Comments on: Special Needs Scholarships Passes House Committee

By: Beth Lear

Beth Lear — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:35:39 +0000

aneinu: The budget bill, House Bill 119, had the same program and it’s simplified explanation is on page 169 and 170 of the following site: http://www.lbo.state.oh.us/fiscal/budget/CompareDoc127/CompareDoc-HB119-EN.pdf
Also, I encourage you to go to: http://www.lbo.state.oh.us/fiscal/fiscalnotes/127ga/SB0057HR.htm
to review the fiscal note for Senate Bill 57. Both documents can be confusing, so if you need more information or a further explanation, contact the Ohio Department of Education’s Center for School Finance and Options. Or let me know if you have any questions about what you find.

By: aneinu

aneinu — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:18:30 +0000

Beth: Thanks for the clarification. Do you have any links to the Legislative Service Commission, or any other site that comes to those conclusions? Thank you.

By: Beth Lear

Beth Lear — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:03:33 +0000

Money for the program comes only from the state dollars, not the local tax dollars. That fact comes from a thorough reading of the legislation, the experts at the Legislative Service Commission and the administrators of current education voucher programs at the Ohio Department of Education. Most of the cost will be covered by the state’s basic aid, which is currently $5,655 per pupil. Since the majority of scholarship recipients, likely around 80%, will fall into the first 2 categories of special needs, the least expensive of the 6 categories of need that Ohio’s defined, the overwhelming majority of dollars will come from the basic aid money. Any additional funds used will come from the state’s special needs payments to the school. A child who leaves a school district will still be counted in their ADM, thus leaving behind local monies that would have gone to educate them and instead will be shared by remaining students. Only 3% of Ohio’s special needs children will be allowed access to the scholarships, and it is widely expected that the majority of those will come from urban districts that are already performing poorly.

Additionally, well-respected researchers have found that, contrary to school districts with voucher programs “losing” money to private schools, districts in Milwaukee, Florida and Ohio, as well as the other states who have various forms of school choice, have continued to see larger-than-inflationary increases in their budgets.

By: Marc Schare

Marc Schare — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:23:31 +0000

Make no mistake, the majority of the money to pay for this bill will come from local property tax dollars. Local levy amounts will be increased over time. When institutions such as the Buckeye Institute start advocating policies that will inevitably lead to large (local) tax increases, you know that fiscal conservatism is truly on life support in this country..

By: avrohom adler

avrohom adler — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:49:42 +0000

Where does the money to pay the private school come from if the tax dollars stay in the public school district?

Thank you

By: David Hansen

David Hansen — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:32:19 +0000

He has threatened a veto, yes. He line-item vetoed it out of the budget sent to him last year by the General Assembly.

By: avrohom adler

avrohom adler — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:26:31 +0000

Does the governor plan on vetoing this bill? thanks