it is this: Most Ohioans don’t have a friend in Columbus. If you’re a high income earner, the governor is on your side. If you’re a bigwig at a Big Oil & Gas firm, the governor is your humble servant. If you are a charter school cheat, looting public education – John Kasich is your wheelman. If you’re looking for relief or a leveling of the playing field – you’re out of luck. There are still bills to be dropped, hearings to be held and a months-long political process to watch and to participate in on Capitol Square. Innovation Ohio will be unpacking the issues below in greater detail in the coming days and weeks. The state budget is about taxing and spending, but it’s also a huge collection of public policy changes. It’s a document that can be forward looking and which offers a plan to put public money into to the public’s interest. What we’re seeing so far is ideological dogma, little that speaks to the future and lots of your money flowing in the wrong directions. [Read more…]

Written by ronsylvester · Categorized: Energy, K-12 Education, Ohio State Budget · Tagged: Big Oil, Charter Schools, Income Tax, John Kasich, Ohio Turnpike, Public Schools, Sales Tax, School Funding, Severance Taxes, State Budget, Vouchers

Jan 25 2013

IO Week in Review

Feel out of the loop? Here is your chance to catch up on the issues that matter and Innovation Ohio’s activities this week: IO hit the airwaves over the weekend, appearing on Columbus on the Record and Capitol Square to discuss the latest news in Ohio politics. On Tuesday, a story broke that Ohio State Board of Education President Debe Terhar compared President Obama to Hitler in a Facebook post, based on a dubious misreading of history. Innovation Ohio called on Terhar to resign immediately and asked that Governor Kasich speak out on the matter. [Read more…]

Written by bpeyton · Categorized: Innovation Station · Tagged: Charter Schools, Electoral College, Jon Husted, Ohio, Terhar

Dec 12 2012

Part 3: The Charters – Final In Our Series on Recent School Funding Hearing

In the final part of IO’s coverage of last week’s hearing on school funding in the Ohio House, I want to recount one of the most problematic, yet also encouraging portions: charter schools. You may read Part 1 and Part 2 by following the links. While the panel of Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution, Rick Hess from the American Enterprise Institute, Students First (Michelle Rhee’s group) and Marguerite Roza of the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington, which provided the blueprint for the Cleveland Plan, all made encouraging statements about the need for charter and traditional public school accountability to be the same, there remain deeply troubling issues.
  • They said money should follow the child. There is a big problem with that in Ohio because we know from Ohio Department of Education data that kids not in charter schools lose 6.5% of their state revenue, on average, because of how much more the state pays for charter school kids. Money follows the child leaving for a charter school in Ohio, as does significant money from kids who don’t leave for a charter school. If the “money follows the child” system the state develops next year (a near certainty) ends up leaving kids who don’t go to charter schools with significantly fewer resources; that is a major problem. The witnesses never mentioned the potential impact on kids who don’t go to charters.
  • Students First also suggested that charter schools should get School Facilities Commission money to help pay for their buildings. That’s something I hadn’t heard said before in public. I had heard about how charters need help with capital expenses, and I tend to agree with that, in principle. However, whenever more money goes to charters in Ohio, it seems to come out of the hides of the 90% of Ohio’s children who do not go to charter schools. So I’m always wary of proposals like these.
  • If charters are able to get OSFC money, and collect local revenue without any reduction in their state amount (like the Cleveland Plan allowed Cleveland charters to do), then we are looking at major increases in charter school revenue. And without any increased state commitment to education, which is looking more and more to be next year’s scenario as Gov. Kasich seems bent on using any additional revenue to fund a modest income tax cut, it means the money will come straight out of the pockets of kids who do not go to charter schools.
[Read more…]

Written by Stephen Dyer · Categorized: Innovation Station, K-12 Education · Tagged: Charter Schools, Ohio

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