Rural Hardin County Schools Join Voucher Lawsuit

Source: https://www.limaohio.com/

Hardin County superintendents are concerned that Ohio’s future budget challenges could lead to a dilemma between funding public schools and supporting the state’s private-school voucher system. The county’s six public school districts, including Ada, Kenton, Hardin Northern, Upper Scioto, Ridgemont, and Riverdale, have united to join a coalition of schools in legal action against the EdChoice voucher program.

Key Highlight:

• Ohio is set to allocate nearly $1 billion for private school vouchers in the 2023-24 school year, expanding eligibility to all children in the state regardless of income. Hardin County, with no private schools, has minimal participation in the voucher program. Kenton schools’ superintendent Chad Thrush, noting fewer than 10 children used vouchers last year, raises concerns about the impact on education’s future, especially during economic downturns.
• Ohio’s voucher system began in 1997 with the Cleveland scholarship, offering publicly funded scholarships for students in struggling Cleveland schools to attend private schools. Subsequently, lawmakers introduced the EdChoice scholarship to extend vouchers to students in other underperforming schools. The system expanded further to include scholarships for children with autism and disabilities, alongside an income-based variation of EdChoice, continuing to broaden its reach over the years.
• Last summer, Ohio’s General Assembly finalized the expansion of the EdChoice scholarship, making it universal, although families earning over 450% of the federal poverty level do not receive the full scholarship. Dennis Willard, spokesperson for the Ohio Coalition of Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, stated this expansion strengthened their case. Originally involving urban schools, the coalition’s lawsuit against the program has gained support from numerous suburban and rural districts, arguing that the voucher system creates a “separate and unequal” educational landscape.
• The coalition, which previously sued Ohio for underfunding public schools in 1991, contends that the voucher program fosters a “separate and unequal system of schools for the wealthy” at the expense of underfunded public schools. Their argument hinges on Ohio’s constitutional mandate for a comprehensive and effective public school system, which prevents religious groups from exclusive control over public-school funds. They assert that private schools can selectively admit students based on factors such as race, religion, academic ability, disability, or family income, giving substantial control to private school operators. Supporters of vouchers cite past legal precedents, including a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld Ohio’s Cleveland scholarship, affirming parents’ authority to choose between secular and religious schools under the voucher program.
• Andrew Cano, superintendent of Hardin Northern schools, views the expansion of private school vouchers as an assault on public education, suggesting that diverting funds away from public schools undermines their perceived success and attractiveness. He highlights that public schools undergo rigorous scrutiny through audits, teacher evaluations, standardized testing, and other transparency measures that private schools do not face. Additionally, Cano and fellow superintendent Chad Thrush note that public schools in Hardin County receive less state funding per student compared to private schools that participate in the EdChoice program, which can receive up to $8,400 per high school student. Thrush emphasizes the public schools’ strict financial accountability, annual audits, and transparency, contrasting this with the less regulated financial practices of private institutions.

Read More: https://ohio.childreninfobank.com/safebank/rural-hardin-county-schools-join-voucher-lawsuit/

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