Dropout‑recovery e‑schools press for full DPIA funding parity in budget bill

Leaders for Ohio's dropout‑prevention and public e‑school networks told the Senate Education Committee that a House amendment to the budget would make e‑school students eligible for Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) but at half the per‑pupil rate that brick‑and‑mortar students receive.

Sean Lenny, superintendent of the Greater Ohio Virtual School and spokesperson for the Grads Coalition (a coalition of eight dropout‑prevention and recovery community schools), said the House provision would make e‑school students eligible for DPIA but limit the allocation to $211 per pupil versus the $422 per pupil available to brick‑and‑mortar schools. "Only allowing our students to receive half possible funds still puts us at a disadvantage," Lenny said, describing the wraparound services his schools provide — mental health, mentoring, family engagement and high‑dosage tutoring — that DPIA can fund.

Marie Hannah, superintendent of Ohio Connections Academy (a statewide public virtual charter that serves K‑12 students), told the committee that roughly 35,000 students are enrolled in public e‑schools in Ohio and that these schools are currently excluded from DPIA. She said districts treat these students as disadvantaged at similar rates to brick‑and‑mortar schools and urged the Senate to retain the House change but to fund e‑school students at parity with brick‑and‑mortar pupils starting in the next school year.

Grads Coalition requested that the Senate adopt amendment SCO0448 (cited in testimony) to make e‑school students eligible for DPIA at the full rate of $422 per pupil. Committee members asked for more data on use of DPIA funds in virtual contexts; witnesses said many services funded by DPIA (tutoring, mental‑health services, transportation to in‑person testing centers, case management) are essential for their student populations.

No vote was taken. The committee recorded the request as part of ongoing budget deliberations.