HB136 Synopsis

8/4/2019 HB136 Synopsis

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Ohio Legislative Service CommissionBill Analysis Hannah K. Wann

H.B. 136129th General Assembly

(As Introduced)

Reps. Huffman, Goodwin, Roegner, J. Adams, Thompson, McClain, Amstutz, Anielski,Brenner, Young, Derickson, Blessing, Slaby, Mecklenborg, Butler, Wachtmann,Stautberg, Blair, Maag, Uecker, Newbold, Sears, Patmon, Buchy, Combs, Hall,Gonzales, Martin, Landis, Batchelder, Stinziano, Beck, Henne, Bubp, Hollington,Boose, Hottinger, Burke

BILL SUMMARY

Replaces the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program and the Cleveland

Scholarship and Tutoring Pilot Program with a new, incomebased scholarship

program,entitled theParentalChoiceandTaxpayerSavingsScholarshipProgram

(PACT),providingstudentswithscholarshipstoattendnonpublicschools.

Requires the Treasurer of State to establish and maintain an education savings

accountforeachPACTscholarshipstudentwhosescholarshipamountexceedsthe

studentstuitionandfees.

Permitsastudentorparenttousemoneyinthestudentseducationsavingsaccount

forspecifiedfutureprimary,secondary,andpostsecondaryeducationexpenses.

Creates the ParentalChoice and Taxpayer Savings Scholarship Program Support

Fund,madeupofinterestonandleftovermoneyfromindividualstudenteducation

savingsaccounts,tobeusedtoadministerthePACTscholarshipprogram.

Creates the Special Education Scholarship Program to provide scholarships for

disabled children in gradesK through 12 to attend alternative public or private

specialeducationprograms.

RequirestheDepartmentofEducationtodevelopadocumentthatcomparesrightsunder state and federal special education law and rights under the Special

Education Scholarship Program, and requires school districts to distribute that

documenttotheparentsofallspecialeducationstudents.


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Legislative Service Commission -2- H.B. 136

Requires theDepartment ofEducation to conduct a formative evaluation of the

SpecialEducationScholarshipProgrambyDecember31,2014.

Entitlestheact,the ParentalChoiceandTaxpayerSavingsScholarshipAct.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PACT scholarship ......................................................................................................................... 3Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3Eligibility .................................................................................................................................... 3Amount of scholarship .............................................................................................................. 4

Income thresholds ................................................................................................................. 4Scholarship amount .............................................................................................................. 5Financing and payment ......................................................................................................... 6Disclosure to school districts ................................................................................................. 6

Eligible nonpublic schools ......................................................................................................... 6Duties of nonpublic schools ...................................................................................................... 7Tuition and fees for scholarship students.................................................................................. 8

Assessments and data .............................................................................................................. 8Ed Choice and Cleveland requirements carried over to PACT ............................................. 8Additional requirements ........................................................................................................ 9

Purpose statement .................................................................................................................. 10Rule-making ............................................................................................................................ 10

Education savings accounts ....................................................................................................... 10Support Fund .......................................................................................................................... 11

Report ................................................................................................................................. 12Special Education Scholarship Program ..................................................................................... 12

Background on IDEA .............................................................................................................. 12The bill .................................................................................................................................... 12Eligibility .................................................................................................................................. 13

"Qualified special education child" ...................................................................................... 13"Eligible applicant" ............................................................................................................... 14

Annual limit on the number of scholarships ............................................................................ 15Alternative providers of special education programs .............................................................. 15

Alternative public providers ................................................................................................. 15Registered private providers ............................................................................................... 15

Scholarship amount ................................................................................................................ 16Payment of scholarships ......................................................................................................... 17Application deadlines .............................................................................................................. 18Continuation of some school district services ......................................................................... 18Written notice of rights and informed consent ......................................................................... 18

Background ......................................................................................................................... 19

Provider profile ........................................................................................................................ 19State Board rules .................................................................................................................... 20Formative evaluation ............................................................................................................... 20

Transportation for all scholarship students ................................................................................. 20Access to data verification codes; privacy of records ................................................................. 21

Confidentiality of Ed Choice and Cleveland scholarship participants ..................................... 22Prohibition on using more than one scholarship program at a time ............................................ 22Background on current scholarship programs ............................................................................ 22

Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring program ......................................................................... 22Cleveland Scholarship program .......................................................................................... 23


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Cleveland Tutoring program ................................................................................................ 23Ed Choice ............................................................................................................................... 23Autism Scholarship Program................................................................................................... 25

CONTENT AND OPERATION

PACT scholarship

Introduction

ThebillrepealstheEducationalChoiceScholarshipPilotProgram(EdChoice)

and theClevelandScholarshipandTutoringPilotProgram (ClevelandScholarship)

and establishes a scholarship programbased on family income entitled theParental

ChoiceandTaxpayerSavingsScholarshipProgram(PACT). (Forbriefdescriptionsof

the states current scholarship programs, see Background on current scholarship

programs attheendofthisanalysis.)

ThePACTscholarship isabroader,statewideprogram forqualifyingstudents.

AswithEdChoice,theamountofthescholarshipisdeductedfromastudentsresident

schooldistrict. ThePACTprogramalso includesan educational savingsaccount for

fundsnotusedtopayforschooltuition(seebelow). Thereisnolimitonthenumberof

PACTscholarshipsthatcanbeawarded,andscholarshipsmaybeusedatanyeligible

nonpublicschool (seebelow). Thebill grandfathers current recipientsofEdChoice

andClevelandscholarshipsbyqualifying them forPACTscholarships,andphases in

studentsalreadyenrolledinnonpublicschoolsindependently,notthrougheitherofthe

existingstatescholarshipprograms.1

Eligibility

ToqualifyforaPACTscholarship,astudent(1)mustbeentitledtoattendschool

inanOhioschooldistrictand (2)musteither(a)havea familyfederaladjustedgross

incomefortheprecedingtaxyearlessthanorequalto2.5timestheincomestandardfor

areducedpricelunchor(b)havereceivedanEdChoiceorClevelandscholarshipinthe

school year immediately prior to the school year in which the PACT scholarship

programbeginsoperating.2

ForstudentswhoalreadyattendanonpublicschoolinOhioimmediatelypriorto

theschoolyearforwhichaPACTscholarshipissought,butnotundertheEdChoiceor

Clevelandscholarshipprograms,thebillphasesineligibilityasfollows:

1R.C.3310.02.

2R.C.3310.02(A).


