Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding
To secure high quality educational opportunities for all Ohio school children without diminishing opportunities for students who reside in high capacity districts.
MAY 26: STATE OFFICIALS COULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE OVER THE STATE AUDITOR’S SURVEY “TO GATHER INFORMATION AND PROVIDE GREATER TRANSPARENCY.”
Some state officials seem to be extremely agitated regarding the EdChoice voucher litigation and may have recently dove into a pool loaded with legal liabilities as they attempt to defeat the case outside the court room.
Read the full email here.
MAY 25: AUDITOR OF STATE CONDUCTING A SURVEY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DETERMINE AMOUNT PAID FOR EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION—INTIMIDATION!—WHICH IS ILLEGAL ACCORDING TO ORC SECTION 2921.03
The Auditor’s survey to school treasurers indicated that the General Assembly requested it. It turns out that the request was from the Senate President, period.
Read the full email here.
MAY 24: CAUSALITY OF THE MAY 17, 1954 U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION IN BROWN, ECONOMIST MILTON FRIEDMAN’S SCHOOL VOUCHER PLAN, SEGREGATION AND THE CURRENT POLITICAL VOUCHER FERVOR.
Sixty-nine years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark decision, Brown v Board of Education, ruled segregation of races in public schools denies minority children the equal protection of law guaranteed by the 14th Amendment; hence de jure (legally allowable) segregation had to be eliminated.
Read the full email here.
MAY 23: THE OHIO CONSTITUTION IS BECOMING A DEAD LETTER TO RECENT OHIO GOVERNORS AND LEGISLATURES.
Political leaders in Ohio are becoming like China’s political leaders regarding the Constitution. China’s Constitution is a dead letter.
Read the full email here.
MAY 22: OHIO SENATE MOVING TOWARD A UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS SCHEME WITH A MEANS TESTING PROVISION.
Means testing: process of assessing the financial eligibility of individuals applying to receive public funds.
Read the full email here.
MAY 19: VOUCHERS: OUR TAX MONEY OR THEIR (VOUCHER PARENTS’) MONEY? OUR TAX MONEY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A REBATE TO INDIVIDUALS FOR VOUCHERS.
The voucher champions proffer talking points such as:
Read the full email here.
MAY 18: SENATE PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO 43 URBAN DISTRICTS’ LETTER ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO GIVE PRIORITY TO FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS OVER PRIVATES.
A May 10 article in Cleveland.com by Laura Hancock points to a letter written by 43 urban school districts requesting the legislature to give priority to funding for public schools and calling for accountability requirements for private schools. The response of the Senate President is included in the article.
Read the full email here.
MAY 17: 1850/1851 OHIO CONSTITUTION PROVIDED THE MANDATE FOR THE THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM—2023 LEGISLATION UNRAVELS THIS CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION.
The Ohio Constitution requires the State to secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools (Article VI, section 2).
Read the full email here.
MAY 16: SCHOOL VOUCHERS FOUGHT OVER IN OHIO LEGISLATURE, COURTS BY TOM JACKSON
A lengthy article by Tom Jackson of Ogden Ohio Newspapers provides a perspective on the voucher debate.
Read the full email here.
MAY 15: SOME STATEMENTS A REPRESENTATIVE OF AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY (AFP) MADE DURING A HEARING IN THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE AS REPORTED IN THE MAY 5 GONGWER NEWS SERVICE—SOME INTERESTING; SOME DOLTISH; SOME ANTI-E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Universal eligibility is not intended to benefit just the disadvantaged: This statement is antithetical to the original voucher advocacy plea, “rescue poor kids from low performing districts.”
Read the full email here.
MAY 12: AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY FLOODING MAILBOXES WITH VOUCHER PROMOTION PROPAGANDA.
Americans for Prosperity, a fiery voucher crusader is mailing multiple slick flyers full of nonsense designed to undermine public confidence in the public common school system.
Read the full email here.
MAY 11: SENATE PRESIDENT RESISTS BEING DEPOSED IN THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT
The Ohio Attorney General has filed a Motion to Quash a subpoena issued to the Senate President by the plaintiffs in the EdChoice voucher lawsuit.
Read the full email here.
MAY 10: SENATE PRESIDENT: THE TRANSFER OF THE PRIMARY DUTIES OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AND EXPANSION OF VOUCHERS MAY END UP IN THE STATE BUDGET BILL (HB33)
An article in the April 27 Gongwer News Service indicates that Senate President Huffman declared that inclusion of SB1 (a reversal of the will of the people in the 1953 Constitutional amendment) in the State Budget (HB33) is “a real possibility.”
Read the full email here.
MAY 9: A KOCH FAMILY BANKROLLED GROUP—AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY-OH—IS MAILING A VOUCHER PROMOTIONAL FLYER TO OHIOANS.
The super wealthy Koch family has a long history of initiating and bankrolling organizations and campaigns devoted to the privatization of government services, particularly education. Americans for Prosperity is among those groups the Koch family bankroll.
Read the full email here.
MAY 8: PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT ACCEPT PUBLIC MONEY SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO ALL THE REGULATIONS IMPOSED ON TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Private school leaders that believe they are entitled to and accept increasing allocations of public funds without being subject to expanded public transparency and accountability measures are being somewhat naive.
Read the full email here.
MAY 5: DENIS SMITH: VOUCHERS AREN’T ABOUT EDUCATION AND FREEDOM, BUT THEY ARE ABOUT DISUNION.
Denis Smith, retired educator/administrator/consultant in ODE’s charter school office often writes about education issues. On May 1 the Ohio Capital Journal published his article regarding how the voucher scheme unravels the fabric of the social order.
Read the full email here.
MAY 4: SENATOR SANDRA O’BRIEN’S APRIL 10 GUEST COLUMN IN SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL (SB11) PUBLISHED IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH IS LONG ON ORATORY, BUT AMAZINGLY SHORT ON LEGAL AND LOGICAL SUBSTANCE.
The column consists of many of the current talking points of national and state-level pro-voucher militants. Possibly the Senator is unaware that the goal of the voucher militants is to privatize the whole public common school system.
Read the full email here.
MAY 3: RESPONSE TO AN APRIL 5 COLUMBUS DISPATCH GUEST COLUMN BY A STATE REPRESENTATIVE SUPPORTING THE TRANSFER OF THE POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE.
This response provides information that can be used to resist the misinformation some state officials spread in support of House Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1.
Read the full email here.
MAY 2: OPPOSITION TO VOUCHERS TESTIMONY BY DAN HEINTZ, BOARD MEMBER AND TEACHER
The attached testimony was presented to the House Education Committee by Dan Heintz on April 25. The emphasis of his testimony is on transparency, accountability and outcomes.
Read the full email here.
MAY 1: DIANE RAVITCH’S APRIL 21 BLOG FEATURING A TIME MAGAZINE ARTICLE: HOW VOUCHER PROGRAMS HURT STUDENTS.
State legislatures across the nation are enacting school voucher programs at the expense of public common schools in spite of the research that show the failure of such programs.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 28: THE SCHOOL PRIVATIZERS ARE TAKING STATE FUNDS FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS—NOW THEY WANT LOCAL TAX DOLLARS.
The Columbus Dispatch article (for subscribers online), “Universal School Vouchers: Can Ohio Afford the Cost Without Using Local Property Taxes?” refers to comments made by school privatizers who say that local tax dollars might be necessary for the long-term fiscal health of the state if lawmakers are serious about universal vouchers.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 27: UNIVERSAL VOUCHER PROGRAMS BEING ENACTED IN OTHER STATES WITHOUT A CLUE AS TO THE COST. WILL OHIO BE NEXT?
Florida and Arizona have universal voucher programs. Analyses of the cost vary widely in each state. The Legislative Service Commission in Ohio estimates the initial cost of a universal voucher system in Ohio to be $1.13 billion.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 26: A UNIVERSAL VOUCHER SYSTEM WILL DEVASTATE THE REPUTABLE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AS WELL AS THE CONSTITUTIONALLY-REQUIRED PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM.
The eligibility to collect a wad of public tax money for some kind of schooling will be appealing to both the folks who have a penchant toward private education and those who are enticed by the thought of receiving a pot of tax money.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 25: DIANE RAVITCH’S APRIL 19 BLOG—SECRETARY CARDONA, NAEP PROFICIENT IS NOT GRADE LEVEL!
