Solon State Representative Rips EdChoice Voucher Expansion

SOLON, OH — State Representative Phil Robinson, whose district includes Solon and Mayfield Heights, called on Ohio's government to fix the EdChoice voucher program. In early November, the Ohio Department of Education added Parkside Elementary to the voucher-qualified list.

The EdChoice program offers vouchers to private schools to families in districts with under-performing public schools, as designated by the state. The list nearly doubled in size this year, adding schools from districts like Shaker Heights, Lakewood and Solon. In 2018-2019, there were less than 300 individual schools on the EdChoice qualified list. In 2019-2020, that number will jump to 1,200.

The addition of Parkside comes despite the school's strong performance index score, 114.9, the fifth highest score in the state.

"There are clearly problems with the [EdChoice] expansion if school districts like Solon have a school that qualifies for EdChoice. Solon City School District is in the thriving community of Solon and is consistently a top rated district in Ohio and the nation, receiving an A grade on the state report card," Robinson said.

Due to the way EdChoice funding is structured, the more students who take scholarships through the program, the less money there is for public schools. School officials in Cleveland Heights have said they will need to ask voters to pass a levy to makeup the shortfall created by EdChoice vouchers.

When the state passed its budget, Robinson asked Governor Mike DeWine to veto the provisions expanding EdChoice. He argues the program has become bloated and has drifted away from its original purpose: helping low-income families secure a good education for their child.

"Expanding the EdChoice voucher program is the last thing we need to do. We have expressed concerns about this program in the past and how it takes resources away from our public schools. Taking even more public resources away from even more districts is not the answer," Robinson said.