There’s another benefit that some opposed to private schools believe those schools, or many of those schools, possess. That would be the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship Program, which provides $4,650 for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, and $6,000 for those in high school to go toward the cost of tuition at a private school.
To be eligible for that program, the student has to come from a family with an income of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level. They also have to attend one of the designated 473 school buildings across 87 public school districts, which includes both urban and rural districts.
Private-school administrators and coaches point out that very few schools are bringing in a student solely on EdChoice money. That money would only cover between half to two-thirds of the tuition costs for many private schools.
“Even if you get an EdChoice kid, what people are forgetting is if we’re getting an EdChoice kid for $6,500, we still have to bankroll that other $6,500,” said T.K. Griffith, interim principal and boys basketball coach at Hoban. “It’s about $13,000 to go to Hoban. We still have to grant-in-aid that other $6,500, and that’s coming from our financial aid resources. It’s not like we’re making $12,000 off this youngster. There’s still a deficit for us to pay our teachers and everything.”
