Kindling a Fire: Voucher Vexation

One of the biggest changes to state education policy in the last decade is the Ohio legislature’s expansion of various voucher programs for students. These programs provide state-funded scholarships to Ohio students in grades K-12 to be applied toward tuition at participating private schools.

What started as narrow initiatives to support students with special needs or targeted incentives for families to leave low-performing school districts has grown into a $970 million system that includes every family in Ohio. And with a “school choice” movement building in many states, it does not appear that vouchers are going away anytime soon.

The largest Ohio voucher program, EdChoice, is now available on an income-adjusted basis to every family. Until last year, these programs were limited to households with an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (approximately $75,000 for a family of four). But now, families up to 450% of the federal poverty level ($135,000) are eligible for the full voucher amount of approximately $6,000 for grades K-8 and $8,000 for high school. Families above that income threshold are still eligible for funding assistance, but on a sliding scale that can ultimately offer fairly minimal levels of support (support for income above $240,000 is capped at approximately $600 for K-8 and $800 for 9-12).

The expanded voucher system is not without controversy. Some public school advocates have argued that vouchers improperly divert hundreds of millions of dollars away from public education – which educates the vast majority of Ohio students – to favor religious or private schools. These advocates point to data that suggests that many new recipients of the EdChoice expansion were already enrolled in private schools; thus, the expanded voucher did not actually make new school choices available to most families.

On the other hand, supporters argue that the voucher system is a more efficient and successful means of funding education since it supports parents – rather than schools – with state dollars. While the debate is likely to continue, a lawsuit currently pending in Columbus may soon determine the constitutionality of this new system.

In the meantime, private schools must elect whether to participate in the state voucher programs. Most private schools now accept the EdChoice program, but at Country Day, we have opted out. Why refuse this source of funding? A few reasons:

• Independence – Country Day was founded as an independent school with the freedom to teach in distinct ways from the public education system. That means we have been able to avoid some of the negative trends that have swept public education in recent years (e.g., questionable reading curricula) and to react more nimbly to rapid change (e.g., Covid). It also means we are free from most state-mandated tests, leaving more time for innovative teaching and learning. But accepting vouchers subjects private schools to cumbersome state oversight, destroying the independent advantage we enjoy. State legislators are already targeting private schools that accept vouchers for more public school-like restrictions, tests, and compliance programs. As a result, we believe our school is better served by focusing on student achievement rather than state regulations.
• Accountability – Although our philosophy is generally opposed to state regulation, that does not mean CCDS is free from accountability. In fact, we are held accountable in a traditionally American manner – by the free market. If our program does not meet the needs of students, families will vote with their feet by not enrolling their children. Such a development would force us to change our approach far more than a state test or report. As it stands, though, our enrollment is as strong as it’s been in 20 years. Based on that accountability, we know that (whatever lawmakers may think) we are successfully educating the next generation of leaders.  
• Affordability – The relatively small dollar amount of the vouchers does not make private schools more affordable for most families. The initial 2023-24 data seems to bear this out. Meanwhile, Country Day has a well-established need- and merit-based financial aid model designed to make the school affordable for a range of mission-appropriate families. In this way, we serve the interests of affordability, but in a strategic, not scattershot, approach.

School choice programs will continue to be a hot topic in education for years to come. Country Day will track this trend and adapt our approach as necessary. For now, though, we intend to follow our tradition of independence, accountability, and affordability – without the assistance or intrusion of vouchers.

"Kindling a Fire" is a column submitted regularly to Indian Hill Living by Head of School Rob Zimmerman '98. This ran in the January/ February 2025 edition of the publication.