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School year for which student isapplying for a scholarship

Eligible grades

2011-2012 Kindergarten

2012-2013 Kindergarten through 4th

2013-2014 Kindergarten through 8th

2014-2015 and thereafter Kindergarten through 12th

A student who did not attend a nonpublic school in Ohio during the

immediatelyprecedingschoolyeariseligibleforascholarshipinanygrade,Kthrough

12,beginninginthe20112012schoolyear.3

AstudentremainseligibleforaPACTscholarshipandmaycontinuetoreceive

scholarships in subsequent school years until the student completes the high school

curriculum, so long as the student (1) remains entitled to attend school in anOhio

school district (which essentially means that the student and the students parent

remain Ohio residents), (2) the students family income continues to meet income

eligibility requirements (unless that student is a grandfathered Ed Choice or

Cleveland scholarship recipient), (3) the student takes each state achievement

assessmentprescribedforthestudentsgradelevel,and(4)thestudentisnotabsentfor

more than 20 days that the school is open for instruction, not including excused

absencesasdefinedbytheStateBoardofEducation.4

IfastudentwhohasreceivedaPACTscholarshipbecomesineligible,thestudent

nevertheless may continue to use money accumulated in the students education

savingsaccount(seebelow).5

Amount of scholarship

Income thresholds

Thescholarshipamountawardedtoaneligiblestudentisbasedonthestudents

familyincomefortheprecedingtaxyear,asmeasuredbythefamilysfederaladjusted

grossincome. Thebillusesthestandardforreducedpriceluncheligibilityasabasefor

awardingscholarships. Currently,reducedprice lunch is185%of thefederalpoverty

line. According to theU.S.DepartmentofAgriculturesFoodandNutritionwebsite,

theDepartmentadvised stateagenciesadministering foodandnutritionprograms touse the 20092010 school year guidelines to determine eligibility for the 20102011

3R.C.3310.03(B).

4R.C.3310.03(C)and(E).

5R.C.3310.03(d).


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schoolyear.6 Using those standards, the federalpoverty levelused for the20102011

schoolyearforafamilyoffouris$22,050. Toqualifyforreducedpricelunch,afamily

offourmusthaveanannualincomelessthanorequalto$40,793.7 Asusedinthechart

below, that income standard for a reducedprice lunch shallbe referred to as the

standard.

Scholarship amount

Theamountof the scholarship isbasedon thesumof the formulaamount for

each studentplus the per pupil amount ofbase funding supplements, as calculated

undertheformerBuildingBlocksmodelschoolfundingsystem. Theformulaamount

forFY 2011 is $5,732.8 (Current lawdoesnot specify a formula amountbeyond FY

2011.) ThebasefundingsupplementamountforFY2009was$50.90.9 Thus,usingthe

most recent and available amounts, thebase amount for the scholarshipwouldbe

$5,732+$50.90,or$5,782.90.

Students receive a percentage of thebase amount, depending on the familys

federaladjustedgrossincomefortheprecedingtaxyear,asfollows:10

Family income Amount of scholarshipEstimated dollar amount of

scholarship using mostrecent available amounts

Less than or equal to 1.5 times thestandard

80% of the base amount $4,626



Less than or equal to 2 times the

standard






Greater than 2.5 times the standard,but received either Ed Choice orCleveland Scholarship in the yearpreceding the implementation of thePACT scholarship


6http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/IEGs1011.htm,lastvisited3/6/11.

7http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/IEGs0910.pdf,lastvisited3/6/11.

8R.C.3317.02(B),notinthebill.

9R.C.3317.012(C),notinthebill.

10R.C.3310.05.


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Financing and payment

PACT scholarships are to be financed in a manner similar to Ed Choice

scholarships. PACT studentswouldbe counted in the enrollments of their resident

schooldistricts forpurposesof school funding,and then those students scholarships

wouldbedeductedfromtheirschooldistricts statepayments.11

TheDepartmentofEducationmustpaythescholarshipamounttoeachstudents

parent,ortothestudentifthestudentisatleast18yearsold. Paymentsmustbemade

on a periodic basis over the course of the school year. The Department must

proportionatelyreduceorterminatepaymentsforanystudentwhowithdrawsfroman

eligiblenonpublic schoolbefore theendof the schoolyear. If the student leaves the

nonpublicschoolandenrollsinthestudentsresidentdistrictorinacommunityschool,

theDepartmentmustpartially restore theamountdeducted from theschooldistricts

statefunds.

Ifthescholarshipamountexceedsthetuitionandfeesofthestudentsnonpublicschool,andifthestudentremainsenrolledintheschoolthroughtheendoftheschool

year, the Department must deposit the excess amount into the students education

savingsaccount(seebelow).12

Disclosure to school districts

The bill requires the Department to disclose, on each school districts state

fundingcomputationform,thetotalamountofstateand localfundingcreditedtothe

district for its PACT scholarship students minus the total amount of scholarships

deducted

for

those

students.

The

bill

specifies

a

formula

for

the

Department

to

use

in

determiningtheamounttodisclose. Essentiallythatformulameansthefollowing:

[(Thedistrictstotalstateoperatingaidperpupil+itslocaloperatingtaxrevenue

perpupil)xthedistrictsnumberofPACTscholarshipstudents]thetotal

deductedfromthedistrictsaccountforPACTscholarshipstudents

The resultwouldbe the amount of state and local funds remaining after the

scholarshipsarededucted.13

Eligible nonpublic schools

APACTscholarshipmaybeusedtopaytuitionandfeesataneligiblenonpublic

school. An eligible nonpublic school is either a chartered nonpublic school, or an

11R.C.3310.08(C)and3317.03.

12R.C.3310.08(A),(B),and(C).

13R.C.3310.08(D).


