Evan Eagleson is a Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action. In this role, he aids the advancement of student-centered legislation in the Great Lakes region.
Ohio has long been a vanguard of education reform. From expanding broadband access to building a holistic approach to strengthening the state’s talent pipeline, the Buckeye State does not accept the status quo.
This year, under the strong leadership of Gov. Mike DeWine, Senate President Matt Huffman and Speaker Jason Stephens, Ohio took big strides in ensuring students and educators can increase learning gains and better prepare children throughout the state for success in school and in life.
It all begins with early literacy. Ohio invested more than $160 million this year to help teachers, families and students succeed.
This includes $43 million in professional development and training for teachers in the proven science of reading, as well as $18 million for literacy coaches to support classroom work. Ohio also supported schools with $64 million for instructional material aligned with the science of reading, including the banning of the “three-cueing” curriculum that emphasizes guessing words based on context clues over scientifically proven methods, such as phonological awareness and phonics.
Ohio’s public charter schools, also known as community schools, provide students with public school alternatives to their geographically assigned, traditional school. Charter schools have the freedom to adopt unique approaches to curriculum, instructional models and school culture that traditional public schools do not.
In many states, oftentimes the public school establishment will resist and undermine charter schools by funding their students at levels far below students in traditional public schools and blocking them from accessing unused district school buildings.
While there is further to go, Ohio has made significant strides to secure fair funding for charter schools. This year’s budget includes $175 million for charter school facility upgrades as well as $140 million for the “Quality Community Schools Fund,” which will allow charters to receive $650 more per pupil than before, further narrowing the funding gap between charter school and traditional public school students. The beneficiaries of these investments? The more than 119,000 students attending a community school.
Ohio’s “EdChoice” scholarship program has long been a popular and successful way for families to access private school options for their children that may have been out of their financial reach.
Lawmakers, led by Sen. Huffman, wisely responded to demand and prioritized the needs of families by investing $1 billion to create universal eligibility and ensure that all students have access to the program.
With this investment, families earning up to a household income of about $135,000 for a family of four will receive nearly $6,200 annually for K-8 students and $8,400 for high school students. These funds are in the form of a voucher for families to use at a participating private school of their choice. Families earning above that level will receive a voucher based on a sliding scale.
Having money follow the child is a commonsense approach to support student achievement. And over time, it helps foster a more diverse array of school options for all families.
Gov. DeWine’s prudent stewardship of taxpayer money, emphasis on early literacy and middle school math achievement and investing in tutoring—combined with this year’s historic policy improvements—set his leadership and Ohio apart.
By putting students at the center of every policy consideration, Ohio will continue to be a state where families have the resources and educational opportunities their children need to reach bright and rewarding futures.
