State Superintendent Richard Ross and Sarah Dove, advisor to John Kasich.jpeg

State Superintendent Richard Ross, shown here in a Cleveland visit with Sarah Dove, an education advisor to Gov. John Kasich, approved the requirement that religious groups be included in any application for $10 million in state grants for student mentoring. Ross also approved rules limiting what those groups can do with the money.

(Patrick O'Donnell/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The recent decision to require participation of a church or religious group for any school to receive money from Gov. John Kasich's student mentorship program came from the Ohio Department of Education, a department spokesman said.

State Superintendent Richard Ross added that requirement after meetings with ODE staff, governors staff and members of Kasich's advisory panel for the governor's new "Community Connectors" program, ODE spokesman John Charlton said.

Charlton noted Ross also added rules restricting limiting religion in the program. Rule 10A of Community Connectors grants - also approved by Ross - bars any state money from being used on "religious worship, instruction or proselytization."

Grants can't be used for equipment or supplies for those purposes or for "construction, remodeling, repair, operation or maintenance of any facility or part of a facility to be used for any of the activities," the rules state.

And grants can't be used to pay anyone whose duties include religious worship, instruction or proselytization. Salaries of people performing those duties can, however, be counted toward the local contributions that the state grants will match.

Community Connectors was announced by Kasich in his State of the State speech as an effort to reduce the state's high school dropout rate and to help students achieve. He called for the state to give 3-to-1 matches to partnerships that can match community members with students to give them guidance.

"If we do this right and do a better job of connecting our communities with our schools, not only does it lift up our educators, but more important it lifts up our kids," Kasich said in his State of the State. "We can show them why learning matters, we can teach them about workplace culture and professional etiquette. We can help them appreciate how important values are to success in life, values like hard work, discipline and personal responsibility — all of which can help motivate and inspire them to find their purpose and to reach for the stars."

As we reported Friday, religious organizations were always listed as part of the program, but not a requirement: not in Kasich's speech, not in Ross' testimony to the legislature on the program and not in Kasich's November order creating the advisory panel and asking Ross to develop final rules for the plan.

Religious participation was an option, but not a requirement for grants, in House Bill 483, which set aside $10 million in lottery profits this summer for the program.

But they are now a required partner in any application for a grant, which must also include a school and a business. Other community non-profit organizations can be partners, but only if all three other ones are also included.

Damon Asbury, director of legislative services for the Ohio School Boards Association, said his organization was surprised by the requirement.

"The rules go beyond the legislation and that might be the cause for some controversy down the road," Asbury said.

Asbury said OSBA legal staff is reviewing the rules today.

"I still think it (Community Connectors) is a good idea and having faith-based organizations involved can be a real strength," he said. "The question is if it's too restrictive, as it's currently written."

Charlton said discussions this fall between ODE staff, Kasich's staff and advisory panel members - who include people who have worked with mentoring programs - led to a recommendation that religious partners be required, which Ross approved.

Advisory board members are: Rev. Dr. Todd Davidson, Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland; Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership; Jane Keller, CEO and president of Cincinnati Youth Collaborative; Bill Kitson, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland; Rich Nathan, senior pastor of the Vineyard Church of Columbus; Colleen Ryan, president of Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio; Cynthia Dungey, director of Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services.

"It was determined that to have the best collaboration possible, both business and faith-based groups must be part of the proposal," Charlton said. "We are trying to create robust partnerships to lead strong mentoring programs."