COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new bill in the Ohio Statehouse would pay students to go to school.
House Bill 348 would pay some kindergarten and ninth-grade students who attend school for more than 90% of the school year. The bill would also pay students who are seniors in high school.
Representatives Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) are sponsor of the bill. Isaacsohn said it aims to improve the absenteeism rates across the state.
“School attendance and absenteeism is probably the number one issue in education today. It is an absolute crisis that our students aren’t in school in the numbers we need them to be,” said Representative Isaacsohn.
The bill would give $1.5 million to the Department of Education and Workforce over the course of two years. They would have rural and urban school districts apply for the program.
Parents of kindergarteners would get paid $50 a month or $500 at the end of the year for high attendance, and students and parents in ninth grade would get paid the same amount. Seniors in high school will get checks for $500 if they attend school for 90% of the year.
“It’s a principle we all understand well that money is motivating. But, it's beyond that it's about the principle that sometimes people need a nudge to get back to positive behavior,” said Isaacsohn.
Representative Isaacsohn said this would be a test, and if it works then they would think about expanding the program.
To read the bill, click here.