A slimmed-down private school voucher transparency bill is back at the Ohio Statehouse just in time for campaign season. House Bill 715 would force the state to publish more data on schools that accept voucher students and create an online comparison tool, but it leaves out several tougher accountability rules that advocates had pushed in earlier rounds. Supporters frame it as a realistic step toward public oversight, while critics warn it still ducks major questions about how tax dollars are being used.
Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) introduced HB 715 on Feb. 24, 2026, with Rep. Mike Odioso as a co-sponsor. The bill orders the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to build a public-facing system that compares the performance of scholarship students with similar students in nearby district, community or STEM schools and to post annual, school-level results. Those marching orders are laid out in the bill as introduced in the 136th General Assembly (Ohio General Assembly).
What HB 715 Would Put Online
The proposal directs the department to post each chartered nonpublic school's total enrollment, the number of voucher students, a breakdown by scholarship program and the total amount of state support the school receives. It would also report voucher recipients by income bands and publish aggregated performance data and a growth measure for scholarship students, as long as no individual students could be identified. The comparison tool itself would be available on the department's public website, as reported by the Statehouse News Bureau.
How This Version Pulled Its Punches
Earlier concepts from Manning came with sharper accountability requirements, including keeping scholarship dollars in separate accounts, disclosing admission procedures when applications outstrip available seats and ending the use of alternative assessments for scholarship students. None of that language appears in HB 715. Those dropped provisions became a flashpoint in negotiations after similar plans surfaced in previous sessions, according to Cleveland.com.
Supporters, Skeptics And The Fine Print
Backers argue the bill walks a line between transparency and the paperwork load on private schools. "I want to preserve these scholarships...and because in order for these scholarships to continue to be funded, there has to be some level of accounting and transparency as to their merit," Odioso said. Policy organizations that want stronger oversight say they will take the added data but note the bill still does not give taxpayers or researchers everything they would like to see, a view outlined by Policy Matters Ohio.
Big Voucher Money, Bigger Scrutiny
The fight is unfolding as Ohio's spending on private school scholarships has climbed sharply. Recent reporting pegs annual voucher program payouts at roughly $1 billion, a scale that voucher critics and supporters alike say heightens the stakes for clear accounting. Independent coverage and budget reviews have tracked the rapid growth of EdChoice and related programs, a backdrop for why lawmakers and advocates insist that standardized public data could shape future policy decisions (Ohio Capital Journal).
Timing The Debate With The Ballots
Manning has asked the House Education Committee chair to give HB 715 a hearing as lawmakers head toward the May 5 primary, and sponsors insist there is still room on the calendar to move the bill this session if leadership cooperates. Introduced in late February, the measure faces the usual gauntlet of committee review and floor votes before the legislative clock runs out (Cleveland.com).
Bottom Line: More Data, Limited Teeth
HB 715 would give Ohioans a clearer window into where voucher dollars land and how scholarship students stack up against their peers, but it deliberately steers clear of the full accountability wishlist some advocates brought to the table. The bill's reporting rules, data elements and rollout timeline are spelled out in the legislative text, and how far they go in satisfying parents, school districts and watchdogs will hinge on the committee process and on how the department designs the dashboard if lawmakers sign off (Ohio General Assembly).
