COLUMBUS — The application process begins this morning for grants that will cover bus transportation costs for field trips to the Ohio Statehouse and its museum.
81 schools across the state will receive these grants. Each grant's amount will be determined based on the one-way mileage from the visiting school to the Ohio Statehouse. Schools 50 miles or less could receive a $200 grant. Schools 51 to 100 miles away from the statehouse would receive $300. Schools more than 100 miles away would receive $400.
The grants are available to any Ohio school that receives state funding and are limited to students in the 4th through 12th grades during this academic year.
Since the program's inception in 2009, tens of thousands of students from all 88 counties in Ohio have visited the Ohio Statehouse with the help of these grants.
"We know that can be an expensive trip," Dayna Jalken, the Deputy Director of Museum Education at the Ohio Statehouse, said. "We want do what we can to make sure that as many of Ohio's school children as possible can make the trip to come to the Statehouse."
Each school is eligible for only one grant, regardless of the number of buses or students visiting. Schools must have at least 20 students on their field trip and schedule a guided tour of the statehouse to receive those funds.
Applications open today at 9 a.m. All applications must be submitted online by a school administrator. Recipients will be notified by September 24th.
