Kim Porter wanted to send her two children to private schools but couldn't afford the roughly $10,000 in annual tuition.

This year, she got her wish, thanks to a new Ohio program that provides taxpayer dollars to pay tuition for children transferring to private schools from persistently low-performing public schools.

Her 15-year-old son Brian this month began attending St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. Daughter Kayla, 12, is enrolled at St. Augustine Elementary School in Barberton.

``I'm glad it's out there for the people who want to take advantage of it,' Kim Porter said of the program, called Ohio EdChoice. ``For this particular family, this is the best thing that could come along.'

Proponents say the program -- an expansion of the pilot begun in Cleveland in 1996-- broadens school choice. Critics say the vouchers -- like charter schools -- take funding away from traditional public schools, making them more reliant on local property taxes.

This school year, districts will lose $5,200 for each voucher student who leaves to attend grades one through 12 and $2,700 for each voucher student in kindergarten.

In turn, the state will provide the private schools up to $4,250 for each child in kindergarten through eighth grade and as much as $5,000 for each student in high school.

The difference between the amount taken from the public schools and the amount given to the private schools will be used by the state to cover its administrative costs.

If the private school's tuition is more than the voucher maximum, parents must make up the difference or seek financial assistance from the school.

Students were eligible to apply for vouchers this academic year if they attended a public school building that was in either of the state's two lowest academic ranks -- academic watch and academic emergency -- for the past three school years.

Statewide, more than 46,000 students in nearly 100 school buildings were eligible to apply for the program's 14,000 slots.

Nearly 3,600 students signed up, but it's not known yet how many were accepted and enrolled in a private school.

Locally, 18 students from Alliance, Barberton and Canton City districts have applied for vouchers.

While the state received applications for about only a quarter of the available slots, Ohio Department of Education officials say the program is off to a good start.

Department spokesman J.C. Benton noted that the roughly 3,600 applicants represent more than 5 percent of eligible students.

``That is impressive when you compare the percent of eligible students that participated in the first year of other voucher programs' in other states, Benton said.

Districts seeing the biggest number of students apply for the new vouchers are urban school systems -- including Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus.

Cincinnati district spokeswoman Janet Walsh said the city has a ``long tradition of families opting for parochial schools.'

Many of the Cincinnati students applying for vouchers were incoming kindergarteners and students attending charter schools, she said.

Children who leave charter schools are eligible only if the traditional public school they would otherwise attend falls into the voucher eligibility.

Local impact

Akron had no schools at that level of academic distress. Only three area districts did: Barberton's U.L. Light Middle School, Canton's Timken High and Alliance Middle School.

Local educators were not surprised by the low number of students from their schools who have signed up for the program.

``Parents understand that we have a good school system here and they want their children to stay in their neighborhood and community schools,' said Barberton Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli.

Barberton district officials were thrilled to see that on the latest state report card -- issued last month -- U.L. Light Middle had improved its academic rank, moving up from academic watch to the middle category of continuous improvement. This means students attending U.L. Light this year won't be eligible for vouchers next school year.

Alliance Middle and Timken High also increased to continuous improvement, meaning students from these schools also won't qualify for vouchers in 2007-08.

In addition, no new schools qualified in the most recent report cards, so no new children will be eligible in the Akron-Canton area next year.

However, students who already have vouchers will remain eligible for the program until they graduate.

Critics, supporters

Ohio Federation of Teachers President Tom Mooney, a strong opponent of vouchers, said the program is ``very restrictive and elitist' as private schools aren't waiving their traditional admissions requirements.

``The legislators supported this program based on the need to offer alternatives to students who were failing in the public schools,' Mooney said. ``There's no reason to believe that the private schools are going to admit those students.'

But Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, a voucher supporter, said, ``Many voucher schools are taking anyone who wants to show up and follow the rules.'

Husted, who pushed for the creation of the program, said vouchers are just one of the choices parents have. ``I don't expect the voucher program is going to be the best solution for everyone. That's what school choice is about -- a menu of options,' he said.

St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron rejected one voucher applicant this year.

Headmaster Dave Rathz said the school's high admission standards help create an environment that leads to student success. The school considers an applicant's academic, attendance and discipline record.

``You have to have high standards at the front door as students walk in so that everyone here is of the same mindset,' he said.

Brian Porter, who is a freshman this year at St. Vincent-St. Mary, initially was not happy about transferring to a private school.

``We looked at this as a better chance for him academically and athletically,' Kim Porter said of her son, who is playing freshman football.

The vouchers cover most of Brian's tuition and all of Kayla's.

The Porters had to pay for books and uniforms.

``We have sacrificed,' Kim Porter said. ``We're doing it gladly. We're very grateful that this opportunity came along.'