A group of bipartisan lawmakers in Ohio want private schools that receive public taxpayer dollars to follow the same rules and academic accountability as the state’s public schools.
While the proposed legislation would not force those private schools with students who receive school vouchers to follow the state’s open meetings and open records laws, it would increase what schools must make public with record and transparency mandates on data about academic performance.
In July 2023, Republicans passed and Gov. Mike DeWine signed a universal school voucher law, which allowed every child to qualify for money on a sliding scale to pay for private school.
During the 2025 fiscal year, more than 166,000 participated one of the state’s give voucher programs at more than 500 private schools in Ohio.
The new bill, Senate Bill 443, is nicknamed the “Take the Dough, We Gotta Know Act.”
Schools that accept state private school vouchers would be subject to annual audits by the state auditor on how the state dollars were spent, State Sen. Lewis Blessing, R-Colerain Township, said at a news conference.