The attached blog is worthy of reading and further distribution.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 24: JAN RESSEGER, IN HER APRIL 18 BLOG IDENTIFIES FOUR CURRENT RESOURCES THAT WILL BE HELPFUL IN RESISTING VOUCHERS
The resources cited by Jan Resseger are compelling. Those willing to engage state officials in a discussion of the voucher issue need to be well-informed.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 21: THE CURRENT HOUSE VERSION OF THE STATE BUDGET PROPOSAL (HB33) OUTDOES THE GOVERNOR’S RECOMMENDATION FOR VOUCHER EXPANSION.
The Governor recommended in his state budget proposal that voucher income eligibility be raised from 250% of federal poverty level to 400%.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 20: THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN OHIO SUPPORTS THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION
Ohio has a rich public education history which bolsters the claims that are being put forward in the EdChoice voucher lawsuit.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 19: PUBLIC FUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PFPS) APRIL 20, 2:00 PM WEBINAR ON “THE FISCAL CONSEQUENCES OF PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS”
Voucher advocates often argue that school districts don’t sustain a financial loss when district students take vouchers.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 18: PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS (PEP) JEANNE MELVIN: STATE BUDGET FOCUS ON CHARTER SCHOOLS HURTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The attached article by Jeanne Melvin was published in a major newspaper; however, she sent her article to us with permission to publish. Her exposure of the fraudulent, for-profit charter school industry is quite appalling.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 17: AN OHIO SENATOR, “BUT FOR THOSE PARENTS WHO WANT THEIR TAX DOLLARS TO FOLLOW THEIR CHILDREN, LET’S GIVE THEM THE FREEDOM TO DO SO.” IS A NEW THEORY OF TAXATION EMERGING?
General taxation is a compulsory levy on an individual or a taxable entity for government expenditures. Major forms of taxation are collected for the welfare of taxpayers as a whole. The individual taxpayer liability is independent of any benefit received.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 14: THE SENATE BILL 11 (THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL) SPONSOR EXTOLLS THE VIRTUES OF TAKING FUNDS AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM TO FUND VOUCHERS.
In a Guest Column published in an online version of The Columbus Dispatch, the sponsor of SB11 supports the perception that parents and students deserve the choice of a private education at public expense.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 13: PETER GREENE’S “VOUCHERS RESTORE DISCRIMINATION AND SEGREGATION” ARTICLE VIA DIANE RAVITCH’S APRIL 11 BLOG.
EdChoice vouchers in Ohio advance segregation.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 12: WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST FROM A UNIVERSAL VOUCHER SYSTEM? NOT LOW INCOME PEOPLE. NOT PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.
The big winners in the universal voucher game will be high income folks, particularly those who are already paying tuition to private schools.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 11: APRIL-MAY 2023 EDITION OF OHIO SCHOOLS MAGAZINE FEATURES DAN HEINTZ’ INVOLVEMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCACY AND THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER CASE
Dan Heintz is a history teacher in Chardon Local School District and a board member in Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding. As an enthusiastic education professional and advocate, he was interviewed for a feature article in the April-May 2023 OEA Ohio Schools magazine.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 10: DAN HEINTZ (TEACHER IN ONE DISTRICT AND BOARD MEMBER IN ANOTHER DISTRICT): TWO GENERATIONS NEGLECTED BY OHIO’S GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Dan Heintz sent his article—Two Generations Neglected by Ohio’s State Legislature—with his permission to publish it in this post.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 7: CHARTER SCHOOLS AND VOUCHERS ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT THE SOLUTION TO THE UNDERFUNDED COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM.
In 1997 the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Ohio’s elementary and secondary schools are neither thorough nor efficient; hence, unconstitutional.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 6: RURAL GEORGIA REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS DOOM VOUCHER BILL
Rural Georgia Republican legislators are protecting their rural public schools. They warded-off lobbying by the Governor and pro-voucher groups, voting down a voucher bill, as indicated in the attached article.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 5: THE RIPPLE EFFECT IN OHIO POLITICS RESULT IN EDUCATION POLICIES OUT OF SYNC WITH A MAJORITY OF OHIOANS.
Vouchers don’t poll well in any state. Recently a poll in Oklahoma indicated that 74% were not in favor of vouchers. In no state has a voucher scheme passed in a statewide election. Notwithstanding, legislatures across the nation are cramming vouchers down the throats of folks.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 4: JAN RESSEGER: OHIO’S PROPOSED INCOME TAX CUT FOR THE RICH WOULD IMPOSE A $929 MILLION PROPERTY TAX INCREASE ON OHIO’S HOMEOWNERS AND FARMERS.
Relying heavily on data provided by Ohio’s school finance guru Howard Fleeter, Jan Resseger shows how HB1 will increase property tax by nearly one billion dollars.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 3: IN THE WORLD OF UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS, WHO PAYS FOR EDUCATION AND WHO CONTROLS THE FUNDS?
The battle cry of universal voucherists is that students should be funded directly by the state to shop for education. They contend that parents/students are entitled to tax funds for private choice of education.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 31: MATT ZALAZNICK: ARE STUDENTS SUCCEEDING WHEN THEY CHOOSE VOUCHERS TO LEAVE PUBLIC SCHOOL?
Zalaznick shows via recent research in Ohio and two other states that voucher students are served less well than public school students.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 30: FORMER OHIO TEACHER OF THE YEAR MAUREEN REEDY: THE “PUBLIC” MUST BE PUT BACK INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Maureen Reedy is a passionate advocate of public education. She taught in a suburban school district for 30 years. Her appeal is for all to support the voucher litigation.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 29: SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION ADVOCATES ARE REDEFINING PUBLIC EDUCATION AS ANY EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT RECEIVES TAX MONEY.
All states in the nation have constitutional provisions requiring their respective legislatures to establish and support a system of public education open to all students. In Ohio, the state is responsible to secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 28: OHIO SEEMS TO BE ON THE CUSP OF ADOPTING A UNIVERSAL VOUCHER SCHEME—JOINING FOUR OTHER STATES WITH THE SAME ANTI-PUBLIC EDUCATION GAME PLAN.
Many Ohio politicians are drinking the Kool-Aid of the universal voucher scheme.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 27: OHIO EDUCATOR AND ADMINISTRATOR, T.J. GLASSMEYER: FULLY FUND THE FAIR SCHOOL FUNDING PROGRAM, FUND VOUCHERS FROM ANOTHER POT OF MONEY, AND HOLD PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO THE STANDARDS APPLIED TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Mr. Glassmeyer sent this article to the E&A Coalition with permission to use it as one of our daily emails.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 24: THE PROPONENTS OF SB1 (TRANSFER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION POWERS AND FUNCTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE) HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM.
From 1913 to 1953 the superintendent of public instruction and thus the state education agency was a department in the governor’s office.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 23: BENJAMIN C. HELTON, PH.D. SPEAKS OUT BOLDLY AND THOUGHTFULLY REGARDING THE SUDDEN URGENCY FOR VOUCHER SUPPORTERS TO PASS VOUCHER LEGISLATION ACROSS THE NATION.
Dr. Helton explains that vouchers do not work as advertised and advocates of public school privatization know it.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 22: LONG TIME HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH VINCE MARSALA REGARDING VOUCHERS: THE DOUBLE STANDARD BY THE LEGISLATURE IN BUILDING THIS SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS.
Vince Marsala, a teacher and football coach speaks out on the voucher scheme. He says, “However with Ohio pushing an almost universal voucher program, we are no longer ‘playing the same game’.”
Read the full email here.
MARCH 21: MARILOU JOHANEK: OHIO REPUBLICANS HELLBENT ON TURNING STATE’S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM INTO POLITICAL RUBBER STAMP
The March 7 Ohio Capital Journal commentary by Marilou Johanek is spot-on regarding the legislation that transfers the functions of the State Board of Education to the governor’s office. The issue is control, not improvement of educational opportunities for students.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 20: OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION (LSC) ESTIMATES THAT SENATE BILL 11 WILL COST THE STATE UP TO $1,056,000,000 IN FISCAL YEARS 2024 AND 2025
LSC is an agency of the legislature. This office drafts legislation and prepares fiscal analyses and local impact statements of bills introduced. LSC has determined that SB11 will cost $1,056,000,000 during the next two-year budget cycle.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 17: THE HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION BILL (SB1) IS MOVING THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE AT A RAPID PACE.
