WATCH NOW: Backpack Bill Proponents Testify in the Ohio House
COLUMBUS—Ohio’s Backpack Bill (HB11), which would make every Ohio K-12 student eligible for an Educational Savings Account (ESA), is scheduled to receive its second hearing before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee today—Tuesday, March 14—at 4:00 pm.
The committee will hear from proponents of the bill, which is sponsored by Reps. Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) and Marilyn John (R- Shelby). Troy McIntosh, Executive Director of the Ohio Christian Education Network, is included among the policy experts, school administrators, parents, students, and grassroots supporters who will provide testimony at the hearing.
HB11 uses a “funding-follows-the-student” model in which the state provides an ESA for any student who wishes to use the funding for private school or home school options. The ESA is valued at $5,500 for grades K-8 and $7,500 for grades 9-12.
“Educational Scholarship Programs have benefited thousands of families in the state. This bill would impact more families and increase the quality of education in our schools,” McIntosh said. “It’s time Ohio begins funding students and not systems.”
Committee hearings are open to the public at the Ohio Statehouse.
Unable to watch the hearing live? Once it’s posted, you can watch the recording.
The full texts of HB11 and Senate Bill 11, the Senate backpack-style bill that would make every K-12 student in Ohio eligible to receive a scholarship to be used at a private school of the student’s choice, can be read online. To learn more about how the bill works, the research behind it, and how you can support it, visit BackpackBill.com.
ACTION ALERT
Contact your lawmakers to share what having educational options will mean for your family and ask them to support the Backpack Bill!
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org.
As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
###
