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Fewer students enroll in second year of Ohio’s universal voucher program
About 3,000 more students will be participating in Ohio’s voucher program to attend private schools this school year compared to the previous year.
• Ohio’s voucher system: Any Ohio family that makes up to 450% of the poverty line — $150,000 for a family of four — is eligible for a full EdChoice Expansion Scholarship to pay for attending a private school. Ohio families that make more than that are eligible for at least 10% of the scholarship.
• Voucher program participation:
— 2022-2023 school year: about 83,000 students
— 2023-2024 school year: about 151,000 students
— 2024-2025 school year: 153,914 students
• Significantly smaller increase: That smaller increase this year also means the amount of money Ohio is spending on vouchers — about $1 billion in the 2023-2024 school year — will likely remain roughly the same amount.
• Local school increases: Some of the local private schools that have seen the greatest increases in EdChoice scholars included Dayton Christian and Incarnation.
• What they are saying: “Our size allows us to offer the level of academics and depth of extracurricular activities students might receive in a public education, but with the Biblical integration so many families desire for their children,” said Julie Thompson, a spokeswoman for Dayton Christian. “We know this is important for Christian families and continue to look for ways to strengthen what we offer.”
Tornado-damaged apartments left abandoned for five years to be demolished in Trotwood
Montgomery County plans to demolish a massive apartment complex in Trotwood that was severely damaged by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes and subsequent fires.
• The complex: The 32-acre, 430-unit Woodland Hills apartment complex is located at 5900 Macduff Drive in Trotwood.
• The damage: The complex was hit hard by the tornadoes, and multiple apartment buildings have caught fire since then. The property has been vacant since the storm.
• The funding: The county plans to utilize up to $1 million from the prosecutor office’s delinquent tax assessment collection fund. County commissioners additionally committed $200,000 to repair some of the salvageable units.
• What they are saying: “I lived through that tornado in 2019. It was devastating, but guess what―we’re not victims, we’re survivors. The city of Trotwood is a survivor,” said Trotwood Mayor Yvette Page.
• Future plans: Real estate developers Windsor Companies last fall spent $3.2 million to acquire the Woodland Hills apartments. They plan to build about 450 apartments on the site.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: The cause of a large fire at a vacant Dayton apartment building Thursday afternoon is under investigation.
• Tip of the day: Here are the 2024 trick-or-treat times for the Dayton region.
• Person to know today: Mark Tarziers. The Dayton Microgreens founder started his business with three to four trays of plants in his garage and has since grown to 130 trays, 26 varieties and a brick-and-mortar location on Wayne Avenue.
• Election 2024: Incumbent Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, and Democrat Bobbie Arnold are running in hopes of representing all of Preble County, the western reaches of Montgomery County, and a northern portion of Butler County over the next two years in the Ohio House.
• Community Gem: Serving others has helped Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School, senior Sadie Lekan grow in her faith and care for her community.
• Things to do: 10 things to do in Dayton this weekend.
• Photo of the day: The 20th annual Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Pumpkin Chuck happened recently on the grounds of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The event is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) competition involving pumpkin-flinging machines launching pumpkins. Check out all of the photos here.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam