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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio Senate Bill 443 enacts financial audits, report cards, and increased reporting requirements for private schools participating in state scholarship programs
Last action · June 2, 2026: Referred to EducationSponsors: Louis W. Blessing, III and 4 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 443 requires s participating in state scholarship programs to undergo annual state audits, submit detailed operational and demographic reports, maintain student disciplinary records, and provide comparative performance data. The measure takes effect on July 1, 2027.
Private schools receiving public scholarship funds face new transparency mandates, including mandatory State Auditor reviews of scholarship accounts, public report cards, weekly attendance reporting, and strict rules regarding student record transfers and disciplinary documentation.
- Ohio's Educational Choice Scholarship Program provides state-funded scholarships allowing students to attend participating nonpublic schools. context
- The Ohio General Assembly routinely updates statutory requirements regarding chartered nonpublic schools and standardized assessment mandates. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Chartered nonpublic schools
Qualifying private schools must undergo annual state audits, submit detailed demographic and financial reports, publish tuition trends, and report weekly scholarship student attendance.
Auditor of State
The office is required to conduct annual audits of specific accounts in qualifying private schools that receive public scholarship money.
Department of Education and Workforce
The department must create report cards for qualifying schools, establish comparison systems, and collect extensive operational and academic data.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which schools are subject to the new audit and reporting requirements under Senate Bill 443?
What information must qualifying private schools publish or report to the state?
Can schools withhold student records if a family owes money?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jun 2, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Education
- May 20, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Extended Accountability for Private Scholarship Schools
The legislation bridges public sector transparency rules with private schools accepting state scholarships by mandating annual state audits and public report cards.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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