Rep. Sweeney: Universal voucher bill would undermine public education in Ohio

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland), the Ranking Democrat on the House Finance Committee, issued a statement today after the first hearing of House Bill (HB) 290, controversial legislation that would allow any school-aged child in Ohio to be eligible for a state voucher to pay for private education, regardless of family income. Opponents say the bill undermines the Fair School Funding Plan, long-time bipartisan priority legislation sponsored by Rep. Sweeney and signed into law as part of the 2022-23 state budget that created a constitutional school funding formula to strengthen public education in Ohio.

“House Bill 290 does not have the quality standards or the fiscal accountability needed to ensure the thorough and efficient system of common schools that the Ohio Constitution demands,” said Rep. Sweeney. “It’s difficult to stomach essentially giving away at least a billion in public dollars when, for decades, this state has chronically underfunded public schools and overburdened property taxpayers to do it. We are just starting to implement the Fair School Funding Plan, where Ohio for the first time ever will have a constitutional funding framework for its public schools, and this sweeping change undercuts that effort.”

Currently, school vouchers are only available if a student meets certain criteria regarding disability, family income or school performance, and they only account for a small portion of students in the state. There is no clear rationale, data, or formula behind the amounts provided by state-funded vouchers. The Fair School Funding Plan created a transparent and predictable school funding formula based on the actual cost of educating a child in Ohio. Under the plan, each district has a unique base cost per pupil according to community-specific data while vouchers provide an arbitrary amount that does not account for the diversity of this state. The public school system accounts for 90% of the state’s students, and the Fair School Funding Plan is fiscally responsible and most importantly fair for students, communities and taxpayers.

HB 290 now awaits further hearings in the House Finance Committee.