This forum is being rescheduled. If you have any questions, please call Tiffany France at 216.350.5571.
For weeks, the future of the EdChoice Scholarship Program has been the topic of hot debate. The program, enacted in 2005 and expanded in 2013, grants student vouchers based on a school's academic performance. The catalyst for this debate? The list of schools deemed to be failing by the state report card is about to more than double from 517 to 1,227.
The Ohio House of Representatives wants a voucher system based only on a student's family income, proposing a plan that would raise the eligible income threshold to 250 percent of the federal poverty level. The Ohio Senate, however, wants to keep EdChoice and change the methodology of determining what qualifies a school as failing. That change would bring the school eligibility list down to about 400 and would increase the income eligibility rate to 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
While Ohio legislators are at a stalemate, the public debate continues. On one side are advocates of public education, committed to the constitutionally-mandated common schools. On the other side are advocates of school choice, committed to a parent's right to choose a school that is perceived to be best for their children. Contributing to the debate are questions around racial and economic segregation, equity, and the future of Catholic schools.
It begs the question: where does this leave the children?
Join us as a panel of experts discuss the history of voucher programs, the benefits and drawbacks to both proposed plans, and how their passage or failure would impact education in Ohio.
