Area educators split on latest Ohio school voucher bill

May 17—Lawmakers haven't yet determined what per-pupil funding will look like across Ohio.

But one proposed bill aims to take whatever those dollar amounts are, and have it follow students to whichever public, private, or parochial school they choose to attend.

Called the "backpack bill," the two-page legislation recently introduced by Ohio Rep. Marilyn John (R.,Shelby) and Ohio Rep. Riordan McClain (R., Sandusky) would dramatically upend Ohio's voucher system, which currently targets children in underperforming schools and provides vouchers of about $4,500 for elementary and middle school children and $6,000 for high schoolers.

Supporters of Ohio's backpack bill, including the Center for Christian Virtue, said it empowers families to choose the educational option that best meets their needs.

One of the bill's sponsors, Ohio Rep. Derek Merrin (R., Monclova), said it's "beyond shameful" that some schools closed their doors for an entire year and, as a result, denied students an education while other schools remained open.

"Our parents and students need more options, which lead to better outcomes," he said in a prepared statement. "Our public schools have nothing to worry about with this bill. If they are doing such a good job, why would anyone leave? Apparently, some are afraid students will leave when they have a choice. That tells you everything you need to know.

"You want public funds then open your doors and do your job," he added.

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But Washington Local Schools Superintendent Kadee Anstadt argues the backpack bill is falsely being advertised as a family choice bill because nothing requires private or religious schools to accept all students.

If anything, she said, the bill would funnel more taxpayer funds to private schools that refuse a choice to families whose children and teens have learning and physical disabilities, as well as religious schools that refuse a choice for families of LGBTQ students.

"It's not choice, so let's not call it that," she said. "It's a nice little visual to put the backpack on every kid. But when the backpack walks up to the door and you [reject] the kid, turn them around, and send them back to a different school saying, 'I don't want you because you look like this,' or 'you have this disability, 'or you're not like the other kids in our school,' then that's not choice.

"Your backpack's not wanted at every school," she added. "You may have a backpack, but your backpack won't get you in the door at a lot of those schools."

She and Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Tom Hosler agree it would be a mistake to expand vouchers without first addressing how private and parochial schools would be held accountable for the increase in public funds they'd receive.

As it stands, private schools do not have to follow the same testing and other standards as public schools and both superintendents argue taxpayers would not receive accountability for the pubic funding that would be funneled to those schools.

"There's no consistency with how those public funds are tracked," Mr. Hosler said. "For public schools, there are certain standards for auditing and evaluating staff, for serving students on [Individualized Educational Plans]. If you're going to take the step of funding all schools equally and have that money follow students to all public and private schools, then you need a uniform approach on how you're going to hold accountable all entities that are receiving this funding.

"I'd be very interested in seeing how [lawmakers] would address that," he added.

There's also no guarantee the bill would help families who want their children to attend a different public school, such as Perrysburg, Mr. Hosler said.

The district is the fastest-growing in the state, and he said Perrysburg officials might have to turn students outside of the district, away — denying them a choice even if the backpack bill passes.

Matthew Daniels, Diocese of Toledo's Department of Catholic Education's senior director, said he doesn't understand why school choice gets so politicized.

He said he agrees in many ways with public school leaders in their criticisms of standardized tests and whether they accurately reflect their achievement or success across various metrics, but he disagrees that legislation such as the backpack bill would be harmful for families and public schools.

For one thing, he said EdChoice hasn't resulted in students flooding private schools, adding seats remain available at many Catholic schools where school vouchers are available.

And while he feels for public school officials and understands their concerns about equitable funding, he said it's unfair for families to be held hostage to a public institution just because they lack of funds or don't live in the right ZIP Code.

"It doesn't make sense why it's OK for some parents to have options but not all parents, and if you live in certain neighborhoods you can have some options but not others," he said. It just doesn't seem like it's a clear message.

"We can't protect institutions more than we protect kids and it really boils my blood when I think of how the politics on both sides sometimes [makes us] forget about who this matters to, which is our young people in our state. That's what's at stake when we continue to kind of play around with legislation regarding school choice in general," he added.

Blade Columbus Bureau Chief Jim Provance contributed to this story.

First Published May 16, 2021, 3:43pm