Mentor Schools BOE Votes Its Opposition to House Bill 136

Previously, Mentor Schools Board of Election .

Now, the entire board voted in opposition to the proposed voucher program during the board's meeting Tuesday night at .

If passed, House Bill 136 would create a voucher program that students could use to attend private schools. The sole qualifier for the voucher program is the student's household income.

This differs from the current voucher program because it extends vouchers to students in all districts, even those with high-performing public schools, as opposed to just those who live in districts with struggling schools.

Also, if a student's tuition is less than the voucher amount, they can put the remaining money in a savings accounts for future school expenses.

During the meeting, Tuttle said that if half of the eligible students in Mentor Schools used the program, the district would lose $5.1 million per year.

"It poses a significant revenue threat for our district," he said.

He added the loss in revenue would not be offset by a drop in expenses.

Boardmember Alan Mihok asked Tuttle, "What are (legislators in favor of HB 136) trying to accomplish by affecting the high-performance districts?"

Tuttle replied, "To me, they're looking away from the real problem and the real problem is failing schools."

Boardmember William Shaw encouraged residents to also write their state legislators, opposing HB 136.

"It's absolutely imperative," he said. "We can't let this issue go by. It will hurt our district."