Supporters of an Ohio state program that gives poor parents vouchers to send their children to private schools - religious or not - are appealing a court's ruling that the program is unconstitutional.

The 10th Ohio District Court of Appeals last week ruled that the program violated constitutional guarantees of separation of church and state because 80 percent of the 53 schools in the program are affiliated with a religion.Ohio was the first state in the nation to fund a voucher program that includes religious schools.

The state and voucher supporters say they plan to ask the Ohio Supreme Court to let the program continue while the case is appealed. The program is funded through the 1997-98 school year.

"Let the pilot program live, and let's see what the results are," said Bert Holt, director of Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, which administers the state's school voucher program.

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About 2,000 Ohio public school students in kindergarten through third grade each received $2,500 in taxpayer money last year to attend private schools.

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