SB1 was referred to the Senate Education Committee on January 17. It was passed by the Senate Education Committee on March 1 and also passed by the Senate the same day.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 16: VOUCHER POLL IN OKLAHOMA: 74% OPPOSE VOUCHERS
Polls were conducted March 3 and December 1, 2022 in Oklahoma to gauge public support for school vouchers for private schools.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 15: JAN RESSEGER: COURT SAYS PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL FUNDING IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. WILL PENNSYLVANIA GET A NEW FORMULA?
Jan Resseger’s February 16 blog shows that the current school funding litigation situation in Pennsylvania is now quite like that of Ohio in the 1990’s.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 14: OHIO CONSTITUTION REQUIRES A SINGLE SYSTEM OF COMMON SCHOOL.
The very idea of a tax-supported system of common schools is invigorating to those that seek the public good and wish to fortify communities, the state and the nation against despotic powers.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 13: AN ARTICLE BY PATRICK WALL, COVID EXODUS: WHERE DID 1 MILLION PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS GO? NEW DATA SHEDS SOME LIGHT, IDENTIFIES A PROBLEM.
A combination of COVID exodus and a host of private alternatives to the public school system may require a monumental effort to ensure that compulsory attendance laws are enforced.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 10: CHESTER E. FINN, JR., ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST ENTHUSIASTIC AND INFLUENTIAL SCHOOL CHOICE (PRIVATIZATION) ADVOCATES, IN A FEBRUARY 16 FORDHAM INSTITUTE FLYPAPER ARTICLE WARNS AGAINST FLAWS IN UNIVERSAL EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (ESA)
ESA’s, vouchers on steroids, provide public funds to parents via government-authorized savings accounts.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 9: REPORT ON OHIO VOUCHERS OVERSTATES BENEFITS AND DOWNPLAYS NEGATIVES.
The Fordham Institute hired a couple OSU professors to conduct a study of the impact of Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program on school district enrollments, finances, and academics. Fordham staff wrote the forward to the report, which may not have accurately reflected the findings in the research report.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 8: THE VOUCHER ADVOCACY CONTINUUM: RESCUE OF POOR CHILDREN FROM LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO EVERY STUDENT HAS A RIGHT TO VOUCHERS
A couple State of Ohio legislators during the 1980’s started to talk about vouchers.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 7: HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP AGREE THAT THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER SCHEME IS A PRIORITY. SO WHAT NEXT?
Vouchers for all takers will fall like manna from heaven very soon.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 6: THE ORIGINAL RATIONALE FOR VOUCHERS—“RESCUE SOME STUDENTS FROM ‘LOW PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICTS’” INDICATED INDIFFERENCE AND DISPASSION FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT WOULD BE LEFT BEHIND.
In the beginning of voucher advocacy, if voucher advocates had been seriously interested in improving education opportunities for children
Read the full email here.
MARCH 3: VOUCHERS FOR POOL CHOICE
Government jurisdictions often operate swimming pools for the benefit of the general public. The construction and operation of the pools are funded by tax revenue.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 2: THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME IS AN ENTITLEMENT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO RECEIVE TAX MONEY FOR A PRIVATE PURPOSE
Taxes are imposed to be used by governments to pay for public purposes.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 1: MARCH 8 WEBINAR—LITIGATING AGAINST PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS
This is a timely Webinar in that the EdChoice voucher program in Ohio is being challenged
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 28: THE FIRST AND SECOND PARAGRAPHS OF MILESTONES: A HISTORY OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF OHIO 1956-1989 PROVIDES ONE MORE REASON WHY THE FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE: POLITICS.
Decisions by the State Board of Education (Department of Education staff, superintendent of public instruction and the board, itself) should be as free of politics as possible.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 27: TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO SB1—GOVERNOR TAKEOVER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION BILL—PRESENTED TO THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE ON FEBRUARY 21.
The Senate Education Committee heard SB1 testimony on February 21.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 24: TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO SB1—THE TAKEOVER OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION BY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE BILL—BY JEANNE MELVIN, PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS (PEP)
Jeanne Melvin’s SB1 opposition testimony stresses some points not made by other opponents of SB1. Her reference to the HB70 state take-over of three Ohio school districts is compelling as an argument against the transfer of State Board functions to the Governor’s office.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 23: PART 4: REASONS/ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF TRANSFER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FUNCTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE DO NOT COMPUTE.
Some folks recently testified before the Senate Education Committee that SB1 is necessary to allow the state to give greater emphasis on career/technical education.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 22: PART 3: REASONS/ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF TRANSFER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FUNCTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE DO NOT COMPUTE.
Some proponents of HB1 (transfer of duties and responsibilities of the State Board of Education to the Governor’s office) argue that the existence of the State Board of Education complicates state governance of education.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 21: PART 2: REASONS/ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF TRANSFER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FUNCTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE DO NOT COMPUTE.
Some proponents of SB1 (transfer of the functions of the State Board of Education to the Governor’s office) opine that the State Board of Education is dysfunctional, and thus should be stripped of its assigned duties and responsibilities.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 20: REASONS/ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF TRANSFER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FUNCTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE DO NOT COMPUTE.
Low student performance has been given as a reason to give State Board of Education duties and responsibilities to the Governor. Let us unpack that one.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 16: AS STATE REVENUES HAVE INCREASED TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF VOUCHER AND CHARTER EXPANSION, SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ DEPENDENCE ON LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES WILL CONTINUE TO ESCALATE.
State officials have turned a deaf ear to the Supreme Court’s mandate to reduce dependence on property tax; they have not yet developed a constitutional thorough and efficient system of common schools.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 15: MOHAWK LOCAL SCHOOLS HOSTS A CO-SPONSOR OF THE BACKPACK BILL (UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS INTRODUCED IN THE 134TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY)
On January 27 the Superintendent and Treasurer of Mohawk Local School District gave a tour of some Mohawk school district programs and discussed with a co-sponsor of the Backpack Bill the impact vouchers will have on the school district.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 14: VOUCHER PROPONENTS ARE WINNING IN THE LEGISLATURES (INCLUDING IN OHIO) ACROSS THE NATION, THAT IS WHY LITIGATION IS ESSENTIAL.
A listing of the winning record of voucher zealots is provided by Steve Nuzum.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 13: JAN RESSEGER LISTS THREE PRIORITIES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATES.
Support the Cupp/Patterson Fair School Funding Plan, oppose SB11 and oppose SB1.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 10: THE MASTER PLAN FOR THE PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION UTILIZES DIFFERENT TOOLS AND DEVICES BUT EACH HAS A LASER FOCUS ON THE PLAN’S PRIVATIZATION OBJECTIVE. THE TOOLS AND DEVICES HAVE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES.
Education privatizers recognize that the great American common school system is supported by a vast majority of the citizens; hence they are engaging various wordsmithing tactics and nefarious actions to denigrate the public system as a tactic to accomplish the transfer of education funds from the public to the private domain.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 9: SCHOOL VOUCHERS BY ANY OTHER NAME ARE STILL VOUCHERS.
Vouchers don’t poll well for voucher advocates. So, they call vouchers scholarships.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 8: RESIDUAL BUDGETING ON TOP OF RESIDUAL BUDGETING FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS ATROCIOUS.
Beginning in the mid-1980’s the General Assembly established several committees to study school finance. Each committee issued a report. One such committee was established by SB140 of the 118th General Assembly.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 7: THE ADVENT OF THE HATEMONGERING, NEO-NAZI HOME SCHOOL GROUP IN NORTHWEST OHIO SHOULD SOUND A WARNING TO STATE OFFICIALS WHO PROMOTE PRIVATE SCHOOL CHOICE AT PUBLIC EXPENSE WITH SCANT TRANSPARENCY OR ACCOUNTABILITY.
