Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The tuition assistance program is now open.
The Education Option — known as EdChoice — is officially open for business at the Ironton Catholic Schools as a program that will pay tuition costs for any student Catholic or non-Catholic up to $4,600 for St. Lawrence Elementary and $6,000 for St. Joseph middle and high schools.
Both maximum amounts are more than the actual tuition at either school. There is a chart that list the number of people in a household and the gross annual amount of income for those household numbers that determines the maximum amount of scholarship money.
If a household goes beyond the gross income, money will still be awarded with the amount based on the income.
There are two EdChoice programs but EdChoice Advantage uses the financial chart (see chart at right) and students from any school that qualify can use.
Interested persons can apply under the EdChoice Scholarship Program/Ohio Department of Education or contact St. Joseph High School (740) 532-4872.
Due to a state law, students can also attend St. Joseph High School and play a sport at their home district school if St. Joseph doesn’t offer the sport.
Since St. Joseph doesn’t offer football, wrestling, tennis and track, a student living in Coal Grove could go to school at St. Joseph and play football at Dawson-Bryant.
However, if the student played basketball they play at St. Joseph because the school offers the sport.
The Ohio Department of Education has a list of all the schools throughout the state that are listed as underachieving and the list is extensive.
According to the Ohio Department of Education, every school district in Lawrence County is affected partially.
Schools include Rock Hill Elementary and High School, Fairland High School and West Elementary, Chesapeake Middle School, Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant Middle School, Ironton High School and Middle School, South Point High School and Middle School, and Symmes Valley High School.
Scioto County school districts are also on the list and they have the choice of attending Portsmouth Notre Dame.
Districts affected are Green, Portsmouth, West Portsmouth, Northwest, Sciotoville East, Minford, New Boston, Lucasville Valley and Clay.
Some of the other district affected in Southeast Ohio are Ross, Pike and Jackson counties.