Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.
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Ohio spent nearly $1B on private school vouchers. Who did they benefit?
Last year, Ohio Republicans expanded eligibility for private school vouchers to everyone in the state. Our education reporter Eileen McClory investigated the impact after the first year.
• The cost: The state of Ohio awarded $993.7 million last school year for families to send kids to private schools, and the number has not yet been finalized. This is $383.7 million more than the year before and over $30 million more than legislative analysts predicted when lawmakers expanded the voucher program last year.
• The benefit: Eileen’s analysis found so far, it’s largely subsidizing families who were already sending their kids to private schools. Voucher usage at area schools increased by 313%, while enrollment increased by 3.7%.
• The full story: Read Eileen’s full story here, including perspective from voucher proponents and opponents, a family who benefitted from the expansion, and a breakdown of voucher usage at local private schools.
‘Prepare to hustle’: Dayton-area food truck owners compete for dollars and to stand out
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The popularity of food trucks in recent years has provided opportunity for numerous local entrepreneurs to start their own business reasonably inexpensively, and share their love for food. Reporter Natalie Jones wanted to know what it takes for a food trucker to succeed.
• Cost of entry: Cory Thompson, president of the Dayton Food Truck Association who also owns What The Taco?! and What the Dilla?!, said startup costs could range from $3,000 to $40,000 based on a food trucker’s budget and menu.
• Crowded market: Natalie found the number of food trucks licensed by the Montgomery County health department increased by more than 60% in the last decade. So it takes work to stand out.
• Cooking up success or failure: Read Natalie’s full story here, including tips from successful food truckers on what it takes to make it in the business, and how one food truck grew into a brick-and-mortar location.
• Tales from the truck: Natalie put her hands into her work, working for a day at a local food truck and writing about her experience for this story.