Bipartisan push to force private schools to follow same public school regs

In July 2023, Republicans passed and Gov. Mike DeWine signed a universal school voucher law, which allowed every child to qualify for money on a sliding scale to pay for private school.

During the 2025 fiscal year, more than 166,000 participated one of the state’s give voucher programs at more than 500 private schools in Ohio.

The new bill, Senate Bill 443, is nicknamed the “Take the Dough, We Gotta Know Act.”

Schools that accept state private school vouchers would be subject to annual audits by the state auditor on how the state dollars were spent, State Sen. Lewis Blessing, R-Colerain Township, said at a news conference.

 Students in those schools would also be required to take the same end of course exams mandated in public schools.

“If you are taking state dollars, you have to show us results, statistics, data,” said Blessing. “There is a higher standard for chartered non-public schools that take or have more than 10% of their students taking scholarships.”

Schools would have to submit weekly attendance records and conduct criminal background checks on its employees, State Sen. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, a co-sponsor of the bill said.

The schools would also have to submit data on dropout and graduation rates.

The proposed legislation also directs the Department of Education and Workforce Development to develop an “apples to apples” comparison between public schools and voucher schools on student educational outcomes.

Last year, a judge last year struck down the state’s universal school voucher program, ruling it was unconstitutional.

“The state may not fund private schools at the expense of public schools or in a manner that undermines its obligation to public education,” a Franklin County Common Pleas judge ruled. The state has appealed the ruling.

The scholarships range from $6166 for grades K–8 to $8,408 for grades 9-12 with the total cost to taxpayers of around $1 billion annually.

Much of the information and many of the mandates that would be required under the proposed legislation is already required by Ohio state law, Yitz Frank, president of the nonprofit group, School Choice Ohio, told The Center Square.

“Ohio already regulates private schools and by extension our nation's leading school choice programs more than any similar state,” he said.  “Ohio private schools follow operating standards, have certified teachers with background checks, administer standardized tests, are subject to desk audits from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and are further regulated by the Ohio Attorney General and Internal Revenue Service.”