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approved nonpublic school, that has registered with the Superintendent of Public

Instruction its intent toacceptscholarshipstudentsand itsagreement tocomplywith

therequirementsoftheprogram. Acharterednonpublicschoolisaprivateschoolthat

hasreceivedastatecharterfromtheStateBoardofEducationbecauseitmeetstheState

Boardsminimumoperating standards for schools.14 An approvednonpublic school,

underthebill,isaprivateschoolthat:

(1) Isintheprocessofbecomingacharterednonpublicschoolandhasreceiveda

preliminaryapprovaltooperatefromtheStateBoardwithinthepastthreeyears;and

(2) FileswiththestateSuperintendentpriortothestartoftheschoolyeareither:

(a) A suretybond payable to the state, or a letter of creditwith the state as

beneficiary,inanamountequaltoonehalfofthePACTscholarshipfundsexpectedto

bereceivedduringtheschoolyear,asdeterminedbytheSuperintendent;or

(b)A

guarantee

in

the

amount

of

$1

million

from

aperson

or

organization

with

a

networthofatleast$5million,demonstratedtothesatisfactionoftheSuperintendent.15

Duties of nonpublic schools

Thebillrequiresnonpublicschools todoallof thefollowing toremaineligible

fortheprogram:

(1) Communicate to theDepartmentofEducation the tuition structure for the

school,includingalldiscountsandothertuitionadjustmentstowhichastudentmaybe

entitled;

(2) Presenttotheparentofeachstudentawardedascholarship,orthestudentif

atleast18yearsofage,astatementdetailingthetuitionandrequiredstudentfeesthat

willbesubjecttopaymentfromthestudentsscholarshipamount;

(3) Administerthestateachievementassessments(seebelow);

(4)Withdrawfrom theschoolanyscholarshipstudentassoonas itdetermines

thatthestudentwillnolongerattendtheschool. Thestudentswithdrawaldateisthe

lastdatethatthestudentattendedclasses.

(5) Obtain criminal records checksof its employeesand contractors,anddeny

employment to those who committed disqualifying offenses, in the same manner

requiredbycurrentlawforcharterednonpublicschools.16

14SeeR.C.3301.16,notinthebill.

15R.C.3310.09(A).


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Tuition and fees for scholarship students

Eligiblenonpublicschoolsmaynotchargeascholarshipstudenttuitionandfees

thatexceedthecostofprovidingeducationtothestudent. Indeterminingtuitionfora

PACT scholarship student, an eligible nonpublic school must apply any tuition

discountsorratesforwhichthestudentqualifies, includingbutnot limited to,sibling

discountsorchildofemployeediscounts. Further,pursuant to the schoolspolicy, ifoneexists,thebillpermitsaneligiblenonpublicschooltotreattheamountofthePACT

scholarship as a parental resource thatmaybe considered as a factor in awarding

institutionalfinancialaid.17

The bill also authorizes eligible nonpublic schools to file PACT scholarship

applicationsonbehalfofeligiblestudentsandtheirparentsifsodesignatedinwriting

byaparentor student, if18orolder. However, theschoolmaynotchargea fee for

doingso.18

Assessments and data

Ed Choice and Cleveland requirements carried over to PACT

As is thecaseundercurrent law for theEdChoiceandCleveland scholarship

programs,thebillrequires(1)eligiblenonpublicschoolsthatenrollstudentswithPACT

scholarships to administer the state achievement assessments to the scholarship

students and to report their scores to the Department of Education, and (2) the

Department to report performance data derived from the achievement assessments

takenby thePACTstudents. TheDepartmentmustpost theperformancedataon its

web site anddistribute it to the parent of each student eligible to participate in the

scholarshipprogram.19

The Department must group the data by school district (including all

participants intheprogramfromthatdistrict),byeligiblenonpublicschool(including

all participants enrolled in that school), and by state (including all participants

statewide). Thedataalsomustbedisaggregatedwithineachgroupby(1)age,(2)race

andethnicity,(3)gender,(4)studentswhohaveparticipatedinthescholarshipprogram

for three ormore years, (5) studentswho have participatedbetween one and three

16R.C.109.572and3310.09(B)and(C). SeeR.C.3319.39,3319.391,and3319.392,noneinthebill.

17R.C.3310.13(B)and(C).

18R.C.3310.13(A).

19R.C.3310.14and3310.15(A).


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years, (6) studentswho have participated for one year or less, and (7) economically

disadvantagedstudents.20

Inreportingperformancedataforscholarshipstudents,theDepartmentmaynot

report data that is statistically unreliable or that could result in the identification of

individual students. Thebill prohibits theDepartment from reporting data for any

group that contains less than ten scholarship students. Therefore, for example, if anonpublic school enrolls 20 scholarship students across several grade levels, the

Departmentcouldreporttheschoolwideassessmentresults,buttheremaybetoofew

students in a particular grade or racial group to report the resultsby grade level

withoutendangeringastudentsprivacy.21

TheDepartmentmust provide the parent of each scholarship studentwith a

comparisonof thestudentsachievementassessmentscoreswith theaveragescoresof

similar students enrolled in the school districtoperated building the scholarship

studentwould otherwise attend. For thispurpose, the scholarship studentmustbe

compared to students of similar age, grade, race or ethnicity, gender, and

socioeconomicstatus.22

Additional requirements

Incomputingstudentperformancedata,thebillrequirestheDepartment, tothe

greatestextentpossible, toincludestudentperformancegrowthusingthevalueadded

progressdimension.23

Moreover, thebill requires theDepartment, to extentpermittedunder federal

law, to releasestudentassessment scoresandperformancedata relating to thePACTscholarshipprogramtoindependentresearchorganizationsthatarepartof,orformally

affiliatedwith,accreditedpublicorprivateuniversities. Thedatareleasemustbe for

thepurpose of conducting longitudinal analysis ofPACT studentperformance. The

releaseddatamaynotbeusedtodisclosetheacademiclevelofindividualstudents.24

Normally, under the federal Family EducationalRights and PrivacyAct (and

undertheimplementingstatelaw),theDepartmentandpublicandprivateschoolsare

not permitted to release student personally identifiable datawithout a students or

parents consent. However, the lawprovides a number of specific exceptions. One

20R.C.3310.15(B).

21R.C.3310.15(D).

22R.C.3310.15(E).

23R.C.3310.15(C). SeeR.C.3302.021,notinthebill.

24R.C.3310.15(F).


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exceptionpermits the release of data to organizations to conduct studies for, or on

behalfof, theeducationalagency to develop,validate,oradministerpredictivetests;

administerstudentaidprograms;or improve instruction. Inapplyingthisexception,

the state or a school must ensure that the information (1) is used only by the

organization requesting thedataand (2) isdestroyedwhenno longerneededby the

organization.25 ItisthisexceptionthattheDepartmentlikelywouldinvokeinorderto

lawfullyreleasestudentdatatooutsideresearchers.

