Ohio offers a new way to use public money for Christian schools: Opponents say it's unconstitutional

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Nov 17, 2024 4:44 PM


COLUMBUS, Ohio — Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding legal ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. One new approach in Ohio is benefiting schools tied to a burgeoning conservative political group and facing objections from defenders of the separation of church and state.

In President-elect Donald Trump, backers of school choice have gained an ally in their efforts to share taxpayer money with families to pay for things like private school tuition. Trump has cast school choice as a way to counter what he calls leftist indoctrination in public classrooms and is expected to seek a boost for the movement at the federal level.

The Ohio case shows how governments can push the envelope to funnel money to private schools.

The state has put a small part of its budget surplus toward competitive grants for expanding and renovating religious schools. Most of the winning construction projects are associated with the Center for Christian Virtue, an Ohio-based advocacy group that's seen its revenues balloon amid the state's push to expand religious educational options.


Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2024/11/17/ohio-public-money-christian-schools/stories/202411170192