Allow students to concurrently receive certain state scholarships
Legislative Analysis Report Allow students to concurrently receive certain state scholarships
1. Primary Purpose of the Bill
This bill allows Ohio students to receive two state-funded school scholarships at the same time. Specifically, a student can combine a general scholarship (like EdChoice or the Pilot Project scholarship) with a special needs scholarship (like the Autism or Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship) to help cover both general tuition and special education services.
EducationDisability ServicesBudget
2. Changes to Existing Law
ORC Sec. 3310.034 Allows eligible students to receive both a general state scholarship (EdChoice or Pilot Project) and a special needs scholarship (Autism or Jon Peterson) in the same school year. It limits the total combined amount to the actual cost of tuition and services, and restricts how the Jon Peterson scholarship can be used when combined. It also allows students who no longer need special education to transition to the EdChoice program.
ORC Sec. 3310.51 Removes the rule that prevented a child from receiving a Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship if they already received an EdChoice or Pilot Project scholarship in the same school year.
ORC Sec. 3310.52 Allows students who only receive the Jon Peterson scholarship (and not a general state scholarship) to use any leftover scholarship money to pay for tuition after their special education fees are paid.
3. Key Information for Citizens
🗳️ What You Need to Know
- Students can now use both a general education scholarship (like EdChoice) and a special needs scholarship (like Autism or Jon Peterson) at the same time.
- The combined scholarship money cannot exceed the actual total cost of the student's tuition, fees, and special education services.
- If a student uses both EdChoice and a Jon Peterson scholarship, the Jon Peterson funds can only be used for special education program fees, not for basic tuition.
- If a student no longer qualifies for special education services, they can still transition to and keep an EdChoice scholarship.
4. Entities Affected
- Students with special education needs or autism
- Parents and guardians of students eligible for school scholarships
- Private and alternative public schools providing special education services
- The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
5. Regulatory Impact & Enforcement
Agency Authority: The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is authorized to administer the concurrent scholarship programs and distribute the newly appropriated funds.
Penalties & Mandates: Not applicable
Implementation Timeline: Not applicable
6. Estimated Fiscal Impact
State Revenue Impact
Not applicable
Local Government Impact
Not applicable
Implementation Costs
$42,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $42,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 appropriated to the Department of Education and Workforce.
Net Annual Fiscal Effect
An increase in state spending of $42,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Meet the representatives and senators who introduced this bill and are pushing it through the chamber. Click on any sponsor to see their district, party affiliation, and what other legislation they’ve championed this session.
Primary Sponsors
Sandra O'Brien
District
32
Chamber
Senate
Party
Republican
Co-Sponsors
Related Topics
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Education
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Taxation & Finance
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Criminal Justice
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Status Changes
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Referred to committee
Jan 29 2025
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Documents
Access the primary source. This section hosts the full, unedited text of the legislation alongside every official document produced during its journey. From the initial draft to the final enrolled version, you can review the exact language being proposed for state law.
