Contrary to the claims of teacher union officials, who warn that vouchers take money away from public schools, a 1997 study demonstrated that the Cleveland Public Schools received a net surplus of $118,473 because of the city’s voucher program. The study was conducted by The Buckeye Institute, a nonpartisan free-market think tank based in Columbus, Ohio.
“Far from being a drain on Cleveland’s government schools, vouchers have been a cash cow,” said Buckeye Institute President Richard C. Leonardi, pointing out that Cleveland public schools are being subsidized for students they no longer teach.
Leonardi explained that the State of Ohio normally subsidizes school districts based on the number of students enrolled in the district’s public schools. However, in 1997 the state included 1,290 scholarship students in the subsidy enrollment count, even though those students were attending private schools.
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see “Cleveland Schools Profit from Scholarship Program” (2 pp.), available through PolicyBot. Point your Web browser to http://www.heartland.org, click on the PolicyBot icon, and search for old document #2184142.
