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Leaders of virtual and dropout‑recovery schools press Senate to restore full DPIA funding for e‑school students
Summary
Representatives from the Grads Coalition and Ohio Connections Academy urged the Senate to give dropout‑prevention and recovery e‑schools the same Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) per‑pupil rate as brick‑and‑mortar schools and to preserve eligibility for younger students.
Leaders of Ohio’s public e‑schools and dropout‑prevention recovery schools told the Senate Education Committee that changes in House Bill 96 would leave virtual learners underfunded compared with brick‑and‑mortar peers.
Sean Lenny, president of the Grads Coalition, which represents eight dropout‑prevention and recovery community schools, said the House added DPIA eligibility for e‑schools but at half the dollar amount: $211 per pupil versus $422 per pupil for brick‑and‑mortar schools. “Only allowing our students to receive half possible funds still puts us at a disadvantage,” Lenny said, noting the wraparound and mental‑health services these schools provide.
Ohio Connections Academy Superintendent Sean Lenny (note: same coalition naming) and other witnesses said public e‑schools serve many students who would benefit from DPIA‑funded supports such as tutoring, mental‑health services and family engagement. Ohio Connections Academy said more than 50 percent of students in remediation programs are eligible for free‑and‑reduced lunch and that graduation rates for that subgroup lag the overall rate.
Witnesses requested amendment SCO 0448 to fund e‑school students at the same $422 rate and asked the committee to keep a broader age range eligible in dropout‑prevention definitions (to avoid excluding younger students who enroll in recovery programs). The committee did not act during the hearing; sponsors asked senators to include the e‑school DPIA parity in final budget negotiations.