Public money available to the charter school industry attracted entrepreneurs like the ECOT man, Bill Lager who fleeced the public for two decades. Public money available for universal vouchers, tuition tax credits and education savings accounts will attract a whole new private school industry, part of which will, on the public’s dime, indoctrinate youth in a great variety of isms, rituals, cults, folklore, etc.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 6: THE GOVERNOR’S STATE BUDGET: HEAVY ON PRIVATE SCHOOL AND PRIVATELY-OPERATED CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING—POSSIBLY LIGHT ON THE CONSTITUTIONALLY-REQUIRED PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Governor said in his State of the State that his budget “reflects the moral imperative we have to see that Ohioans are fully educated…”
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 3 PM: DAVID DEWITT: OHIO CHEATS TAXPAYERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY FUNNELING MONEY TO UNACCOUNTABLE PRIVATE INTERESTS.
David DeWitt in his February 2 article provides insight on how the Governor’s budget proposal heaps tax money on the privatized school industry at the expense of the public system.
Read the full email here.
February 3: A.J. Calderone, Superintendent of Labrae Schools and member of the E&A Steering Committee explains the necessity of the EdChoice voucher litigation in a guest column in the Warren Tribune Chronicle and the Youngstown Vindicator.
Superintendent Calderone raises a series of questions that citizens of Ohio should seriously ponder regarding the ongoing flow of tax revenue to private schools.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 2: JAN RESSEGER’S JANUARY 26 BLOG: EXPANSION OF VOUCHERS IS BEING DRIVEN BY AN IDEOLOGICAL CORPORATE CAMPAIGN, NOT BY VOTERS.
In her January 26 Blog, Jan Resseger explains that the real drivers of school vouchers are not the voters.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 1: A TEACHER POSED INTERESTING QUESTIONS REGARDING TUITION TAX CREDITS (A TWIN OF THE VOUCHER SCHEME).
A teacher, whose name will not be included in this message, poses some pertinent questions. To gain a sense of his frustration, please read his entire letter.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 31: A REALLY UNINFORMED STATEMENT BY A VOUCHER ADVOCATE AS REPORTED IN THE JANUARY 24 GONGWER.
A voucher advocate said, with regard to the Senate Bill 11—the Senate’s universal voucher bill,–”The freedom this type of policy provides has the additional benefit of holding public schools accountable by allowing families to take their state education funding with them to the school of their choice.”
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 30: OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION (LSC) FISCAL NOTE REGARDING STATE EXPENDITURE INCREASE REQUIRED BY SENATE BILL 11: $527.6 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND $527.9 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND FOLLOWING YEARS.
SB11, (SB368 of the 134th General Assembly), the Ohio Senate version of a universal voucher scheme, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, will cost the state $527.9 million annually.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 27: SCHOOL VOUCHERS HURT OHIO ON MANY FRONTS.
Why the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher scheme? Simply because vouchers are unconstitutional and damage the public good.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 26: LEGISLATORS IN VARIOUS STATES IGNORE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY CAN.
The Ohio Senate is poised to pass SB1—transfer the powers and functions of the State Board of Education to the Governor, even though the transfer is a blatant violation of the 1953 amendment that established the State Board. Why? Because they can.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 25: UNBELIEVABLE—SENATE BILL 1, THE BILL TO RENDER INEFFECTIVE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION VIOLATES THE 1953 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WHICH ESTABLISHED THE BOARD.
The Department of Education in Ohio is comprised of the State Board of Education, the superintendent of Public Instruction and the staff. Prior to the 1953 amendment, the education department, including the Superintendent of Public Instruction and staff (state education agency), constituted an administrative arm of the Governor’s office.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 24: SENATE BILL 1, THE PROPOSAL TO NEUTER THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION THAT THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF OHIO PUT INTO THE CONSTITUTION OF OHIO IN 1953 IS CONTRARY TO THE CONSTITUTION.
“All political power is inherent in the people.”
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 23: SENATE BILL 11 IS THE ULTIMATE IN LEGISLATIVE MISCHIEF TO PRIVATIZE THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL
The SB11 moniker Parent Education Freedom Act is a joke, but it is not amusing; it is a devastating threat to the very existence of the public common school system.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 20: A BILL IN THE NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE WOULD LET VOTERS DECIDE IF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE—THE OHIO LEGISLATURE SHOULD LET VOTERS DECIDE.
A bill introduced in the Nebraska Legislature to transfer the functions of the State Board of Education to the Governor’s office is a bad idea for Nebraska. The same is true for Ohio.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 19: JANUARY 16 CLEVELAND.COM ARTICLE REGARDING THE OHIO SENATE’S PENCHANT TO RETURN THE STATE EDUCATION AGENCY TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AS WAS THE CASE PRIOR TO THE 1953 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO REMOVE IT FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
The January 16 Cleveland.com article by Laura Hancock identifies some of the bogus arguments given by state officials for raiding the State Board, such as:
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 18: RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE, AND LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WHO OPT OUT OF THE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM USING TAX-SUPPORTED VOUCHERS.
Credible research is clear: voucher students do not perform as well in a private school setting as their peers enrolled in resident district school.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 17: “ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL” RHETORIC POINTED TO THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM ACTUALLY FITS THE PRIVATE SCHOOL MOLD
Private schools fit the “one-size-fits-all” label much more so than the public common school system.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 16: OHIO SENATE MAJORITY AND THE 45 MEMBER OPPOSITION CAUCUS TO HOUSE SPEAKER ARE WITHIN A HALF DOZEN VOTES OF LEGISLATING TWIN EDUCATION EVILS
The universal voucher scheme and control of the state education agency by the Governor are evil fraternal twins that will sink the public common school system into a swamp filled with quicksand.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 13: NEW SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE HAS A CHALLENGE IN DEALING WITH A PACK OF 45 FELLOW REPUBLICANS WHO ARE BENT ON PUSHING UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS.
The Ohio House group of 45 House Republicans is plotting to outmaneuver the Speaker of the House. According to news reports, this caucus of 45 is bent on making every K-12 student eligible for an EdChoice voucher.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 12: TO THE GOVERNOR: DEVELOPING A THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT SYSTEM OF COMMON SCHOOLS SHOULD BE ON YOU PRIORITY LIST
The January 10 Columbus Dispatch coverage of your inaugural address didn’t mention the development of a constitutional system of public common schools as one of your priorities; yet in the waning days of the 134th General Assembly in the context of the Ohio Senate’s proposal to transfer the powers and duties to your office you said you would welcome that move.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 11: STATE OFFICIALS IN OHIO SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF THE STATE AGENCY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RESPECT THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS FOR IT.
In the waning days of the 134th General Assembly, the President of the Ohio Senate ramrod the legislature a bill that would transfer the substantive powers and duties of the Ohio Department of Education (State Board of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Department of Education staff) to the Governor’s office. This effort was thwarted by certain members of the House of Representatives.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 10: NOTICE TO THE SENATE PRESIDENT: THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT IS NOT A “NEGOTIATING TACTIC WITH THE LEGISLATURE”—IT IS A DEAD SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME.
In a January 7 Lima News article, the Senate President said that the lawsuit is a “negotiating tactic” meant to deter lawmakers from expanding EdChoice vouchers and similar programs.
Read the full email here.
]JANUARY 9: OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN DIANE RAVITCH AND JOSH COWEN TO LEARN THE FACTS ABOUT VOUCHERS
Attached is a Diane Ravitch January 4 blog with information about the January 11 video conference.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 6: AN ARTICLE IN THE JANUARY 4 GONGWER NEWS SERVICE REVEALS SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT FOR THE 135TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Comments by the Senate President as reported in the January 4 Gongwer would not be encouraging to public education leaders, personnel and advocates:
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 5: THE HEADLINE IN THE DECEMBER 25 METRO SECTION OF THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH—SCHOOL VOUCHER STUDY REFUTES FOE’S CLAIMS—DOESN’T MATCH THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE.
The headline should have said, “The school voucher study claims to refute foe’s claims.” The article provides some content that refutes the Fordham Institute bankrolled, non-peer reviewed “study.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 4: DIANE RAVITCH—KENTUCKY: REACTIONS TO SUPREME COURT RULING AGAINST VOUCHERS
Today is the anniversary of the Coalition’s filing of the voucher case in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
JANUARY 3: A PICTURE OF EDUCATION IF THE INDIVIDUAL IS FUNDED AND NOT THE SYSTEM: GROSS INEQUITIES AND ABSURD INADEQUACIES.
