Education

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified in the Senate Education Committee as an interested party for House Bill 96, the Operating Budget. CCO shared the pro-family benefits of school choice and statistics on Catholic schools, particularly enrollment increases among African American and Hispanic students, and that students on Jon Peterson and Autism Scholarships have doubled since 2014. CCO asked legislators to expand Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) to chartered nonpublic school students to allow students from low-income families to “receive specialized reading and math interventions, mental health support, and other areas of integral development, no matter where their parents choose to send them.”

Act Now – click here for an Action Alert to ask your Ohio senator to extend DIPA to chartered nonpublic school students.

Ohio Senators are actively reviewing the State’s Operating Budget, as passed by the House. Now is the time to ask Senators to provide students living in high-poverty areas with the support they need to flourish, regardless of what school they attend.

Catholic schools have historically welcomed students of all backgrounds, with a special focus on those facing economic challenges. Ask your Senator to expand support for these students by extending Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) to chartered nonpublic school students living in high-poverty areas. DPIA provides economically disadvantaged students with reading and math intervention, mental health support, and safety upgrades.

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The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified in support of school choice proposals in House Bill 96, the budget bill. While expressing appreciation for supporting Catholic school families through the EdChoice program, the CCO requested consideration of two proposals. First, to extend Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) to chartered nonpublic school students living in high-poverty areas. The second proposal is to allow the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship amounts in chartered nonpublic schools to match those in public districts. Governor DeWine's Executive Budget retained all the school choice programs currently in effect during the 2024-2025 school year.

In response to Governor Mike DeWine’s final executive budget, Brian Hickey, executive director for the Catholic Conference of Ohio, released the following statement:

“We commend Governor DeWine’s continued commitment to Ohio’s families and children through the Executive Budget, especially the proposed state child tax credit – a long-sought policy goal of the Catholic Conference for Ohio’s families. This would be a meaningful investment in recognizing Ohio’s families as the primary social institution of society and the foundation of Ohio’s future. We also commend the DeWine administration for identifying ways to use taxation for the common good, including recognizing the ongoing harms and addictive nature of sports gambling. Additionally, we thank Gov. DeWine for his commitment to educational options for Ohio’s families, and we look forward to sharing more about the life-changing difference Ohio’s school choice programs have had for children and parents in the budget deliberation process.”