The state of Ohio is quietly shifting its financial resources from public education to private, religious schools in an unprecedented move, as reported by ProPublica. Unlike the voucher programs in other states, which allow parents to use taxpayer money for private school tuition, this summer, the Ohio Legislature passed a bill that grants millions of dollars straight to religious institutions—most of them Catholic—to expand their facilities and designed to renovate buildings, improve classrooms, and even build playgrounds.
The rationale behind these grants, according to Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, is to increase the capacity of private schools, preparing them to accommodate more students who use vouchers. As Huffman stated, “The capacity issue is the next big issue on the horizon” for voucher advocates. The grants are meant to solve the space problem, ensuring that private schools can absorb an influx of voucher students.
Historically, there have been some instances where federal money went to private schools—like after Hurricane Katrina or during the COVID-19 pandemic. In those cases, private institutions received taxpayer dollars to rebuild or improve facilities, often as part of larger disaster relief or pandemic response measures. But what Ohio is undertaking, experts say, is different in scope and intent.
Josh Cowen, a senior fellow at the Education Law Center, believes Ohio’s actions represent a significant and risky shift. “This is new, dangerous ground, funding new voucher schools,” Cowen said. Until now, religious schools have generally relied on private donations, conservative philanthropy, or support from their diocese. “They’ve never, until now, been able to build schools expressly on the public dime,” Cowen added.
Ohio’s move has drawn criticism from figures like David Pepper, a political writer and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. He pointed out that while courts have previously upheld voucher programs as constitutional, this new development—direct public funding for religious school infrastructure—may cross a constitutional line. “This breaks through the myth,” Pepper argued, warning that if this initiative goes unnoticed, “it will happen in other states—they all learn from each other like laboratories.”
The Ohio Constitution itself includes provisions that prohibit any sect from controlling school funds. However, advocates for the grants, like Troy McIntosh, executive director of the Ohio Christian Education Network, believe the funding serves a broader purpose. “We want to make sure that from our perspective, Christian school options are available to any kid who chooses that in the state,” McIntosh told local media.
This isn’t the first time Ohio has expanded school choice. When vouchers were first introduced in the 1990s, they were a targeted program aimed at helping students in Cleveland’s underfunded public schools. The concept was to empower families with school choice, allowing them to use public funds to attend private schools. Over the years, these programs have broadened, eventually becoming accessible to families statewide under the EdChoice program. Today, every family in Ohio has the option to apply for vouchers.
But as the program expanded, new challenges emerged. In many rural areas, there are either too few private schools or none at all, limiting the utility of vouchers. This has led to frustrations among rural lawmakers, as their tax dollars support a system that primarily benefits urban areas with a higher concentration of private institutions.
In response, conservative think tanks, like the Buckeye Institute, have pushed for further investments in private school infrastructure. In April, they recommended using state funds for private school expansion to address the space shortage caused by the growing demand for vouchers. Within months, Ohio’s Legislature, led by Republicans, allocated at least $4 million to private schools through a budget bill.
The grants, though relatively small at this stage, set a critical precedent. William L. Phillis, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding, warned that what begins with a few million dollars could evolve into hundreds of millions in state-funded private school construction. “They get their foot in the door,” Phillis said, “and eventually, it becomes a much larger system.”