Purpose statement

Similar toastatement incurrent law for theEdChoiceprogram, thebillstates

that it is the policy adopted by the General Assembly that the PACT scholarship

program is one of severaloptions available for eligible students. It states that those

students may choose to enroll in the schools of the students resident district, in

community schools, in the schools of another school district pursuant to an open

enrollmentpolicy,innonpublicschoolswithorwithoutaPACTscholarship,orinother

schoolsasthelawmayprovide.26

Rule-making

Thebill requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules that prescribe

procedures for the administration of the PACT scholarship program. As stated in

currentlawforEdChoice,thebillalsostatesthattheStateBoardandtheDepartment

maynotrequireeligiblenonpublicschoolstocomplywithanyeducationlaws,rules,or

otherrequirements thatarenotspecifiedunder thebillsprovisions, if theyotherwise

wouldnotapplytoeligiblenonpublicschools.27

Education savings accounts

IftheamountofaPACTscholarshipawardedtoastudentexceedstheamountof

tuitionandfeeschargedbythestudentseligiblenonpublicschool,theexcessmustbe

paidintoan educationsavingsaccount establisheduniquelyforthatstudent. Unlike

thescholarshippaymentsthemselves,whicharepaidperiodicallythroughoutaschool

year,theexcess,ifthereisany,maynotbepaidintothestudentsaccountuntiltheend

oftheschoolyear;andthenonlyifthestudentisstillenrolledinaparticipatingeligible

nonpublicschool.28 Eachstudentsaccount is in thecustodyof theTreasurerofState,

but notheld in the state treasury. TheTreasurer of State is required to adopt rules

2520UnitedStatesCode(U.S.C.)1232g(b)(1)(F)and34CodeofFederalRegulations99.31(a)(6).

26R.C.3310.06.

27R.C.3310.17.

28R.C.3310.08(A).


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under theAdministrativeProcedureAct for the establishment and administration of

studenteducationsavingsaccounts.29

Onceanaccountisestablishedforastudent,money intheaccountcanbeused

bythestudentorstudentsparentsforanyofthefollowing:

Tuitionand

fees

at

an

eligible

nonpublic

school

under

the

PACT

scholarshipprogramforfutureschoolyears;

Textbooks requiredby an eligible nonpublic school or an institution of

highereducationinOhio;

Tuitionand fees forenrollment inany institutionofhighereducation in

Ohio;and

Fees for national normreferenced examinations, advanced placement

exams,andanyexamsforadmissiontoaninstitutionofhighereducation

inOhio.30

(Ohio higher education institutionswhere themoney in the accounts canbe

spent include state and private colleges and universities and forprofit proprietary

collegesandschools.31)

A students accountmustbemaintained as long as there ismoney in it,until

either(1)thestudentreaches25yearsofageor(2)diesbeforereachingthatage. Any

money left in the account at that timemustbe paid into the Parental Choice and

Taxpayer Savings Scholarship Program Support Fund,which is createdby thebill.

Similarly,allinvestmentearningsonmoneyineachstudentsaccountmustbepaidinto

thatseparatesupportfund.32

Support Fund

Thebillcreates in thestate treasury theParentalChoiceandTaxpayerSavings

Scholarship Program Support Fund. That fund is made up of interest earned on

individual student education savings accounts and any unused money left in a

studentsaccountwhen thestudent reaches theageof25ordiesbefore reaching that

29R.C.3310.10(A).

30R.C.3310.10(B).

31R.C.3310.01(B). SeeR.C.3365.01(A),notinthebill.

32R.C.3310.10(A)and(C).


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age. Money in the fundmustbe usedby theDepartment of Education to support

administrationofthePACTscholarshipprogram.33

Report

The Treasurer of Statemust issue an annual report to theGovernor and the

GeneralAssemblyon the totalamountpaid into theSupportFund from interestand

leftovermoneysinindividualstudenteducationsavingsaccounts.34

Special Education Scholarship Program

Background on IDEA

Under the federal IndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct (IDEA),children

identifiedasdisabledareentitledtoa freeappropriatepubliceducation thatprovides

special education and related services to enable them to benefit from educational

instruction.35 Related services include transportation and support services such as

speechlanguage pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physicalandoccupationaltherapy,counselingservices,anddiagnosticmedicalservices. Under

both the IDEA and state law, an individualized education program (IEP)mustbe

developedforeachchildidentifiedasdisabled. TheIEPspecifiestheservicestowhich

the child is entitledandare thereforeguaranteedby law. It isdevelopedby a team

includingrepresentativesofthechildsresidentschooldistrict(orcommunityschoolor

STEMschool)andthechildsparentortheparentscounsel.36 Achildsschooldistrictor

schoolmayprovidetheservicesspecifiedintheIEP,oritmayenterintoanagreement

withanotherpublicorprivateentitytoprovidethoseservices.

The bill

The bill establishes the Special Education Scholarship Program to provide

scholarships for disabled children to attend special education programs other than

thoseofferedbytheirschooldistricts. Theprogramappliestoany identifieddisabled

child in gradesK through 12. A scholarshipmaybeused topay the expenses of a

public or private provider of special education programs for implementation of the

childsIEPandotherservicesthatarenotintheIEPbutareassociatedwitheducating

33R.C.3310.18.

34R.C.3310.10(D).

35See20U.S.C.1400etseq.

36See20U.S.C.1414andR.C.3323.011,notinthebill.


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thechild. Thebillalsopermitsthe eligibleapplicant (generallythechildsparent,see

below)andtheprovidertoagreetoaltertheservicesprovidedtothechild.37

Whileachildisusingascholarship,theschooldistrictinwhichthechildwould

otherwisebe enrolledhasnoobligation toprovide the childwith a free appropriate

publiceducation. But thebillalsospecifies that if thatdistricthasagreed toprovide

someservicesforthechild,orifthedistrictisrequiredbyseparatelawtoprovidesomeservices, including transportation services, the district may not discontinue them

pendingcompletionofanyadministrativeproceedingsregarding thoseservices. (See

Continuation of some school district services below.) The district also has a

continuingobligationtodevelopthechildsIEP.38

Eligibility

"Qualified special education child"

Under the bill, a child is eligible, or qualified, for a special education

scholarshipifthechildisfrom5to21yearsoldandthechildsresidentschooldistrict

hasidentifiedthechildasdisabledanddevelopedanIEPforthechild. Inaddition,the

childmusteither(1)havebeenenrolled inthedistrictinwhichthechild isentitledto

attend school inanygrade fromK through12 in theschoolyearprior to theyear in

whichthescholarshipwouldfirstbeusedor(2)beeligible toenrollforservicesfrom

thatdistrict in theschoolyear inwhich thescholarshipwould firstbeused. Thebill

explicitlyspecifies thatachildattendingapublicspecialeducationprogramunderan

agreementbetween the childs school district and the program provider, or a child

attendingacommunityschool,mayapplyforascholarship.39

But,underthebill,acommunityschoolisnotconsideredachildsschooldistrict

of residence.40 Therefore, any IEP developedby the community schoolwould not

qualify the child to receive a scholarship. It is not clear under thebillwhether a

community school studentwouldneed to enroll inadistrict school to receiveanew

districtdevelopedIEPpriortoreceivingascholarship.

37R.C.3310.52.

38R.C.3310.53and3310.62(C).

39R.C.3310.51(F)and3310.61.

40R.C.3310.51(I).


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Moreover,achildisnoteligibleforascholarshipinanyschoolyearinwhichthe

child hasbeen awarded a scholarship under the Autism Scholarship Program (see

COMMENT)orthebillsnewPACTscholarshipprogram.41

Thebill also specifies that a childmust remain in compliancewith the states

CompulsoryAttendanceLaw. Underthatlaw,theparentofachildwhoresidesinthe

statewhoisbetween6and18yearsofagemustattendapublicorprivateschoolthatmeets theminimum education standards of the StateBoard ofEducationunless the

student is excused from attendance for home instruction. A child can facejuvenile

sanctionsandachildsparentcanfacecriminalsanctionsviolationsofthatlaw.42

AchildisnoteligibleforascholarshipforthefirsttimewhilethechildsIEP is

being developed orwhile any administrative orjudicial proceedings regarding the

contentof that IEParepending. On theotherhand, thebillalsospecifies that, in the

case of a child forwhom a scholarship already hasbeen awarded, development of

subsequent IEPs and the prosecuting of administrative or judicial mediation or

proceedings with respect to any of those subsequent IEPs do not affect continued

eligibilityforscholarshippayments. Inotherwords,ascholarshipwillnotbeawarded

andpaiduntil thechildsIEP is inplaceand it isclear that therearenochallenges to

that IEP. Butfuture challenges to subsequent IEPswill notdisqualify the child for a

scholarship.43

"Eligible applicant"

Thebillpermitsthefollowing individualstoapplyforandacceptascholarship

foraqualifiedspecialeducationchild:

(1) The childs custodial natural or adoptive parent or parents. The bill

specificallyexcludesaparentwhosecustodialrightshavebeenterminated.

(2) Thechildsguardian;

(3) Thechildscustodianotherthantheparent;

(4) The childs grandparent if the grandparent is an attorneyinfact under a

powerofattorneyorifthegrandparenthasexecutedacaregiveraffidavit(bothunder

continuing

law);

41R.C.3310.51(F)(5).

42R.C.3310.51(F)(6). SeeR.C.Chapter3321.,notinthebill.

43R.C.3310.62.


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(5) The childs surrogate parent appointed under state and federal special

educationlaw;or

(6) Thechild,ifthechilddoesnothaveacustodianorguardianandisatleast18

yearsold.44

Annual limit on the number of scholarships

Thebilllimitsthenumberofscholarshipsthatmaybeawardedeachyearunder

the Special Education Scholarship Program to notmore than 5% of the number of

identifieddisabledstudentsresidinginthestateduringthepreviousfiscalyear.45

Alternative providers of special education programs

Scholarshipsmaybeused topay for special educationprogramsprovidedby

alternativepublicprovidersorbyprivateentitiesregisteredwiththeSuperintendentof

PublicInstruction.

Alternative public providers

Analternativepublicprovidermustbeeither(1)aschooldistrictotherthanthe

districtobligatedtoeducatethedisabledchild(orthechildsresidentschooldistrict,if

different)or(2)anotherpublicentitythatagreestoenrollthechildandimplementthe

childsIEP. Inaddition,thealternativepublicprovidermustbeanentitytowhichthe

eligibleapplicant,ratherthanaschooldistrictorotherpublicentity,owesfeesforthe

services provided to the child. In otherwords, an eligible applicant cannot use a

scholarship to enroll a child in a school district or other public entity towhich the

childs schooldistrictwould send the child for special education servicesbecause, inthatcase,thechildsdistrictwouldberequiredtopaythereceivingdistrictorentityfor

theservicesprovidedto thechild. Normayaneligibleapplicantuseascholarship to

enroll the child in a community schoolbecause the community school, as a public

school,would receive funds to educate the child evenwithout the scholarship. The

eligible applicantmust use the scholarship to pay for special education and related

servicesprovidedbyaschooldistrictorpublicentityfromwhichtheeligibleapplicant

otherwisewouldnotreceivethoseservicesforthechildfreeofcharge.46

Registered private providers

Nonpublic schools and other private entitiesmay accept scholarship children

underthebill,butfirsttheymustregisterwiththeSuperintendentofPublicInstruction.

44R.C.3310.51(C).

45R.C.3310.52(B).

46R.C.3310.51(A).


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Tobe registeredby the Superintendent, the private school or entitymustmeet the

followingrequirements:

(1) Itmust complywith the antidiscrimination provisions of the federalCivil

RightsActof1964,47whichprohibitsdiscriminationonthebasisofrace,color,ornational

origin in theadministrationofbenefitsassistedwith federal funds. Thebill specifies

thatthisantidiscriminationstatementappliestoaregisteredprivateproviderregardlessofwhether theprovider receives federal financialassistance. A studentsscholarship

undertheprogramisnotfundedwithfederalmoney.

(2) It agrees to conduct criminal records checks of applicants for employment

andcontractors,ifitisnotalreadyrequiredtodosopursuanttolaw;48

(3) Itmeetsapplicablehealthandsafetystandards;

(4) It agrees to retain any documentation required by the Department of

Education;

(5) It agrees to provide to the childs resident school district a record of the

implementationofthechildsIEP,includingevaluationofthechildsprogress;and

(6) Itagrees that if itdeclines toenrollaparticularchildunder theprogram, it

willnotify the eligible applicant inwriting of its reasons fordeclining to enroll that

child.49

If theSuperintendentofPublic Instructiondetermines thataprivate schoolor

entityno longermeets thesecriteria, theSuperintendentmust revoke its registration.

Theschoolorentitymustbeallowedahearingpriortorevocation.50

Scholarship amount

EachSpecialEducationscholarshipisworththesmallerof:

(1) Thetotalfeeschargedbytheprovider;or

(2) Amaximumamountbasedon theperpupilamount thatwouldhavebeen

computed forpayment toa schooldistrict for the studentunder the formerBuilding

BlocksModelschoolfundingsystem. Thatamountisthesumof:

47 42U.S.C.2000d.

48R.C.109.57,109.572,3319.39,3319.391,and3319.392(lastthreenotinthebill).

49R.C.3310.58.

50R.C.3310.59.


