O’Brien introduces bill to expand school choice
State Sen. Sandra O’Brien introduced a bill to expand school choice by permitting students who have a special needs scholarship to also get an EdChoice scholarship as well.
Under current state law, those who qualify for either an autism or Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship can only receive that scholarship and are not eligible for an EdChoice scholarship.
“This is an issue of fairness and there is a simple fix,” said O’Brien, R-Lenox, whose district includes all of Trumbull County.
The special needs scholarships provide funding to cover most or all of the costs for services provided to students, O’Brien said. But most of those receiving one of those scholarships aren’t covered for tuition payments for private schools, she said.
Because of that, many students who would attend a private school are not able to afford tuition, O’Brien said.
O’Brien’s bill will have its first hearing today in the Senate Education Committee.
The state spent $970.7 million during the 2023-2024 school year, which was the first full year with greatly expanded school vouchers.
State legislators approved an EdChoice expansion to 450% of the poverty level through the state budget.