In Debate

Ohio parents could soon see more taxpayer money in their pockets to help send their schoolchildren to private and religious schools, or fund homeschooling, under changes to a voucher program that Republican state lawmakers and the governor must hammer out by month’s end. Ohio has had some form of vouchers since 1996, but learning setbacks prompted by pandemic-era education disruptions, cultural battles over gender and race, and a national movement for parental rights have led to a larger push in Ohio and other states to make them more widely available. Advocates applaud it as expanding school choice, while opponents say such programs divert funding from public schools and violate Ohio’s constitution. School vouchers are state-funded and distributed through the Ohio Department of Education’s EdChoice Scholarship Program. Children are eligible if they attend certain underperforming public schools or come from low-income households…at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.