Gov. Mike DeWine says he knows the House and Senate have different ideas about how to deal with changing the state’s Ed Choice school voucher program. He says he’s not taking sides on that. But DeWine says it’s important to think about why that program exists in the first place.
State lawmakers have delayed the EdChoice application process until April 1 while they try to deal with a huge expansion of the list of buildings where students are eligible. DeWine says it’s important to focus on the basic principle of the program.
“School Choice was designed originally to focus on poor children and poor families who are trapped in a school that is not performing well. And these children need the same opportunity that more affluent families have," DeWine says.
An EdChoice plan passed by the Senate would lower the number of buildings considered failing, but would also increase the number of income-based vouchers. A House-passed proposal would eliminate the EdChoice plan after next school year and go to an all income-based voucher system.
DeWine made his comments to reporters after the grand opening of the new Facebook Data Center in Columbus.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau
