State lawmakers did the right thing in delaying Ohio’s EdChoice scholarship program.
An expansion of the program set to take effect with the 2020-21 school year would have more than doubled the number of public schools affected, from 517 in this school year to 1,227 in the next. In Lucas County, the number of schools potentially losing students and funds to the program would have risen from 37 in 2019-20 to 57 for the 2020-21 school year, with the number of districts affected doubling from three to six.
This expansion would have occurred despite flaws in the rating system that determined which public schools were deemed failing: the much-maligned A-through-F report card assessment system then-Gov. John Kasich switched the state to in 2014. The fact that it was delayed until the 2020-21 school year was a virtual admission of its flaws.
So, the delay was the right thing to do, as House Speaker Larry Householder (R., Glenford) noted. “I think this was the best we could probably do at this time,” he said.
Merely putting it off, however, is not the best state lawmakers can do.
Their next steps should be to revamp the rating system that determines which schools are truly failing some of their students to an extent that the only way to properly educate them is to give them an alternative outside the public school system. When they get a chance — either when social distancing restrictions allow in-person hearings or virtual hearings can be set up — the General Assembly should hear from experts inside and outside the public education system to find a better rating system for EdChoice.
Once they do that, they should ensure their own continued attention to the matter by putting state dollars into the mix. The General Assembly should commit 25 percent of the dollars spent on Ohio’s performance-based EdChoice program. This would give state lawmakers an incentive to help public schools improve. Without such a commitment, the state tends to point to struggling school districts and blame them for failing students.
The state constitution commits the General Assembly to “secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the State.” To do that, it needs to take responsibility for the success of all schools. To do that, state lawmakers need to put some skin in the game.
Our leaders in Columbus were wrong to wait until the last minute to fix this mess but right not to rush into a solution. As soon as time allows, they need to fix the EdChoice program and make it work for all schools and students.
First Published April 1, 2020, 4:00 a.m.