EdChoice voucher is a placeholder for the complete, privatization of the public common school system.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 22: DIANE RAVITCH’S DECEMBER 9 BLOG—NEW HAMPSHIRE: LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT VOUCHER FUNDING VIOLATES STATE CONSTITUTION.
The voucher contagion has spread across the nation.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 21: RECENT CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER EDITORIAL REGARDING THE LEGISLATURE’S STAMPEDE TO REMOVE THE OPERATION OF THE STATE EDUCATION AGENCY TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE.
Ohioans in 1953 removed the State Education agency from the Governor’s office to a State Board of Education via a constitutional amendment. This 134th General Assembly in a matter of hours has attempted to trample on the Constitution by passing SB178 in a lame duck session.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 20: PAPERS (MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION) OF THE OHIO COALITION FOR EQUITY AND ADEQUACY OF SCHOOL FUNDING REGARDING ITS WORK ON THE DEROLPH SCHOOL FUNDING CASE ON FILE IN THE MAHN CENTER AT OHIO UNIVERSITY.
Attached is a blog by OU Archives Assistant, Lizzy Daly regarding the Coalition papers. Former OU Education Dean, Dr. Renee Middleton paved the way for these papers to be archived in the university library system. The attached blog gives a thumbnail sketch of the DeRolph school funding efforts as well as Lizzy’s observations during the current era.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 19: IF OHIOANS PERMIT THE LEGISLATURE TO MOVE THE POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND AUTHORITY OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, THE NEXT TARGET OF POWER-HUNGRY LEGISLATORS COULD BE THE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION.
The Ohio Senate, the upper chamber of the veto-proof legislature, voted to transfer the state education agency to the governor’s office; that way the legislature, contrary to the 1953 amendment to the Ohio Constitution, can have absolute control of state education policy.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 16: THE SAME ORGANIZATIONS THAT LOBBY FOR PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS VIA VOUCHERS, TUITION TAX CREDITS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE LOBBYING TO NEUTER THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: BUCKEYE INSTITUTE IS AN EXAMPLE.
The Buckeye Institute, in a December 8 Columbus Dispatch guest column, expressed the views of the privatizers regarding the legislative proposal to neuter the constitutionally-based State Board of Education.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 15: SENATORS SUPPORTING SB178 CHARACTERIZED PUBLIC EDUCATION AS AN ABJECT FAILURE AS THEY SPOKE IN FAVOR OF THE BILL ON THE SENATE FLOOR.
If senators believe public education is failing, they should:
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 14: THOUGHTFUL TESTIMONY AGAINST SB178 BY MELANIE ELSLEY, REPRESENTING THE CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS OF OHIO.
Melanie Elsey testified against SB178, the bill to ditch the State Board of Education. Elsey attended every State Board of Education meeting for 20 years beginning in 1992; in recent years by various means including livestreaming, she has observed the State Board of Education closely.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 13: GOOD GOVERNMENT PROCESS? SENATE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED PASSAGE OF SB178 BEFORE THE HEARINGS ON THE BILL WERE HELD
SB178 is a weighty, far reaching bill that seriously overrules the will of the people.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 12: SB368 STILL ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A UNIVERSAL VOUCHER SCHEME
The super majority Ohio Legislature is relentless in the goal of universal vouchers and thus defunding the public school system by appropriating education funds to individuals.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 9: PRIVATE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FLYER: WANT TO CHOOSE WHAT YOUR STATE TAXES SUPPORT? NOW YOU CAN.
The State Budget Bill (HB110) enacted a policy that a Cleveland religious private school is using to enhance its coffers.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 8: STEPHEN DYER AND MAUREEN REEDY SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON VOUCHERS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE COLUMBUS BAR LAWYERS QUARTERLY FALL 2022 ISSUE.
Attorney Steve Dyer, former legislator and Maureen Reedy, former Teacher of the Year and co-founder of Public Education Partners (PEP) expose the charter school and voucher debacle in the Fall 2022 issue of the Columbus Bar Lawyers Quarterly.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 7: MAJOR EDUCATION POLICY CHANGE COULD HAPPEN QUICKLY WHEN ILL-INFORMED LOBBYISTS AND LEGISLATORS THAT ARE DRUNK WITH POWER COME TOGETHER IN THE STATEHOUSE.
SB178 is on track to pass in the Ohio Senate within a few days after introduction.
Reaad the full email here.
DECEMBER 6: THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM WITH UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS FOR STATE OFFICIALS IS FINDING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN THE STATE COFFERS
The Ohio General Assembly is primed to adopt a policy of universal vouchers in the next budget cycle (FY24 and FY25), if not in the lame duck session.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 5: WHAT IS THE POLITICAL MOTIVATION FOR PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION?
The craze toward the complete privatization of public education is not in motion to improve educational opportunities for the youth of Ohio or in any other state.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 2: THE TWO LEADERS OF THE 135TH OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY (STARTS JANUARY 23) ARE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER ADVOCATES.
The thread that runs through the Senate President’s legislative career is “a voucher for every student”. The Speaker-designate for the “135th” is a co-sponsor of HB290—the universal voucher bill.
Read the full email here.
DECEMBER 1: ANOTHER ATTACK OF THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL: LOWERING STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS.
I recall in the 1960’s as a Junior/Senior High School principal, a social studies classroom was without a teacher during a school year. No applicants.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 30: NOVEMBER 25 CLEVELAND.COM: NEARLY ONE YEAR ON, 130 SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ LAWSUIT CHALLENGING OHIO PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS CONTINUES IN COURT
The Cleveland.com article provides some pertinent information regarding the EdChoice voucher litigation. However, in total there are currently about 200 Coalition member districts.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 29: ARIZONA EXPERIENCE WITH UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS SHOULD STARTLE OHIO PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES
The Grand Canyon Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, in a November 6, 2022 analysis of universal voucher applications in Arizona, shows that 45% of the voucher applicants come from the wealthier quarter of students in the state.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 28: NOVEMBER 18 THE NEW ORLEANS TRIBUNE: “HOW MANY MORE YEARS OF A FAILED REFORM MUST ORLEANS PARISH ENDURE?”
17 years ago privatizers used the Katrina Hurricane disaster as a ploy to replace the public school system with charter schools. Privatizers in the past have heralded the charterization of New Orleans as a miracle. As related in the Tribune article, it is a mirage.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 22: NOVEMBER 16 COLUMBUS DISPATCH ARTICLE ON LEGISLATION PROPOSED (SB178) THAT STRIPS THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF ITS CORE DUTIES REVEALS THAT SOME WHO ARE QUOTED IN THE ARTICLE ARE NOT AWARE THAT THE BOARD WAS ESTABLISHED BY A 1953 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
SB178 would transfer the core duties of the State Board of Education to the Governor’s office. The timing of this move may be a response to the election of Teresa Fedor, Tom Jackson and Katie Hofmann to the State Board.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 21: SB178 IS A SERIOUS AFFRONT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION
Leaders of the Ohio Senate seem to be inebriated with power. With a super majority, they do what they want.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 18: NOTHING IN COMMON–NO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NO PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, NO PUBLIC PARKS, NO PUBLIC FACILITIES, NO PUBLIC HEALTH, NO PUBLIC GOOD, NO SOCIETY–JUST INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND PRIVATE ENTITIES. IS THIS AMERICA’S FUTURE?
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were allied philosophically that “government is the problem”. They each promoted the privatization of public functions. Thatcher said in an interview that there is no such thing as society.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 17: BOWLING GREEN TV WBGU PROGRAM—“THE JOURNAL”WITH STEVE KENDALL, EXPLORES THE SCHOOL VOUCHER SCHEME.
Bowling Green School Board member Ginny Stewart and E&A Coalition’s William L. Phillis discuss the voucher scheme with Steve Kendall.
Read the full email here.
November 16: Coalition/Vouchers Hurt Ohio Presence at the November 13-15 OSBA Capital Conference Provided Essential Information Regarding the EdChoice Voucher Litigation for Hundreds of Attendees.
