Ohio lawmakers propose PAYING kindergarteners and ninth graders $50 a month to attend school - and a $250 bonus if they graduate - under wild experiment targeting absenteeism

Ohio is considering paying some school students to attend class and extra if they graduate under a pilot program aimed at reducing absenteeism.

The trial, detailed in House Bill 348, hopes to 'increase student attendance and graduation rates through financial awards and incentives.'

Officials will randomly select half of kindergarteners and ninth graders at one rural and one urban school to receive $50 a month if they maintain an attendance rate of  90 percent or higher - while the others will remain in a 'control' group and receive nothing.

The legislation has been co-sponsored by Democrat Rep. Dani Issacsohn and Republican Rep. Bill Seitz. 

'I hope this pilot works. But either way, we need to be figuring out what the answer is to the issue of chronic absenteeism,'  Rep. Issacsohn told WKYC. 

House Bill 348, hopes to 'increase student attendance and graduation rates through financial awards and incentives' at struggling districts such as in Toledo which had a 42 percent absenteeism rate for the 2022-2023 year, compared to the state average of 26 percent

The financial incentive would be distributed in bi-weekly payments of $25 to participating freshman students and to the parents and guardians of kindergarteners. 

If the bill is passed, students and their parents would earn $150 at the end of each quarter and $500 at the end of the school for showing up at least 90 percent of the entire school year. 

The bill also includes a separate incentive for high school students that graduate, also referred to as an 'eligible student.' 

The student would need to graduate from a 'qualifying school district' in order to receive $250 to each student upon graduation. 

If the high school senior finished with a grade point average of 3.0 or more, they are set to receive another reward up to $250, for total of $500. 

If the student had a grade point average pf 3.5 or more, they could make an extra $500. 

Chronic absenteeism - when students miss 10 percent or more of the school year - was 42 percent in the Toledo Public Schools district for the 2022-2023 year, while the state average was about 26 percent, according to state records. 

Michael Carter, a parent of a student at Sylvania Southview High School said that even though his children go to school every day, he know that others struggle to do the same. 

'I think it could be helpful with parents that need help with getting their child to school,' Carter said. 

Ohio State Rep. Dani Issacsohn, a co-sponsor on the bill has backed his decision to support it by comparing the cost of paying students and parents to the cost of sending a child to juvenile detention centers

The Department of Education have chosen to give cash transfer incentives to the parents of kindergarteners and ninth grade students. Pictured: Sylvania Southview High School 

Other parents and lawmakers have strongly disagreed with the proposed legislation in the swing state. 

Republican State Rep. Josh Williams, who serves in the primary and secondary education committee, said he 'knew; he was going to disagree with the bill 'and its premise.' 

'You already pay taxes to provide a free education to those children. But now you're going to actually pay a parent next door, out of your pocket, to make sure their kids get up and get on a school bus,' Williams said.  

'Dumb idea. Parents need to be responsible,' a commenter online said about the proposal. 

Another said: 'Just imagine what the teachers could do for the kids if they had $500 PER STUDNET in their classroom budget. Don't pay the kids, support the teachers!' 

Rep. Issacsohn backed up his support for the bill by comparing the cost of rewarding students and their parents to the cost of sending a child to a juvenile detention center. 

'If one student spends a year in the Department of Youth Services or in juvenile detention, we're talking a six-figure cost to the state and to the government,' he said. 

According tot the bill, the total amount of money that would be put toward the pilot program would be $250,000 in the 2024 fiscal year and $500,000 in 2025. Pictured: Byrnedale Elementary School

The total amount of money that would be put toward the pilot program would be $250,000 in the 2024 fiscal year and $500,000 in 2025. 

Only schools that are ranked in the lowest 20 percent of school districts will be considered for the trials.  

Schools who are interested in this plan would have to sent an application to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. 

Other states in the US that have faced a surge in absenteeism include Alaska with 44.97 percent, the District of Columbia at 43.6 percent, Florida at 30.9 percent, and Hawaii at 30.4 percent, according to research conducted by Future Ed.