Nearly 7,000 area kids eligible to transfer

YOUNGSTOWN — State legislation approved this week will double the number of local schools forced into the state voucher program that allows pupils in poorly performing schools to choose to attend a private school.

The program affected three schools in Youngstown and three in Warren this year.

Under an expansion approved Tuesday by the state House and Senate, three additional Youngstown schools, two additional Warren schools and one school each in Liberty and East Liverpool will be added to the list for next school year.

The legislation is awaiting the governor’s signature to become law.

Under current rules, pupils were eligible for state tuition vouchers of $5,000 if their home schools ranked in state academic watch or academic emergency for three consecutive years.

Under the new legislation, schools need to be in those categories for only two of the three previous years.

The vouchers can be used only at private schools, and pupils applying for them must first be accepted by a private school to get the funds.

The state set a maximum number of vouchers at 14,000, but only about 3,600 pupils actually applied this year.

Youngstown reported losing nearly 100 children from West Elementary, Hayes Middle and Wilson High schools to the voucher program this year. The district lost about $500,000 in state subsidies as a result.

The Ohio Department of Education said that, based on the changes in the rules, Youngstown’s Berry Middle School, Rayen High School and Odyssey: School of Possibilities are likely to be added to the voucher list.

District spokesman Mike McNair said there are concerns that the number of children opting for vouchers could double.

Both Rayen and Wilson are set to close at the end of this school year, but it is uncertain whether children who have been attending those schools for the last three years might still be eligible for the vouchers, even though they will be attending different city schools next year, McNair said.

Warren had Horace Mann Elementary, Western Reserve Middle and Washington Alternative School (grades seven-12) in the voucher system this year, losing a total of 35 pupils and about $175,000 in state subsidies, said Dr. Kathryn Hellweg, superintendent.

Under the program expansion, East and Turner middle schools would likely be added to the list.

“I definitely am concerned about any expansion of the program,” Hellweg said, adding that families who opt to take a voucher may not know what questions to ask when seeking a new school for their children.

They may not wind up in an environment that is any better than what they left, she said.

Liberty’s Blott Elementary has been added to the possible expansion list, as has East Liverpool Middle School. Neither district had a school in the program this year.

Both schools had been in academic watch for two consecutive years but both improved to a continuous improvement ranking this year.

Under the old rules, a total of 3,144 children in Youngstown and Warren were eligible to apply for vouchers. Under the expansion, the number of local pupils eligible jumps to 6,871 in the four school districts.