Voucher Program Targets 9 Heights Schools For 'Underperforming'

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Nine Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools landed on the state's controversial EdChoice eligibility list. The list of eligible schools on the list nearly doubled statewide this year.

The EdChoice program offers private school vouchers to families in districts with under-performing public schools, as designated by the state. The program makes it easier for students to forego public education and attend private schools.

The nine Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools that landed on the list are: Boulevard Elementary, Canterbury Elementary, Gearity Professional Development, Noble Elementary, Oxford Elementary, Roxboro Elementary, Roxboro Middle, Monticello Middle and Heights High.

On the state's EdChoice website, it says schools are eligible for addition to the voucher-qualified list if, "any of the following is true for two report cards from 2014, 2018 and 2019: The school received a Performance Index grade of D or F and a Value-Added (overall) grade of D or F on the 2014 Report Card or, the school received an overall grade of D or F or a Value-Added (overall) grade of F on the 2018 or 2019 report card."

Fairfax Elementary was actually removed from the EdChoice eligibility list, a development celebrated by district leaders.

"Although it's clear that we still have progress to make, it's also important to note that not only did we have a school removed from the list (Fairfax Elementary), it is one of only 17 schools in the entire state that are no longer designated as Ed Choice compared to last year. This - coupled with the fact that the number of Ed Choice schools in Ohio has nearly doubled since last year - I believe is a testament to the struggle that public schools continue to face when dealing with the State Report Card and Ed Choice program," said new Heights Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby in an email to Patch.

The expansion of the EdChoice program has impacted inner-ring suburbs and affluent exurbs alike. Solon Schools saw one of their elementary schools added to the list, while neighboring Shaker Heights had three of their schools become EdChoice eligible.