Transportation Report Confirms Major Barrier to School Choice
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN) is urging the General Assembly to enact recommendations from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's Pupil Transportation Workgroup, saying reliable transportation is essential for families to fully access Ohio's school choice programs.
Created under House Bill 96 of the 136th General Assembly, the Workgroup studied Ohio's student transportation system during the 2025-26 school year and recently submitted recommendations to lawmakers. Among its key findings, the report recognizes that a lack of reliable transportation prevents many families from taking advantage of Ohio's expanding educational options.
"The Workgroup confirmed what Ohio families have been saying for years: transportation remains one of the biggest barriers to educational freedom," said OCEN Executive Director Troy McIntosh. "Ohio has made tremendous progress expanding school choice, but those opportunities mean little if students can't get to school. We urge the General Assembly to act on these recommendations and ensure every eligible student has reliable transportation, regardless of the school they attend."
OCEN applauds the report's recommendations to establish clearer statewide transportation policies and to ensure every Ohio student receives reliable transportation, whether they attend a public or private school. Additionally, OCEN backs the Workgroup’s recommendation to phase out the "impractical to transport" designation. In the meantime, they support requiring districts to submit all “impractical to transport” parental notification letters directly to ODEW to increase oversight and accountability.
The organization is also calling on lawmakers to adopt additional reforms, including increasing Payment in Lieu of Transportation payments and requiring public school districts to apply the same transportation standards to eligible chartered nonpublic school students that they apply to public school students.
The need for reform is clear. During the 2025-26 school year, more than 19,000 students, or 34 percent of all chartered nonpublic school students, were declared impractical to transport. By comparison, fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent of public school students received the same designation. While 161 school districts transported every eligible chartered nonpublic school student, 119 districts declared every eligible chartered nonpublic school student impractical to transport.
“Parents who choose chartered nonpublic schools pay the same taxes that fund Ohio's student transportation system as every other family," said Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer. "School choice isn't meaningful if students can't get their children to school. Ohio should have one fair standard for transporting students, regardless of where they attend school."
Key Recommendations at a Glance
OCEN urges the General Assembly to:
Ensure every eligible student has reliable transportation regardless of whether they attend a public or chartered nonpublic school, and phase out the overuse of the "impractical to transport" designation.
Strengthen accountability by requiring documented evidence before transportation can be denied, requiring districts to submit all Payment in Lieu of Transportation notification letters to ODEW, and resolving disputes based on whether students can actually get to school.
Set Payment in Lieu of Transportation at the statewide average of $1,214. Current law allows districts to pay families just half the statewide average ($607) or as little as $3.37 per school day when transportation is denied, creating a financial incentive not to provide transportation.
Treat students equally by requiring districts to apply the same transportation standards to eligible public and chartered nonpublic school students, including mileage requirements, transportation hubs, route efficiency and low-ridership routes.
The Ohio Christian Education Network, a division of Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), is a coalition of schools and community members who stand for freedom in education and want to support initiatives that prevent the government from intruding on the right of Christian schools to teach Gospel-centered principles.