The Coalition/Vouchers Hurt Ohio initiative via two information sessions and a booth in the trade show touched hundreds of attendees. Some of the information provided is attached.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 15: NOVEMBER 9 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER OPINION ARTICLE REGARDING SCHOOL VOUCHERS: BENEFITS OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS ARE SMALL, TENUOUS AT BEST
Dr. Christopher Lubienski writes about the negative outcomes of vouchers.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 14: THE HISTORY OF THE COMMON SCHOOL MANDATES THAT THE STATE OF OHIO MUST GIVE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY TO THE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM.
In this era of hostility toward the public sector, particularly toward the public common school, it is important for the public, especially public school advocates, to realize that (1) the hostility toward the public sector now seems global in scope and (2) that there has always been tension between public and private ownership.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 11: NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT ORDERS A SPECIFIC SCHOOL FUNDING REMEDY—A TRANSFER OF STATE FUNDS ($1.5 BILLION) TO K-12 EDUCATION.
In full view of the three co-equal branches of government, checks and balances, and separation of powers, the North Carolina Supreme Court order a significant sum of revenue to be transferred to public K-12 education.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 9: POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION AVAILABLE TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BOARDS OF EDUCATION, LOCAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS, CLASSIFIED SCHOOL EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS
Group leaders/organizations that wish to schedule a PowerPoint presentation
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 8: WILLIAM LAGER, THE ECOT MAN, RESPONDS TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S MOTION TO FREEZE HIS ASSETS
The world knows that the ECOT Man stole hundreds of millions from school districts. The state is attempting to recover some of the loot.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 7: CHARTER SCHOOLS CONCEPTUALLY AND IN PRACTICE ARE A SCOURGE ON THE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE IN OHIO
Not all charter schools and their management companies are rife with fraud and corruption. Nor are all charters low-performing. Nor do all of them shortchange students to stack-up shameless profits. Nor do all of them practice nepotism in hiring, cherry-picking students, and closing without notice. However, the charter industry, as a whole, is rife with all of the above.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 4: TIME TO RID AMERICA OF THE WRECKING BALL “SCHOOL REFORM” MOVEMENT AND FOCUS ON PERFECTING THE GREAT AMERICAN PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM
The biased, flawed 1983 Nation at Risk report helped spawn an utterly failed public education reform campaign that was based on shoddy research and fueled by self-serving political figures.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 3: GONGWER: SENATE K-12 EDUCATION CHAIR EXPECTS TO REVISIT EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
Education Savings Accounts (ESA) is a code word for universal vouchers.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 2: NEW YORK: HASIDIC SCHOOL WILL PAY $8 MILLION AFTER ADMITTING FRAUD
In an October 25 blog Diane Ravitch addresses the fraud of a New York private school.
Read the full email here.
NOVEMBER 1: JAN RESSEGER: HOW THE SCHOOL MARKETPLACE WRECKS UNIVERSAL PUBLIC SCHOOLING
Jan Resseger’s October 25 Blog shows why public school advocates must ramp-up advocacy for the public common school ideal. Her concluding paragraph is extremely compelling:
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 31: PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE NOT FAILED. POLITICIANS HAVE FAILED PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Beginning with the Reagan administration, U.S. Presidents have either knowingly or unconsciously undermined public schools by promoting charters and/or vouchers. Democrat and Republican presidents are guilty. Congress has been complicit with this wrong turn in public education policy.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 28: VOUCHERS DON’T GIVE POOR STUDENTS THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AS RICH STUDENTS, AS VOUCHER ADVOCATES PONTIFICATE.
In the early years of the voucher enterprise, supporters would implore with a kind-hearted, but disingenuous tone that poor kids should have the same opportunity as rich kids to go to private schools. Voucher advocates can still be heard spouting that hogwash even as evidence indicates it is, well hogwash.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 27: CONTROVERSIAL HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARTER SCHOOL CHAIN TAKES ROOT IN ATHENS, CINCINNATI AND COLUMBUS
Deregulation of charter schools has been attracting an array of folks who have little interest in education but a lot of interest in gaming the industry to enrich themselves.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 26: AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL’S ASSAULT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN 2022 IS DEEP AND WIDE.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a legislative writing machine that churns out model legislation that is mostly contrary to the public good.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 25: PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES NEED ATTENTION ACCORDING TO AN OCTOBER 13 FRONT PAGE ARTICLE IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH. CHARTER SCHOOL IMPACT?
The condition of school facilities in Columbus was an issue in the Columbus teacher strike. This possibly triggered THE Columbus Dispatch to check, via public health records, the condition of school facilities in other districts.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 24: MEMO TO UNIVERSAL VOUCHER ADVOCATES: YOU DON’T OWN THE ROAD
Universal voucher addicts proclaim that parents have an unalienable right to a tax-paid voucher for each of their offspring just because they pay taxes.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 21: FRAUD, CORRUPTION, AND UNIMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE CHARTER INDUSTRY ARE PROBLEMATIC; THE PRIMARY PROBLEM, HOWEVER, IS THAT CHARTERS ARE ESTABLISHED BY UNCONSTITUTIONAL, SPECIAL PRIVATE CONTRACTS.
The Ohio Constitution requires the state to secure, by taxation, a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state (Article VI, Section 2) and to provide, by law, for the organization, administration, and control of the public school system supported by public funds. (Article VI, Section 3)
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 20: CHARTER SCHOOL ORGANIZATION COMPLAINING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION SHORTFALLS
A front page story in the October 10 Columbus Dispatch features complaints from the Ohio Association of Charter School Authorizers about what it perceives as a charter school transportation problem.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 19: HEARING ON THE STATE’S MOTION TO DISMISS THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER CASE SET FOR OCTOBER 25, 11:00 AM
The EdChoice voucher lawsuit was filed January 4, 2022. The State Defendants, as is typical practice, filed a Motion to Dismiss.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 18: A POST ON THIS SITE A FEW DAYS AGO ADDRESSED, WITH NOT MUCH EXPLANATION, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT’S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY OVERSEE THE CHARTER SCHOOLS PROGRAM GRANTS. JAN RESSEGER’S OCTOBER 6 BLOG GIVES MORE OF THE FRIGHTFUL DETAILS.
One of the federal boondoggles—the Charter Schools Grants Program, currently at $440 million—has been largely wasted since the beginning of the program during the Clinton administration. Jan Resseger provides some of the shameful details.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 17: DUAL TASKS REQUIRED TO PERFECT A CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN OHIO
The Cupp/Patterson Fair School Funding legislation, when fully funded, will put Ohio’s school funding system in the sphere of constitutionality; however, the elephant in the room is that a “constitutional fix’’ of school funding could come at the expense of a universal voucher program—which, of course, would be a disaster.
Read the full email.
OCTOBER 14: WEST VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT HEARD VOUCHER CHALLENGE ON OCTOBER 4, 2022
The West Virginia voucher law, HB2013, would allow any student who attends a public school 45 days or is entering kindergarten to receive a voucher. All home-schoolers would be eligible.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 13: JAN RESSEGER ISSUES A WARNING TO OHIOANS REGARDING UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS BASED ON HOW ARIZONA ELECTED OFFICIAL THWARTED THE WILL OF ARIZONA CITIZENS
As Ms. Resseger points out, the Arizona legislature, in 2017, tried to expand a small Education Savings Account (ESA) voucher scheme to over one million students. A public education advocacy group—Save Our Schools Arizona—in 2018 collected sufficient signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 12: A REMINDER THAT A 2017 STANFORD UNIVERSITY STUDY INDICATES THAT VOUCHERS DO NOT IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
It has been common knowledge for several years that vouchers do not improve student achievement, as evidenced by the 2017 Stanford University study.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 11: ATTORNEY GENERAL YOST SEEKS A COURT ORDER TO PREVENT THE ECOT MAN (WILLIAM LAGER) FROM DISPOSING OF OR TRANSFERRING ASSETS OR PROPERTY. FREEZE LAGER’S ASSETS!
William Lager, via his operation of ECOT, Altair Learning Management, IQ Innovations, and Third Wave Communications illegally collected hundreds of millions from the state (school districts).
Read the full email.
OCTOBER 10: STEVE DYER—OHIO HIGH SCHOOL VOUCHER DATA: LONGER YOU TAKE A VOUCHER, WORSE YOU DO.
