As of Monday, July 1, Governor Kasich signed into law a new income-based scholarship of $4,250, which will be awarded to eligible families seeking to enroll in private schools in Ohio for the 2013-2014 school year.
Only incoming kindergarteners whose families have an income at or below 200 percent of the Federal Policy Guidelines are eligible to apply. The application period runs from July 1 – 31.
There are 2,000 scholarships available to Ohio private schools, including Richland County’s own Discovery School, Mansfield Christian, St. Mary’s, and St. Peter’s.
Principal of St. Mary’s School, Sue Sanders, stated, “The wonderful thing is that this scholarship makes available private education for parents who could normally not afford it.”
While only kindergarteners can apply for the upcoming school year, it is intended that this scholarship will be offered to an additional grade level every year. Also, applicants have the opportunity to renew their scholarships each year, so the scholarship could be carried all the way through high school graduation.
“I notified parents who were enrolling their children for the next school year about the scholarship because it could benefit families who are struggling financially but still want a private education for their children,” said Sanders.
Despite the competitive nature of the scholarship, Sanders stated, “I think we’ll see a slight increase in enrollment, but these scholarships will go quickly.”
For more information about the scholarship, go to http://www.scohio.org/scholarship/