YOUNGSTOWN Vouchers offer option for poor, proponents say

A voucher system proponent said such programs require mayoral support.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- As the Legislature expanded funding for a school voucher program in Cleveland, some private schools in the Youngstown area said parents here would benefit from a similar system that would give parents state money for private school tuition.
"It's no secret that our school system in Youngstown is in academic emergency ... and that many of the parents of students who are attending public schools would gladly opt out of those schools if they had the opportunity," said the Rev. Gary Johnston, superintendent of the Youngstown Christian School. Vouchers would give the option to parents who could not otherwise afford a private education, he said.
"I am getting increasingly frustrated with ... schools and school groups that say they exist for the benefit of students but, at the same time, do everything they can to prevent giving choice to parents to do what is best for their children."
For voucher systems to expand in Ohio beyond Cleveland, mayors must support them, said David Brennan of Brennan Industrial in Akron. Brennan operates several charter schools in Ohio. However, Brennan added, most of Ohio's big-city mayors are Democrats who oppose school vouchers.
Brennan said voucher systems can keep residents within city limits and the Cleveland program has done just that.
Here's the problem
"What's happening in Youngstown is that there's no middle class left," Brennan said. "To get the middle class back, you have to give them vouchers."
State legislators have added $10 million to funding for the Cleveland school voucher program. The Legislature increased the maximum annual amount allotted per pupil from $2,500 to $3,000. The program has also been expanded to include vouchers for ninth- and 10th-grade students.
Brennan said vouchers, based on available openings in Cleveland private schools, are first given to pupils living below the poverty level. Returning pupils also have priority.
The call for vouchers in Youngstown has quieted because of the creation of charter schools here, Brennan said. These nonreligious community schools are operated by private groups and funded by the state.
Youngstown public school officials could not be reached to comment. But the district has strongly opposed the city's charter schools. Public school officials say they take good pupils from public districts and drain resources.
Proponents of voucher systems say that public schools can eliminate those fears by creating quality education systems that can compete with private schools.
Also unavailable were Diocese of Youngstown officials. In Cleveland, most pupils using vouchers do so at Catholic schools. But administrators at other private schools say parents would likely use them if they were available.
Inquiries
Parents have asked about voucher programs at Montessori of Mahoning Valley in Boardman, said Principal Diane Gonda.
"Parents inquiring about enrollment have expressed a desire for their children to attend an academic program such as Montessori and have interest in a voucher system in order to give them a chance to choose," she said.
Lynn Rabosky, executive director of the Willow Creek Learning Center in Boardman, said parents there would like a voucher program, but it would only help them if it were open to youngsters in all public schools, not just those who are not performing well. Parents of pupils at the center choose it for various reasons besides academic performance, she said.
"I know everybody would love to have vouchers," she said, "but only if it's ... absolutely free choice."