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(a) The formulaamount,whichforFY2011is$5,732;plus

(b) TheperpupilbasefundingsupplementsastheywerecalculatedforFY2009

($50.90);plus

(c) A weighted special education amount, equal to the formula amount

multipliedby

one

of

the

following

weights:

0.2892,forastudentwithacategoryonedisability(speechand language

disabledonly);

0.3691, for a student with a category two disability (specific learning

disabled,developmentallydisabled,orotherhealthimpairedminor);

1.7695, for a studentwith a category three disability (vision impaired,

hearingdisabled,orseverebehaviordisabled);

2.3646, for a student with a category four disability (orthopedicallydisabledorotherhealthimpairedmajor);

3.1129,forastudentwithacategoryfivedisability(multipledisabilities);

or

4.7342,forastudentwithacategorysixdisability(autism,traumaticbrain

injuries,orbothvisuallyandhearingimpaired).

Beforeapplyingthesemultiples,thebillspecifiesthattheymustbeadjustedby

multiplyingthemby0.80(inotherwords,80%oftheprescribedweight).51

Theprescribedweightsandcategoriesarethesameonesusedundertheformer

BuildingBlocksModel.52 Theyareslightlydifferentfromtheonesprescribedunderthe

currentsystemforfundingschooldistricts(unofficiallyknownasthe EvidenceBased

Model (orEBM)).53 Under current law, theEBMweights (like the formerBuilding

Blocksweights)aremultipliedby90%,insteadof80%.

Payment of scholarships

Likeother

current

scholarship

programs

and

the

bill

snew

PACT

scholarship

program, theDepartmentofEducationmustmakeperiodicpayments throughout the

school year to the eligible applicant for services provided to a qualified special

51R.C.3310.56.

52R.C.3317.013,notinthebill.

53R.C.3306.02(D)and3306.11,neitherinthebill.


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educationchild,untilthefullamountofthescholarshiphasbeenpaid. Theamountof

thescholarshipisdeductedfromthestateaidaccountoftheschooldistrictinwhichthe

child is entitled toattend school. Thatdistrict isauthorized to count the child in its

formulaADMandspecialeducationADM. Ifthechild isnotincludedintheformula

ADM of thatdistrict, theDepartmentmust adjust thedistrictsADM to include the

child and recalculate the districts state aid payments for the entire fiscal year

accordingly.

Thescholarshipmaybeusedonlytopayfeeschargedbythealternativespecial

educationprogram for implementationof thechildsIEPandotherservicesagreed to

bytheproviderandtheeligibleapplicantthatarenotintheIEPbutareassociatedwith

educatingthechild. TheDepartmentmustprorateachildsscholarshipamount ifthe

childwithdrawsfromthealternativeprogrambeforetheendoftheschoolyear.54

Application deadlines

In order to qualify for a scholarship, either for the first time or to renew ascholarshipaneligibleapplicantmustsubmitanapplication inthemannerprescribed

by the Department of Education and notify the childs school district. The bill

prescribesApril15as theapplicationdeadlineforacademic terms thatbeginbetween

July1andDecember31(thefirsthalfofaschoolyear),andNovember15foracademic

termsthatbeginbetweenJanuary1andJune30(thesecondhalfofaschoolyear).55

Continuation of some school district services

The bill provides that, if the resident school district of a child awarded a

scholarshiphas

agreed

to

provide

some

services

for

the

child

or,

if

the

district

is

required by law to provide some services for the child, including transportation

services, the district may not discontinue the services pending completion of any

administrative proceedings regarding those services. It also specifies that the

prosecuting, by the eligible applicant on behalf of the child, of administrative

proceedings regarding those services does not affect the applicants and the childs

continuedeligibilityforscholarshippayments.56

Written notice of rights and informed consent

The

bill

requires

the

Department

of

Education

to

develop,

within

60

days

after

the bills effective date, and subsequently to revise as necessary, a document that

compares aparents and childs rightsunder state and federal special education law

54R.C.3310.52,3310.54,3310.55,3310.57,and3317.03(A),(B),and(F)(5).

55R.C.3310.52(C).

56R.C.3310.60and3310.62(C).


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with their rights under the Special Education Scholarship Program, including the

scholarshipprogramsstatutoryapplicationdeadlines(seeabove). Italsorequires the

Departmentandeachschooldistricttodistributethedocument toparentsofdisabled

childrenas apartof, appended to,or in conjunctionwith theprocedural safeguards

noticerequiredunderfederallaw. Itthenspecifiesthataneligibleapplicantsreceiptof

thecomparisondocument,asacknowledgedinaformatprescribedbytheDepartment,

constitutesnoticethattheeligibleapplicanthasbeeninformedofthoserights. Itfurtherprovides thatacceptanceofascholarshipconstitutes theeligibleapplicants informed

consenttotheprovisionsoftheSpecialEducationScholarshipProgram.57

Background

Federal specialeducation law requires that theparentsofdisabledchildrenbe

givennoticeof theproceduralsafeguardsavailable to them regarding theirchildrens

special education and related services. Specifically,both the state and each school

districtareobligatedtoprovidea fullexplanation ofthosesafeguards writteninthe

native languageoftheparents(unlessitclearlyisnotfeasibletodoso)andwritten inaneasilyunderstandablemanner.58 Thatdocumentmustbeprovidedonceeachyear

and upon referral or request for the childs evaluation, upon the first filing of an

administrative complaint, or upon parental request. The federal statute and rules

provideanextensivelistofitemsthatmustbeincludedinthedocument.

Incompliancewiththisfederalrequirement,theOhioDepartmentofEducation

has developed a document entitled Whose IDEA is This? A Resource Guide for

Parents, writteninEnglish,Spanish,andFrench. Schooldistrictsmustdistributeitto

parents inaccordancewith the law,and italso isavailableon theDepartmentsweb

site.59

Provider profile

Eachalternativepublicproviderandeachregisteredprivateproviderthatenrolls

achildundertheprogrammustsubmitawritten profile oftheprovidersservicesto

theeligibleapplicant. Theprofilemustbe inaformprescribedbytheDepartmentof

Education andmust contain adescription of themethods of instruction thatwillbe

used inproviding services to the childand thequalificationsof teachers, instructors,

and other persons who will provide those services. As a condition of receiving

57R.C.3310.53(C)and3323.052.

5820U.S.C.1415(d)and34C.F.R.300.503and300.504.

59OntheDepartmentshomepage(http://www.ode.state.oh.us),clickon LearningSupports, thenon

StudentswithDisabilities, thenon ResourcesandSupport, andfinallyon WhoseIDEAisthis?


