From  Vouchers Hurt Ohio

March 12, 2024

Good Tuesday morning,

No surprise.

The $1 billion boondoggle, known as the private school voucher program, is a refund and a rebate bonanza for families, including a lot of wealthy families, and the biggest winners are the private school operators.

Recently, WOSU took a look at what is happening in the Columbus area and their reporting mirrors what is taking place all across Ohio.

The reporter took a deep dive into the Olentangy Local School District in Delaware County and found that in the 2022-23 school year, 30 students living in the district received vouchers for private schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, that number increased by 2,277 percent to 713 students.

Here’s the kicker: the district’s enrollment grew by 500 students, according to the report.

Now Olentangy is currently trying to pass a levy to operate the schools and to build five school buildings needed to handle the projected growth of this amazing community.

Olentangy consistently rates among the best school districts in the state with a very low operating cost per pupil.

This is just one of the nasty consequences of the state using our tax dollars to put hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of private school operators.

The Ohio Constitution could not be any clearer: The state shall create a single system of common schools for all school children for the common good.

Vouchers create a separate and unequal system of schools for the well-to-do.

Please read and listen to the report from WOSU here.

The reporter also looked at Dublin schools where the increase in voucher students was 500 compared to last year, and in Upper Arlington where voucher numbers grew from 11 to 260.

Remember in days of yore when the private school voucher system was sold to the public, like snake oil, based on the idea that students from families with lesser means would have a choice of going to a private school.

What a bunch of bunk.

Is your district part of the lawsuit? Check here. If not, why not? The stakes could not be higher.

Want to know how to join? Click here.

Sincerely,

Vouchers Hurt Ohio