Former legislator, Steve Dyer, mines data and makes it come alive in his 10th Period publication.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 7: SAMPLES OF ALLOWABLE EXPENSES ARIZONA ALLOWS FOR VOUCHER-TYPE PROGRAM
Recently Fordham Institute and Buckeye Institute had a forum to push the “fund the student” concept. A panelist from Arizona extolled the “virtues” of the Arizona universal voucher-type program–(Education Savings Account (ESA))–in which the state gives parents funds to purchase education goods and services.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 6: ADAM BYRN TRITT ON THE FLORIDA TODAY SITE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS AREN’T FOR JUST CHILDREN OR PARENTS, BUT SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.
Tritt makes the case that the crucial role/goal of the common school is for the collective, the body politic, the social order.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 5: HORACE MANN IS CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF THE AMERICAN COMMON SCHOOL. MILTON FRIEDMAN COULD BE CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF THE VOUCHER SCHEME. COMPARE WHAT EACH BELIEVED.
Horace Mann advocated a high quality, tax-supported school system that would serve all the children of all the people.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 4: JANUARY 2022 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE (GAO) REPORT—GAO-22-104444: A REPORT REGARDING ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT SHOULD GIVE FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY MAKERS A PAUSE.
The GAO report indicates that online charter school students had significantly lower proficiency rates on state tests.
Read the full email here.
OCTOBER 3: PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARDS OF EDUCATION, ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS AND ADVOCATES SHOULD WORK DILIGENTLY TO RESCUE STUDENTS FROM THE FAILING CHARTER SCHOOL INDUSTRY. STEVE DYER’S SEPTEMBER 21, 10TH PERIOD IS A WAKE-UP CALL.
Steve Dyer, a former legislator and champion of the public common school, on an ongoing basis, shows the failure of the charter and voucher industries through his data analysis.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 30: JAN RESSEGER IDENTIFIES THE MOST PROMINENT GROUPS THAT ARE WORKING TO DEFUND OHIO PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOLS
In her September 13 blog, Jan Resseger discusses the most prominent groups working with the Ohio Legislature to destroy public education.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 29: STEVE DYER SHEDS LIGHT ON THE COST OF THE BUCKEYE INSTITUTE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT (VOUCHER) PLAN
The Buckeye Institute, along with the Fordham Institute (both anti-public school organizations), recently sponsored a meeting in which panelists passionately advocated for a voucher plan that would fund all students individually
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 28: CRAFTY PRO-VOUCHER GROUP FOUND A NEW WAY TO FORCE TAXPAYERS TO FUND RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
The pro-voucher group that owns a building across from the Statehouse has found a new way to fleece taxpayers. They call the scheme “micro-school.”
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 27: ALTHOUGH THE ECOT MAN, WILLIAM LAGER, IS IN COURT FOR STEALING MULTIPLIED MILLIONS FROM THE TAXPAYERS, HE WILL MOST LIKELY AVOID PRISON AND/OR FINES BECAUSE OF WHO HE BANKROLLED DURING HIS NEARLY 2 DECADES OF CHARTER SCHOOL BUSINESS
The state had an agreement with the ECOT MAN that ECOT would report the number of students “enrolled” without any monitoring by the state, beginning about 2001. The agreement was inked even though Lager had to pay back funds ECOT had collected for students not served prior to the agreement.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 26: THE SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION MOVEMENT REJECTS THE GOAL OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, JOHN ADAMS AND HORACE MANN OF A COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ALL THE CHILDREN OF ALL THE PEOPLE AS A CRUCIBLE OF DEMOCRACY
Horace Mann, as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, beginning in 1837 initiated a crusade to establish a common school system in line with the education philosophy of Jefferson, Adams and other American political leaders of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 23: DEMOCRACY GERMINATES AND GROWS IN THE SOIL OF THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1850 and 1851 crafted a provision that required the State of Ohio to secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools. A review of the proceedings of the convention regarding education suggests that the convention delegates understood the nexus between the specified common school and educating youth for productive citizenship
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 22: STEVE DYER: OHIO HAS SPENT ONLY $8 MILLION OF $71 MILLION FEDERAL FUNDS RECEIVED SEVEN YEARS AGO
The federal government has been throwing millions each year at “high quality” charter schools.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 21: DIANE RAVITCH REPORTS ON THE FAILURE OF NEW YORK HASIDIC PRIVATE SCHOOL, EVEN THOUGH FLUSH WITH TAX FUNDS
The American common school is incrementally being replaced with private schools (and charters) that operate on the very tax funds to which common schools are entitled.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 20: BUCKEYE INSTITUTE IS LOBBYING FOR STATE POLICY THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALL DISTRICTS TO PARTICIPATE IN OPEN ENROLLMENT.
Open enrollment has been allowed in Ohio for three decades; however, districts are not required to participate.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 19: “FUND THE STUDENT, NOT THE SYSTEM” PLAN IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
The “fund the student, not the system” plan would attract thousands of new “schools” and education providers. Some of them would become involved in education to grab funds from parents. Others would attract students to “schools” that promote a political, ideological, religious or irreligious philosophy.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 16: “FUND THE STUDENT” IS A PATH TO CHAOS FOR SOCIETY AND STUDENTS, AND A RAID OF THE PUBLIC TREASURY
Charter schools, vouchers, education savings accounts (ESA’s), tuition tax credits, and “fund the student” are all manifestations of the school privatization agenda.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 15: SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION TERRORISTS SAVAGE THE OHIO CONSTITUTION TO ADVANCE THEIR PRIVATIZATION AGENDA
The battle cry of the privatizers is “fund the students,” not the “system.” The “system” promotes the public good—“fund the students” promotes social unrest, which leads to anarchy.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 14: THE BUCKEYE INSTITUTE: THE SOLUTION TO REGAINING THE SO-CALLED “LOST LEARNING” IS TO FUND PARENTS, NOT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
Buckeye Institute, in a September 6, 2022 publication, concludes that parents have grown increasingly distrustful of local public schools. The historic havoc COVID-19 wreaked on school children, the publication reports, must be regained. The answer they say is to fund students, not the common school system.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 13: ANOTHER SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION GIMMICK IN THE STATE BUDGET: TUITION TAX CREDIT
Ohio was a leader in tax support for private schools prior to the advent of the voucher and charter school schemes. Now Ohio is among the top 10 states in the nation in support for vouchers, charters, and a variety of other privatization options.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 12: EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT (ESA), AN EGREGIOUS ANTI-PUBLIC SCHOOL SCHEME, HAS ALREADY BEGUN ON A SMALL SCALE IN OHIO. THE PRIVATIZATION CROWD IS LOBBYING TO EXPAND IT.
The state’s two-year budget bill (HB110) provides for a $500 education savings account for certain K-12 students. Privatization gimmicks start small then grow into a tax-eating glutton.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 9: 54TH ANNUAL PDK POLL: LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL RATINGS RISE EVEN AS TEACHING PROFESSION LOSES GROUND
In spite of the escalated attacks on public schools by the education privatizers, Americans’ ratings of public schools reached a new high dating back 48 years.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 8: BIZARRE STATEMENT MADE BY HEAD OF THE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN VIRTUE (CCV)
In an August 12, 2022 Statehouse News Bureau broadcast, the head of CCV was quoted: “There’s religious teaching happening in public school right now, indoctrinating kids into Marxism and really dangerous world views so they need to get their religion out of the public schools first.”
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 7: PRO-PRIVATIZATION FORDHAM INSTITUTE ATTACKS STEVE DYER FOR ADVOCATING THAT THE STATE FOLLOW THE OHIO CONSTITUTION
School privatizers become cranky when they are admonished that their schemes are counter to the Constitution.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 6: STEVE DYER REVEALS MORE SECRETS INSIDE THE VOUCHER INDUSTRY
Steve Dyer’s August 25, 2022 10th Period post takes readers inside the EdChoice voucher industry’s deceit chamber.
Read the full email here.
SEPTEMBER 2: AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY (FUNDED BY THE KOCH FAMILY) IS LOBBYING BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO REMOVE THEIR DISTRICTS FROM THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION
The libertarian, anti-public school, Koch funded Americans for Prosperity is opposed to public education.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 31: LEADER OF THE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN VIRTUE (CCV): “ON EVERY CORNER THAT YOU SEE A CHURCH, WE WANT TO SEE A SCHOOL AS WELL.”