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scholarshippaymentsunder theprogram,aneligibleapplicantmustattest, ina form

andmannerprescribedbytheDepartment,tohavingreceivedtheprofile.60

State Board rules

The State Board of Education must adopt rules for the Special Education

ScholarshipPrograminaccordancewiththeAdministrativeProcedureActsothatthey

are in effect not later than 120 days after thebills effectivedate. Those rulesmust

include application procedures and standards and procedures for the registration of

privateprovidersofspecialeducationprograms.61

Formative evaluation

The bill requires the Department of Education to conduct a formative

evaluation oftheSpecialEducationScholarshipProgramandtoreport itsfindingsto

theGeneralAssemblybyDecember31,2014. Indoingso,theDepartmentisrequiredto

the extent possible to gather comments from parents who have been awarded

scholarshipsunder theprogram, schooldistrictofficials, representativesof registered

private providers, educators, and representatives of educational organizations. The

Departmentalsoisrequiredtousequantitativeandqualitativeanalysesinconducting

itsevaluation. Thestudymust includeanassessmentof the levelof theparticipating

studentsandparentssatisfactionwith theprogramand the fiscal impact to thestate

andresidentschooldistricts. ThebillalsoauthorizestheDepartmenttocontractwith

one ormore qualified researcherswho have previous experience evaluating school

choice programs to conduct the study and to accept grants to assist in funding the

study.62

Transportation for all scholarship students

Under thebill,PACTscholarshipstudentsareentitled to transportation toand

fromthenonpublicschoolstheyattendinthemannerprescribedundercontinuinglaw.

SpecialEducation scholarship children are entitled to transportation to and from the

alternative special education programs they attend in the samemanner as disabled

studentsattendingnonpublicschools.

Continuing lawrequiresschooldistricts toprovide transportation tononpublic

schoolstudents

in

grades

K

to

8who

reside

in

the

district

and

who

live

more

than

two

milesfromtheschooltheyattend. Districtsmay,butarenotrequiredto,transporthigh

school students to and from their nonpublic schools. A district, however, is not

60R.C.3310.521.

61R.C.3310.64;Section3.

62Section4.


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required to transportstudentsofanyage toandfromanonpublicschool if thedirect

traveltimebyschoolbus,fromthedistrictschoolthestudentwouldotherwiseattendto

thenonpublicschool, ismore than30minutes. When transportationby thedistrict is

impractical, thedistrictmayofferpayment toa studentsparent insteadofproviding

thetransportation. Inthecaseofsomespecialeducationstudents,transportationmight

bemandatedbytheirIEPs.63

Access to data verification codes; privacy of records

AsisthecaseundercurrentlawfortheEdChoiceandClevelandprograms,the

bill permits the Department of Education to request the data verification codes of

studentsapplyingforPACTandSpecialEducationscholarshipsfrom(1)thosestudents

resident school districts, (2) a community school inwhich a student is enrolled, or

(3)the independent contractor hiredby the Department to create andmaintain the

codes. This authority,which is an exception to the general prohibition against the

Departmentshavingaccesstodataverificationcodeswhentheycouldbematchedwith

personally identifiablestudentdata, is limitedsolely toadministering thescholarshipprograms. School districts and community schools must provide a students data

verificationcodetotheDepartmentorthestudentsparent,uponrequest,inamanner

specifiedbytheDepartment. Ifastudentwillbeenteringkindergartenandhasnotyet

beenassignedadataverificationcode,theresidentschooldistrictmustassignacodeto

the student prior to submission. If the district does not assign the codeby a date

specifiedby theDepartment, theDepartmentmust assign the code. Each year, the

Departmentmustprovideschooldistrictswiththenameanddataverificationcodeof

each scholarship student living in thedistrictwho hasbeen assigned a codeby the

Department.

The bill also requires the Department to provide each PACT scholarship

studentsdataverificationcodetothecharterednonpublicschoolinwhichthestudent

enrolls. Under current law, when a scholarship student takes the statewide

achievementtests(whichisarequirementformaintainingeligibilityforthescholarship

program)thecharterednonpublicschoolmustadministerthetestsinthesamemanner

aspublicschools,includingplacingthestudentsdataverificationcodeoneachtest.64

NeithertheDepartmentnoracharterednonpublicschoolmayreleaseastudents

dataverificationcodetoanyperson,unlesssuchreleaseisotherwiseauthorizedbylaw.Thebill specifies thatmaterials containingbotha studentsnameorotherpersonally

identifiabledataandthestudentsdataverificationcodearenotpublicrecords. Other

documents relative to the scholarship program that are heldby theDepartment are

63R.C.3310.04and3310.60. SeeR.C.3327.01,notinthebill.

64R.C.3301.0711(A)(1)and(K),notinthebill,andR.C.3310.11.


22/25


publicrecords,butmaybereleasedonly inaccordancewithstateandfederalprivacy

laws.65

Confidentiality of Ed Choice and Cleveland scholarship participants

ThebillstipulatesanydocumentintheDepartmentofEducationsfilesrelatedto

theEdChoiceorClevelandscholarshipprograms thatcontainsbothastudentsname

orotherpersonally identifiable informationand thestudentsdataverificationcode is

notapublicrecord.66 Thisisacontinuationofcurrentlaw.

Prohibition on using more than one scholarship program at a time

The bill specifically prohibits a student from using more than one state

scholarshipatatime. Inotherwords,inanyparticularschoolyear,astudentandthe

studentsparentsmust choose touseonlyoneof the state scholarshipprograms,but

fromoneyeartothenexttheywouldbefreetochooseadifferentprogram,assuming

theywereeligibleforit.67

Background on current scholarship programs

ThePACT scholarshipprogramwould replace twoof the states three current

scholarshipprograms: TheClevelandScholarshipandTutoringPilotProgramandthe

Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program. While both the Cleveland and Ed

Choiceprogramsprovide scholarships for students toattendnonpublic schools, they

eachoperatesomewhatdifferently. Currentlawstatesthat thetwopilotprogramsare

separateanddistinct, eachwithitsownprescribedscholarshipamountinrecognition

ofitsuniqueeligibilitycriteria. TheClevelandprogram isadistrictwideprogramthat

may award scholarships to students who do not attend district schools that face

academicchallenges,whereastheEducationalChoiceScholarshipPilotProgram . . .is

limited to students of individual district school buildings that [do] face academic

challenges.68

Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring program

The law authorizing the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring program was

enacted in1995. Theprogramconsistsof twocomponents: scholarships forstudents

living in the ClevelandMunicipal School District to attend nonpublic schools, and

tutorialassistancegrantsforstudentswhoattendtheschoolsoftheClevelanddistrict.

