Supporters of Ohio's statewide school voucher program yesterday accused Gov. Ted Strickland of caving in to teachers' unions and stealing the hope of children by trying to kill the program.

"This is personal," said a tearful Becky Jordan, whose daughter attends East Liverpool Christian School at state expense.

"This is my daughter," she said. "This is her education, and he's trying to take it away from her."

In his $52.9 billion, two-year budget proposal, the Democratic governor called for elimination of the first-year program providing grants for private school tuition for students seeking to escape academically struggling public schools.

Parents with children receiving Educational Choice Scholarships from Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Youngstown, and East Liverpool met yesterday with House Speaker Jon Husted (R., Kettering). They hope the Republican-controlled General Assembly will defend the program.

Parents may receive grants of up to $4,250 a year for K-8 students and $5,000 for high school students, or the actual tuition cost, whichever is less.

The state will spend $13 million this year to send 3,000 students to private schools in a program that has slots for 14,000. Department of Education spokesman J.C. Benton said applications this year are running ahead of last year's pace.

Mr. Strickland, meanwhile, continued his road tour stumping for his budget yesterday at a Jackson elementary school in southern Ohio.

"The governor deeply believes that we should be targeting our resources and efforts toward an effective public education system rather than removing resources to benefit a very small segment of the student population at the expense of others," said his spokesman, Keith Dailey.

Mr. Strickland has not sought an end to Cleveland's voucher program. That program, serving nearly 6,000 students, was the focus of the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of using public dollars to send children to private and religious schools.

Mr. Dailey noted a key difference is that the Cleveland program serves lower-income students. Family income would not become a factor in the statewide program until the state reaches its 14,000-grant cap.

Mark Tooman, director of communications at Toledo's Central Catholic High School, said the school could have up to 110 voucher students next year, up from 31 this year.

"It would be disappointing if the state chose to disband the program when we currently have kids in schools and, because they would not receive an Ed Choice grant, would have to go to an underperforming school," he said. "That doesn't make a lot of sense."

The state will continue to accept Ed Choice applications through April 20, although it could be well after that before parents and schools know the program's fate.

Tom Gladieux, principal of Pope John Paul II School at 3248 Warsaw St., Toledo, said the school has about 30 voucher students now. It's unclear how many students might not attend the school for lack of a voucher.

"With the voucher students and our existing students, better than 60 percent are [eligible] for free and reduced lunch," he said.

"The key thing is that these people want a faith-based education and many times are willing to sacrifice and give up things so their child has that opportunity."

Only students attending or going into a school building graded as being in academic emergency or watch for two of the last three years are eligible.

Nineteen Toledo Public Schools fit that description: Cherry, Chase, Fulton, Garfield, Nathan Hale, Lagrange, Lincoln Academy for Boys, Newbury, Pickett, Raymer, Reynolds, and Sherman elementary schools; Leverette, McTigue, and Robinson junior high schools, and Scott, Woodward, and Libbey high schools.

In Sandusky, parents with children at Hancock and Mills elementary schools are eligible. So are Lima city school students attending Freedom, Liberty, and Unity elementary schools; Lima North and Lima South middle schools, and Lima High School.