SENATE BILL 11
Summary of Senate Bill 11
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SPONSOR
Senator Sandra O'Brien, District 32 TARGETS Funding for Local Schools K-12 Public Schools K-12 Students DESCRIPTION Expands the availability and amount of EdChoice scholarships, removing money from Ohio's public schools. Also increases the income tax credit for homeschooling families without proposing any additional regulations. |
COMMITTEE
Senate Education Committee INTRODUCED January 11, 2023 WATCH HEARINGS Read Testimony | Watch Testimony BILL General Info | Bill As-Written | Analysis Sponsor Testimony |
What does Senate Bill 11 do?
Senate Bill 11 expands eligibility for Ed Choice tuition vouchers to all Ohio K-12 students and increases the homeschooling tax credit to $2,000. Students may use the Ed Choice tuition voucher at participating chartered nonpublic schools.
Details:
Details:
- Expands eligibility for Educational Choice (EdChoice) vouchers to all students beginning with vouchers sought for the 2023-2024 school year, and removes all existing eligibility requirements, including income and performance requirements
- Qualifies all K-12 students statewide for a first-time scholarship
- Provides $5,500 for students in grades K-8
- The money may be used at any public, community, or chartered nonpublic school
- Provides $7,500 for students in grades 9-12
- Students who receive a performance-based scholarship in the 2022-2023 school year can renew that scholarship through grade 12 without meeting the current law renewal requirement to remain in the same resident school district or to transfer to a new district and be assigned to an Ed Choice designated, district-operated school; that student must continue to meet state testing and absences criteria
- Ends Cleveland’s pilot project “Scholarship Program” on July 1, 2023 (the Scholarship Program was created to exempt Cleveland schools from the EdChoice program and the removal of resources from local schools that it creates)
- Increases the annual tax credit for homeschooling students from $250 to $2,000 without making any requirements about the education provided for that student
- The $2,000 homeschool tax credit may be used for educational expenses such as books, supplies, software, subscriptions, and other materials that are used directly for home instruction
- Vouchers do not replace the current Autism Scholarship or the Jon Peterson Special Needs programs
What is our position on Senate Bill 11?
OPPOSE
The Ohio Constitution requires the legislature to fund a thorough and efficient public education system that serves the common good. Since the adoption of the Ohio Constitution in 1851, the state legislature has been responsible for ensuring the revenue sources, distribution method, and balance between state and local taxpayers' are fully and equitably funding school districts across Ohio. Decades after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled, in 1997, that Ohio's public school funding method was unconstitutional, inequitable, and overly reliant on property valuation, the Ohio legislature still fails to meet its funding obligation.
Distracts from Fully Funding Public Education: Instead of moving Ohio closer to a constitutionally funded public education system, SB 11 would divert needed state dollars away from public education to increase funding for private school options. Siphoning more state funds away from public education not only endangers already underfunded public schools, it unnecessarily increases state costs. The proposed program forces Ohio public schools serving the common good to compete for public funding with private schools serving a select few.
Forces Ohioans to Fund Private Education: Removing restrictions for Ed Choice voucher eligibility transfers responsibility of funding private education from the individual to the public, forcing the public to fund private education tuition rather than the individual family attending the school.
Promotes Loosely Regulated, Unaccountable Schools: Private schools are loosely regulated by the state and have little to no public accountability around student wellbeing, curriculum, academic outcomes, or school expenditures. Because of limited reporting requirements and publicly available data, it is extremely difficult for the state to protect the interests of the students attending private schools.
Helps Private Schools Discriminate Against Students: Private schools are not open to all students and use a selective admissions process allowing them to reject students and discriminate for various reasons. This admissions practice allows private schools to decide which students they will educate using public funds.
Funds Schools Not Available Across Ohio: Private schools are not widely available across Ohio and some only cater to specific religious groups. Despite that, SB 11 requires broad public funding regardless if a private school is available for every community or suitable for all students.
Harms and Disadvantages Rural Communities: Private school options are starkly absent in most rural communities. Ironically, SB 11 will force rural communities to redirect needed public funds away from their public schools to fund vouchers for out-of-reach private schools that their students cannot attend.
Voucher Programs Lack Supporting Data or Evidence: There is little publicly available data showing vouchers improve education quality or student outcomes. When public school students use private school vouchers, it rarely reduces costs but does immediately reduce public school funding and enrollment damaging opportunities for the remaining public school students.
Resources:
How to Define Public Schooling in the Age of Choice?
Distracts from Fully Funding Public Education: Instead of moving Ohio closer to a constitutionally funded public education system, SB 11 would divert needed state dollars away from public education to increase funding for private school options. Siphoning more state funds away from public education not only endangers already underfunded public schools, it unnecessarily increases state costs. The proposed program forces Ohio public schools serving the common good to compete for public funding with private schools serving a select few.
Forces Ohioans to Fund Private Education: Removing restrictions for Ed Choice voucher eligibility transfers responsibility of funding private education from the individual to the public, forcing the public to fund private education tuition rather than the individual family attending the school.
Promotes Loosely Regulated, Unaccountable Schools: Private schools are loosely regulated by the state and have little to no public accountability around student wellbeing, curriculum, academic outcomes, or school expenditures. Because of limited reporting requirements and publicly available data, it is extremely difficult for the state to protect the interests of the students attending private schools.
Helps Private Schools Discriminate Against Students: Private schools are not open to all students and use a selective admissions process allowing them to reject students and discriminate for various reasons. This admissions practice allows private schools to decide which students they will educate using public funds.
