As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session S. B. No. 191

2025-2026

To enact section 3317.251 of the Revised Code regarding disadvantaged pupil impact aid for scholarship students attending chartered nonpublic schools and to make an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3317.251 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3317.251. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Resident district" has the same meaning as in section 3310.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "State scholarship programs" has the same meaning as in section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code.

(B) The department of education and workforce shall establish a program to award disadvantaged pupil impact aid to chartered nonpublic schools that participate in state scholarship programs. A chartered nonpublic school that participates in state scholarship programs may apply to participate in the program in a form and manner established by the department. Each fiscal year the department shall pay each participating school an amount of disadvantaged pupil impact aid that is calculated as follows:

(1) For each scholarship student enrolled in the school who is economically disadvantaged as defined by the department, an amount equal to $422 multiplied by the student's resident district's economically disadvantaged index.

(2) Calculate the sum of the amounts calculated under division (B)(1) of this section.

(C) Each participating school shall spend the disadvantaged pupil impact aid it receives for any of the following initiatives or a combination of any of the following initiatives:

(1) Reading improvement and intervention that is aligned with the science of reading and evidence-based strategies for effective literacy instruction;

(2) Professional development in the science of reading and evidence-based strategies for effective literacy instruction for teachers of students in kindergarten through third grade;

(3) Mental health services, including telehealth services, community-based behavioral health services, and recovery supports;

(4) Physical health care services, including telehealth services and community-based health services;

(5) School safety and security measures.

(D) Each participating school shall submit to the department, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, any data the department determines necessary to administer this section.

(E) After the end of each fiscal year, each participating school shall submit a report to the department describing the initiatives on which the district's or school's disadvantaged pupil impact aid were spent during that fiscal year. The report shall be submitted in a manner prescribed by the department and shall also describe the amount of money that was spent on each initiative.

(F) The department shall submit a report of the information it receives under division (E) of this section to the general assembly not later than the first day of December of each odd-numbered year in accordance with section 101.68 of the Revised Code.

(G) The department shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.

Section 2. All items in this act are hereby appropriated as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the designated fund. For all operating appropriations made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2026 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2027. The operating appropriations made in this act are in addition to any other operating appropriations made for these fiscal years.

Section 3.

	1	2	3	4	5
A	EDU DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
B	General Revenue Fund
C	GRF	200550	Foundation Funding - All Students	$40,000,000	$40,000,000
D	General Revenue Fund Total			$40,000,000	$40,000,000
E	TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS			$40,000,000	$40,000,000

FOUNDATION FUNDING - ALL STUDENTS

The foregoing appropriation item 200550, Foundation Funding - All Students, shall be used by the Department of Education and Workforce to provide disadvantaged pupil impact aid for chartered nonpublic schools that participate in state scholarship programs in accordance with section 3317.251 of the Revised Code.

Section 4. Within the limits set forth in this act, the Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation made in this act, and shall determine the manner in which appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from operating appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all applicable provisions of, the main operating budget of the 136th General Assembly.