Agudah Commends Gov. of Ohio’s Proposal to Dramatically Expand School Vouchers

Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio announced in his State of the State Address a proposal to raise the current qualifying threshold to be eligible for Ohio’s EdChoice scholarship program from 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 400%, one of the highest in the nation. This will benefit thousands of students from middle-class families all around the state, who will now be eligible for EdChoice scholarships valued between $5,500 and $7,500 per student. Additionally, the Governor proposed an initiative to fund school resources officers to protect students in all schools, including nonpublic schools.

For years, Rabbi Yitz Frank, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of Ohio, has worked closely with state officials to pass and implement school choice for Ohio families. This latest accomplishment highlights Agudath Israel’s long-term strategic approach to enhancing our communities’ priorities and providing leadership on school choice initiatives in states around the country.

Rabbi Frank stated, “Today is a day to celebrate Governor DeWine’s bold vision to empower families and provide them with true school choice. We know that when parents are in the driver’s seat, all students benefit.” Rabbi Frank promised that Agudath Israel would continue to work with its coalition partners and with the members of the General Assembly to enable more families to qualify. The state’s biennial budget will need to be passed and agreed upon by both the Ohio House and Senate, which will take place over the next five months. “We look forward over the coming months to working closely with the champion of school choice, Senate President Huffman, and the newly elected leadership and members of the Ohio House.”

This past year, Agudath Israel was again instrumental in the passage of a bill that further expanded school choice options. Some of these provisions included:

• Allowing students that initially qualify for Ohio’s EdChoice Income-based Scholarship Program to remain eligible for a full scholarship, even if their family income rises.
• Allowing siblings of students enrolled in Ohio’s EdChoice Income-based Scholarship Program to qualify for a scholarship.
• Eliminating the June 30th deadline for families to use funds in their ACE scholarship account and doubling the award amount to $1000. This provides eligible families with a $1000 grant that can be used to pay for a variety of enrichment activities that will accelerate learning for students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.