Funds Schools Not Available Across Ohio: Private schools are not widely available across Ohio and some only cater to specific religious groups. Despite that, SB 11 requires broad public funding regardless if a private school is available for every community or suitable for all students.
Harms and Disadvantages Rural Communities: Private school options are starkly absent in most rural communities. Ironically, SB 11 will force rural communities to redirect needed public funds away from their public schools to fund vouchers for out-of-reach private schools that their students cannot attend.
Voucher Programs Lack Supporting Data or Evidence: There is little publicly available data showing vouchers improve education quality or student outcomes. When public school students use private school vouchers, it rarely reduces costs but does immediately reduce public school funding and enrollment damaging opportunities for the remaining public school students.
Resources:
How to Define Public Schooling in the Age of Choice?
Ohio Speaks Out on Voucher Expansion
Ohio School Boards Association:
“We believe that Ohio should update and fully fund the Fair School Funding formula before engaging in any type of voucher expansion,” said Jennifer Hogue, director of legislative services for OSBA. “Granting state-funded vouchers reduces the level of funding available to support and improve the public school system to meet the needs of the students that have chosen to attend their public school.”
Read more HERE
AJ Calderone, Superintendent of LaBrae Local Schools:
"Is the achievement of students taking the voucher better than their public school counterparts? Will private schools be required to accept all students? Should Ohio taxpayers fund parent choice? If the State diverts hundreds of millions of dollars to private schools via vouchers, what might be the impact on local public schools? What might be the long-term impact on local property taxes?...
LaBrae is a participating district in the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit. We see vouchers as an existential threat to public schools, which are a foundational institution of our society that play a critical role in fostering individual opportunity and helping to sustain democracy. Moreover, the LaBrae Board of Education believes the lawsuit is integral to protecting public education and Ohio taxpayers."
Read more HERE
Cincinnati Enquirer investigation on EdChoice program results:
Public districts included in the analysis had $410 million deducted and redirected to private schools through the programs since 2018. Ohio's eight largest districts shouldered the heaviest burden, with about $325 million deducted, according to Ohio Department of Education data.
Yet five of the largest districts – Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland, Akron and Canton – fared better academically than their local private school rivals, by margins ranging from slight to decisive, according to The Enquirer analysis.
Dayton, Columbus and Youngstown, the remaining three of Ohio's largest districts, had lower test proficiency levels than their surrounding private schools.
In 2019, Black pupils comprised a majority of all students in Ohio's eight largest districts.
But the voucher system has been least successful in educating Black students, testing data shows. About 37% of Black voucher students in Ohio's private schools met or exceeded proficiency, about four percentage points lower than Hispanics and nearly 20 points lower than whites.
Read more HERE.
“We believe that Ohio should update and fully fund the Fair School Funding formula before engaging in any type of voucher expansion,” said Jennifer Hogue, director of legislative services for OSBA. “Granting state-funded vouchers reduces the level of funding available to support and improve the public school system to meet the needs of the students that have chosen to attend their public school.”
Read more HERE
AJ Calderone, Superintendent of LaBrae Local Schools:
"Is the achievement of students taking the voucher better than their public school counterparts? Will private schools be required to accept all students? Should Ohio taxpayers fund parent choice? If the State diverts hundreds of millions of dollars to private schools via vouchers, what might be the impact on local public schools? What might be the long-term impact on local property taxes?...
LaBrae is a participating district in the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit. We see vouchers as an existential threat to public schools, which are a foundational institution of our society that play a critical role in fostering individual opportunity and helping to sustain democracy. Moreover, the LaBrae Board of Education believes the lawsuit is integral to protecting public education and Ohio taxpayers."
Read more HERE
Cincinnati Enquirer investigation on EdChoice program results:
Public districts included in the analysis had $410 million deducted and redirected to private schools through the programs since 2018. Ohio's eight largest districts shouldered the heaviest burden, with about $325 million deducted, according to Ohio Department of Education data.
Yet five of the largest districts – Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland, Akron and Canton – fared better academically than their local private school rivals, by margins ranging from slight to decisive, according to The Enquirer analysis.
Dayton, Columbus and Youngstown, the remaining three of Ohio's largest districts, had lower test proficiency levels than their surrounding private schools.
In 2019, Black pupils comprised a majority of all students in Ohio's eight largest districts.
But the voucher system has been least successful in educating Black students, testing data shows. About 37% of Black voucher students in Ohio's private schools met or exceeded proficiency, about four percentage points lower than Hispanics and nearly 20 points lower than whites.
Read more HERE.
TAKE ACTION
Opposition Testimony Needed
HOW TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY
**DO NOT SEND TESTIMONY UNTIL THE APPROPRIATE HEARING IS ANNOUNCED**
STEP 1:
PREPARE YOUR TESTIMONY
Read tips for preparing and submitting testimony HERE
STEP 2:
EMAIL TESTIMONY DOCUMENTS TO COMMITTEE
Email a PDF of your testimony & this completed Witness Slip to Aaron.Riggins@ohiosenate.gov
**IMPORTANT**
Do NOT send your testimony until the appropriate hearing is announced.
You must submit your testimony 24 hours ahead of the scheduled hearing.
Indicate in your email that you are submitting opposition testimony and ask for a confirmation of receipt.
All testimony will be uploaded HERE
STEP 3:
ARRIVE EARLY FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY
Arrive at least 1 hour prior to the scheduled hearing
There is convenient parking in the Statehouse Parking Garage
Sign in on the witness roster in the hearing room