TOLEDO, Ohio — President Donald Trump took time to make a push for opportunity scholarships during his State of the Union address, which led Ohio leaders to discuss the Ohio EdChoice program on Wednesday.
"Now I call on Congress to (...) pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school," Trump said.
In Ohio, we know opportunity scholarships as EdChoice, the state's voucher program, which has seen much criticism from public and private schools in the recent weeks.
The president said these programs are the next step to building an inclusive society to ensure children get a great education.
Ohio is one of 18 states with opportunity scholarships, but many believe it is failing for the students in the northwest part of the state.
Following the president's speech, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine as well as Washington Local Schools Superintendent Dr. Kadee Anstadt commented on the issue.
DeWine said the program is not exactly what everyone thought it would be when it started and now we have to find something that works for all.
"This is really a balancing thing of trying to balance those two basic principles of school choice for poor families who are in a bad situation, but we also want to preserve and protect our public schools," DeWine said.
Anstadt said Ohio isn't the only place facing this problem.
"I think at some point as a nation, as a state, we have to make a decision. Should tax dollars go into institutions that can discriminate essentially who they admit," she said.
The Superintendent also commented on the EdChoice legislation in Ohio saying the 60-day extension will go by quick and shes looking forward to seeing what legislators decide on changing.
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