Hello everyone:  I am very grateful for the tremendous response to Bishop Blair’s letter of November 28 asking you to create awareness of House Bill 136 and urge Catholics to voice their support to state legislators.  This proposed legislation expands school choice in the state and was introduced by State Rep. Matt Huffman of Lima.

Last week, Rep. Huffman introduced significant changes to the legislation that you should be aware of.  These changes are:

1.    -Scholarship limited to the amount of state aid per pupil spending by district

2.    -Local district keeps all excess funds

3.    -Number of scholarships limited to 1% of district enrollment

4.    -Income eligibility tied to Medicaid S-CHIP eligibility

5.    -Elimination of  Educational Savings Account provision

Rep. Huffman explains the changes in this excerpt from an article in “The Columbus Dispatch:”

“State Rep. Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican who introduced House Bill 136, said yesterday he was retooling the legislation to address some of the concerns. At a Statehouse news conference, he said he wants to protect public schools and did not want “to see any doomsday scenarios.”

Huffman said he would soon introduce a new bill that will lower income guidelines to restrict eligibility, cap the number of vouchers available in each school district and reduce the amount a student can receive.
He said he hopes the changes “address the big issues brought to me from the public school districts.”

Under the proposal Huffman outlined yesterday, vouchers would be available to families in any school district with household incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level — $67,050 a year for a family of four. However, no more than 1 percent of a district’s enrollment can receive a scholarship. Statewide, that amounts to 17,000 students.

In addition, the amount of the voucher will vary by district. A voucher must be equal to the cost of the private-school tuition up to $4,500 a year, but no more than the amount of per-pupil state aid received by the district.
So, in high-wealth districts that receive little aid from the state, such as Bexley, vouchers could be as little as a few hundred dollars, while students in lower-wealth districts would be eligible for the maximum amount.
Huffman said his aim was to make sure school districts stood to lose only the state portion of their per-pupil aid and no local tax dollars. He also agreed to drop a provision that allowed parents to deposit any unused voucher money into a college savings account for their child.

School-choice advocates have rallied around Huffman, eager to expand options for Ohio students.
“Thousands of families are anxiously waiting for this scholarship program so their children can finally have access to a high-quality education that best meets their learning needs,” said Jason Warner, legislative director for School Choice Ohio.

Under Ohio’s current school-voucher program, vouchers are available to students in low-performing schools regardless of income. This year, schools in 28 districts met the criteria, and 15,219 students are receiving vouchers, according to the Ohio Department of Education, far fewer than the 30,000 vouchers available. Huffman’s original proposal would have expanded the program to families with incomes up to $95,000 a year in any school district.”

Clearly, school choice legislation will continue to be a prominent issue in 2012 and beyond.  Your continued support is vital now and in the future, and is greatly appreciated.