Ohio Overpaid Tens of Millions of Dollars to Thousands of Public Schools, Voucher Programs

Source: https://www.cleveland.com/

Ohio overpaid K-12 school districts, charter schools, and private-school voucher programs by as much as $30 million due to a glitch in the state’s funding formula.

Key Highlights:

• The error, caused by incomplete information provided by some school districts to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, will not be reclaimed from the schools. Lawmakers are working on a fix, but overpayments are expected to continue into the next fiscal year.
• The state’s funding formula, crucial for calculating scholarship costs, relies on data submissions from school districts. Some districts omitted data, notably on student athletics spending, leading to a skewed formula that overpaid districts, charter schools, career centers, and boards of developmental disabilities by millions.
• Larger districts like Columbus and Cleveland received unintended windfalls, while others, like Beavercreek City Schools, lost out. Despite the error, efforts to reclaim overpayments are unlikely. Senate President Huffman aims to rectify the formula promptly to avoid future errors, potentially through upcoming legislative measures.
• Ohio’s education landscape includes over a million students across public, charter, home, and private schools, with diverse participation in scholarship programs.

Read More: https://ohio.childreninfobank.com/safebank/ohio-overpaid-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-to-thousands-of-public-schools-voucher-programs/

Image Source: https://www.cleveland.com/