65R.C.3301.0714(D),3310.12,and3310.63.

66R.C.3310.16.

67R.C.3310.02and3310.51(F)(5).

68CurrentR.C.3310.05.


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Cleveland Scholarship program

Initial scholarships to attend nonpublic schools are available to Cleveland

students attending grades K through 8 only. High school students may receive

scholarshipsonlyiftheyreceivedascholarshippriortohighschool.69 Thescholarship

amountforanystudentattendinganalternativeschoolisbasedonthelesserof(1)the

actualtuition

charges

of

the

school

or

(2)

an

amount

established

by

the

state

Superintendent. Thisamountmaynotexceed$3,450.70 Butthestateactuallypaysonly

75%or90%,accordingtothestudentsfamilyincome,ofthebasescholarshipamount.

Theremainderisstatutorilyrequiredtobepaidbyathirdparty.

While there are no income standards to participate, the law requires that

preferencebegiventostudentsfromlowincomefamilies. The lowincome threshold

is not established in statute; instead, the Superintendent of Public Instruction has

establishedthisthresholdas200%ofthefederalpovertyguideline. TheSuperintendent

must also determinewhether each selected student qualifies for 75% or 90% of the

scholarshipamount. Studentswhosefamilyincomeisatorabove200%ofthefederalpoverty guideline qualify for 75% of the scholarship amount, and students whose

familyincomeisbelowthat200%thresholdqualifyfor90%.71

TheCleveland Scholarshipprogram is financedpartiallywith state funds and

partiallywithanamountsetasidefromtheClevelanddistrictsstateaccount. Foreach

ofFY2010and2011, thecurrentbudgetactsetsaside$11.9million fromClevelands

account,ofwhichupto$1millionineachyearisforthetutoringcomponent.72

Cleveland Tutoring program

ThetutoringcomponentoftheClevelandprogramallowstheparentofastudent

enrolled in the Cleveland districts schools to obtain tutoring from an approved

provider. Itauthorizesgrants tocover the tutorialproviderscharges,up to$400per

year.73

Ed Choice

The law authorizing the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program was

enactedin2005,andthefirstscholarshipswereawardedforthe20062007schoolyear.

69R.C.3313.975,repealedbythebill.

70R.C.3313.978(C)(1),repealedbythebill.

71R.C.3313.978(A),repealedbythebill.

72Section265.30.40ofAm.Sub.H.B.1ofthe128thGeneralAssembly.

73R.C.3313.975,3313.976(D),3313.978,and3313.979,repealedbythebill.


24/25


Studentsmayuse thescholarships topay tuitionatcharterednonpublicschools. No

morethan14,000scholarshipsmaybeawardedinanyyear. Therearenoincomelimits

to participate,but prioritymustbe given to prior recipients and to new applicants

whosefamilyincomesareatorbelow200%ofthefederalpovertyguideline.74

The program provides scholarships for primary and secondary students of

underperforming schools in districts other thanCleveland. Generally, a student iseligibletoapplyforanEdChoicescholarship if thestudent isattending,orotherwise

wouldbeassignedto,aschoolbuildingoperatedbythestudentsresidentdistrictthat

hasbeendeclared tobe inacademicwatchoracademicemergencyforat least twoof

thelastthreeschoolyears,andwasnotratedexcellentoreffectiveinthemostrecentof

thoseyears. AstudentwhoreceivesanEdChoicescholarshipmayreceivescholarships

untilthestudentcompletesgrade12,solongas(1)thestudentsresidentdistrictstays

thesameorthestudenttransferstoanewdistrictandwouldbeassigned inthatnew

districttoaqualifyingbuilding,(2)thestudenttakeseachstateachievementassessment

prescribedforthestudentsgradelevelwhileenrolledinacharterednonpublicschool,

and(3)thestudentisnotabsentfromthatschoolformorethan20days(notincluding

excusedabsences).75

TheamountofeachannualEdChoicescholarship is the lesserof(1) the tuition

chargedby the chartered nonpublic school inwhich the student is enrolled or (2) a

maximum amount,whichis:

(a) $4,250forgradesKthrough8;and

(b) $5,000forgrades9through12.76

The scholarships are financed through a deduct and transfer method. Each

studentawardedanEdChoicescholarshipiscountedintheenrollmentofthestudents

residentschooldistrict forschool fundingpurposes. TheDepartmentofEducation is

thenrequiredtodeduct$5,200fromthedistrictsstatefundingaccountforeachofthe

districts students awarded a scholarship. This deduction funds scholarships under

boththeEdChoiceandtheClevelandprograms.77

74CurrentR.C.3310.02.

75CurrentR.C.3310.03(B).

76CurrentR.C.3310.08(A)and3310.09.

77CurrentR.C.3310.08(C)(1)and3317.03(A)(2)(g).


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Autism Scholarship Program

A third program, the Autism Scholarship Program, pays scholarships to the

parentsofcertainautisticchildreningradesprekindergartento12.78 Thebillsproposed

Special Education Scholarship Program containsmany of the same concepts of the

smaller Autism Scholarship Program and applies those concepts to children of all

categoriesofdisability. Thebills largerSpecialEducationprogramdoesnotapply toprekindergartenstudents.

The bill does not affect the Autism Scholarship Program. In fact, neither

programchangesorconflictswith theprovisionsof theother,and itappears that the

twoprogramscouldcoexist. However,thebillexcludesastudentfromsimultaneously

participatinginbothprograms. Nevertheless,childrenwithautismwhoareingrades

K through 12wouldbe eligible for and theirparents could choose eitherof the two

programs. Forexample, ifaparentofachildwithautismcouldnotparticipate inthe

newprogrambecauseits5%caphadbeenreached,theparentlikelycouldturntothe

AutismScholarshipProgram,whichhasnocap. On theotherhand, thedueprocessprovisionsbetween the two programs are somewhat different. Under the Autism

Scholarship Program, a parent may not be awarded a scholarship if there is any

pending dispute over the childs IEP. Under the Special Education Scholarship

Program,theprohibitiononawardandpaymentofascholarshipappliesonlyuntilthe

childsfirstIEPisdeveloped.

HISTORY

ACTION DATEIntroduced 03-01-11

H0136I129.docx/jc

78R.C.3310.41,notinthebill.

HB136 Synopsis

Documents