If Ohio Can Fix Education, So Can Pennsylvania

There is a big lie recited as gospel: Giving parents educational choice drains money from public schools and ultimately destroys them. Teachers union lobbyists recently shifted this blatant myth into high gear as neighbor states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, debated their respective annual budgets—in which both involved heated talks over educational choice.

The two states have fiscal years that end on June 30 and require an annual state budget to distribute taxpayer funds to budgetary priorities.

Ohio—led by Gov. Mark DeWine—rose to the challenge, increasing public school funding alongside a balanced expansion of the state’s educational choice programs to provide universal eligibility.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania fell into a partisan quagmire—a place where the Keystone State will likely remain bogged down for the foreseeable future. Gov. Josh Shapiro entered budget negotiations as a firm supporter of a new, limited, $100 million educational choice program. However, he caved to partisan pressure and reneged on a good-faith agreement with Republicans, sending his first state budget into a prolonged, tumultuous political fight that will likely drag on for months.

Many argue that the unique political makeup of each state gave DeWine a competitive advantage over Shapiro. In Ohio, Republicans control both legislative chambers and the governor’s office. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, arguably the nation’s biggest swing state, is divided: Shapiro, a Democrat, presides over a Republican-controlled Senate while Democrats hold a single-seat edge in the Pennsylvania House.

However, despite holding all the aces, Ohio Republicans didn’t overplay their hand.

For starters, Ohio significantly increased funding for public schools, adding nearly $1 billion to Ohio’s public school system—a 12% increase.

Teachers unions celebrated this achievement. In a joint statement, Ohio’s most prominent teachers unions, the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the Ohio Education Association, praised the increased funding as “a monumental step forward.”

These are surprisingly gracious words from teachers unions for a Republican-backed budget, especially one that enshrined universal school choice.

DeWine and Ohio Republicans expanded Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship program (EdChoice), which provides money to students attending failing schools to enroll in chartered nonpublic schools. Once a limited program for students attending specific schools or students from low-income households, EdChoice Scholarships are now available for all students.

As a good-faith measure to Ohio Democrats and teachers unions, Ohio Republicans also codified additional means testing for EdChoice. The expanded scholarship program will use a sliding scale that provides reduced scholarships to middle-income families while still offering full amounts to low-income households.

Since 2006, EdChoice has made a lasting impact on Ohio’s education system. The scholarship program has not only provided immeasurable benefits for students in need of a private education but has also improved public schools. Research by the Fordham Institute finds that EdChoice improved the academic performance of public school students, decreased district segregation, and reduced class sizes—all without “draining money” from the public school coffers. Moreover, this study shows school districts that lost students due to the EdChoice experienced a 12% increase in per-pupil funding.

Most notably, EdChoice benefits Ohio’s most marginalized community members, especially students of color. According to the same study, 56% of scholarship recipients were Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaskan Native.

But expanding school choice is just the tip of the iceberg. Ohio’s new budget institutes several other significant education reforms. The budget narrows the gap in funding for charters in comparison to district schools, overhauls K–12 governance, aligns its literacy program with the “science of reading” and phonics, loosens licensure restrictions to attract out-of-state teachers, and increases transparency requirements on intradistrict open enrollment numbers.

DeWine emphasized the importance of balance in his state’s budget.

“I think [this] is a big movement towards school choice, but we also have to, at the same time, have the money to help our public schools as well,” DeWine said. “Our bill is a balance, and it’s a good balance.”

Ohio has proved the teachers unions wrong: Increased public investment in schools and school choice are not mutually exclusive proposals. More importantly, DeWine and Ohio Republicans have earned praise from their state’s school unions for their balanced approach to education funding.

Shapiro can learn a lot from DeWine.