On August 12, the Statehouse News Bureau reported on an initiative of CCV, the goal of which is, via universal vouchers, to put a school in every church. That should sound an alarm to every citizen.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 30: THINK A COUPLE OHIO LEGISLATORS WROTE HB290—THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL OR THE ‘BACKPACK BILL’? THINK AGAIN!
On May 11, 2021, a couple legislators introduced HB290. Situated conspicuously in back of the pair at their HB290 press conference was the head of the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV).
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 29: CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN VIRTUE (CCV) EXPLOITS COLUMBUS TEACHER STRIKE TO PROMOTE THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL (HB290)
The whole hog voucher machine (CCV) is exploiting the teachers’ strike in Columbus to recruit voucher students.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 26: DISTRACTIONS DIVERT ATTENTION FROM THE REAL ISSUE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION—WHICH IS THE SINISTER DRIVE TO PRIVATIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION
Public school leaders, other personnel in school districts, parents, and other community members are being confronted by a plethora of distractions.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 25: DOES THE OHIO CONSTITUTION AUTHORIZE THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (ODE) TO DISTRIBUTE $250 MILLION TO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE NOT SUBJECT TO STATE AUDIT THIS YEAR?
First, all Ohio school districts are subject to state audit. Every dime must be spent legally and accounted for; and rightfully so.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 24: VOUCHER LITIGATION IN KENTUCKY MOVING FORWARD
Public Funds Public Schools reports on the litigation.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 23: ANOTHER INSTALLMENT FROM STEVE DYER ABOUT FORDHAM’S CALL FOR AN EXORBITANT INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS
The failed charter school experiment has gathered a boatload of supporters. This greedy group wants more and more funds and less and less accountability and transparency.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 22: A HISTORY LESSON REGARDING THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM
Prior to 1822, Ohio issued charters to various groups that sought permission to operate some kind of education program.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 19: STEVE DYER: A TAKEDOWN OF FORDHAM OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. FIRST INSTALLMENT
Fordham Institute rides high in Ohio’s political environment. This group has the ear of the ruling class in the legislature. It’s time to expose the nature and agenda of this organization. Steve Dyer is the person to do so!
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 18: BEWARE OF THE ACTIVISM OF THE AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY GROUP
Americans for Prosperity, founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group. One of the initiatives of the group is to promote the privatization of public education.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 17: FORDHAM INSTITUTE GOING BALLISTIC ON PRIVATIZATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION
Fordham’s Policy Brief No. 1 (Summer 2022) provided eight recommendations to further the privatization of authentic public education. The next state budget bill will be laced with these recommendations, most of which will require funds that will be diverted from public school districts.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 16: FORDHAM INSTITUTE HOSTILE TO NEW FEDERAL REGULATIONS REGARDING FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING—JOINS IN A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Fordham Institute sponsors charter schools and resists nearly every attempt of state and federal officials to regulate the charter industry.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 15 (PM): THE MEETING AT BOWLING GREEN HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULED FOR TONIGHT (MONDAY, AUGUST 15) HAS BEEN POSTPONED
Due to multiple scheduling conflicts and public school people being tied-up with the beginning of the school year, the meeting at Bowling Green High School scheduled for tonight (Monday, August 15) has been postponed.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 15: JAN RESSEGER WEIGHS-IN ON HOW GERRYMANDERING AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The typical Ohioan has serious concerns about the way politicians have thwarted the will of the people in the re-districting fiasco.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 12: DELEGATE MINER, DURING THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1873 AND 1874 OPPOSED DIVIDING THE FUNDS FOR COMMON SCHOOLS WITH PRIVATE SCHOOLS
The debates regarding the common school system during the Constitutional Convention of 1873 and 1874 give concise insight into what was intended by the wording inherent in Article VI, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution (adopted in 1851).
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 11: EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT MEETING AUGUST 15, 6:00 PM AT BOWLING GREEN HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 540 WEST POE ROAD, BOWLING GREEN, OHIO
A public meeting to provide information and discussion regarding the EdChoice voucher litigation is set for August 15.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 10: THE CASE OF THE 21ST CENTURY
A former Ohio Supreme Court Justice said the DeRolph school funding case was the case of the 20th century.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 9: STATUS OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION AND SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMS
The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher program was filed January 4, 2022.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 8: THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IN THE 1947 EVERSON V BOARD OF EDUCATION RULED THAT NEW JERSEY WAS NOT IN VIOLATION OF THE “ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE” OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT BY USING TAX FUNDS TO SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION OF PRIVATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL STUDENTS—THE FOOT-IN-THE-DOOR
In the Everson case, the petitioner argued that it was a violation of due process (14th Amendment) for New Jersey to take his tax money to support student transportation to parochial schools.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 5: “THE WALL OF SEPARATION”: THE ORIGIN OF THE PHRASE; WHAT IT MEANS; THE COURT’S EVOLVING INTERPRETATION
President Thomas Jefferson received a letter regarding religious freedom from the Danbury Baptist Association in Danbury, Connecticut. The Association was concerned that government might make laws that govern “the kingdom of Christ.”
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 4: WHICH INSTITUTION HAS THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR HEALING THE NATION: CORPORATE AMERICA? STATE HOUSES? CONGRESS? GOVERNORS? PRIVATE SCHOOLS? CHARTER SCHOOLS? NON-TAX SUPPORTED PRIVATE SCHOOLS? ECOT? PUBLIC SCHOOLS OPERATED BY LOCALLY-ELECTED BOARDS OF EDUCATION?
The answer to the question posed in the title is obvious.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 3: SUPPORT FOR THE CHALLENGE TO THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME CONTINUES TO GROW
Six of the “Big Eight” school districts have joined the EdChoice voucher litigation. Districts of all types—rural, midsize cities, small cities, suburban, JVS and ESC—are joining the effort.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 2: MESSAGE TO THE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN VIRTUE: JESUS AND THE CHURCH HE BUILT DID NOT REQUEST THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT TO FUND THE CHURCH
In the first century BC, church and state were completely separated.
Read the full email here.
AUGUST 1: SUPPORT FOR THE COALITION/VHO LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME IS GROWING
A major issue facing the public is how to counter the relentless assault by the privatizers on the public common school system.
Read the full email here.
JULY 29: FORDHAM INSTITUTE, IN A JULY 19 ARTICLE, IDENTIFIES SIX REASONS TO SUPPORT UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE IN OHIO
A wealthy proponent of privatization of public education organization, Fordham Institute, is a relentless campaigner to give away the democratically-operated public common school system to private operators.
Read the full email here.
JULY 28: MICHIGAN STATE PROFESSOR JOSHUA COWEN: “AFTER TWO DECADES OF STUDYING VOUCHER PROGRAMS, I’M FIRMLY OPPOSED TO THEM.”
Professor Cowen’s research focuses on teacher quality, student and teacher mobility, and evaluations of state and local education programs. His conclusion, after studying voucher programs, is that public money should not be funding private tuition.
Read the full email here.
JULY 27: PUBLIC SCHOOL LEADERS, EMPLOYEES, AND ADVOCATES SHOULD SUPPORT THE LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME, REGARDLESS OF THE SEVERITY OF THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS
It is a given that school district leaders and employees have a first-line responsibility to work for and protect the interests of their own school district.
Read the full email here.
JULY 26: INTENSE, FOCUSED EMPHASIS ON THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM BY THE STATE IS THE ONLY WAY TO ECONOMICALLY EXPAND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND TO INCREASE THE EDUCATION LEVEL OF THE CITIZENRY
Tax support for private alternatives for education is not only fiscally inefficient; it will result in lowering the literacy rate and the occupational skills of the general public.
Read the full email here.
JULY 25: THE SO-CALLED EDUCATION REFORM MOVEMENT IS A WEAPON TO DESTROY THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL
Let us be very clear, the so-called reform movement in public education the past three decades is a sinister, bogus plan of action
Read the full email here.
JULY 22: ARIZONA ADOPTED A UNIVERSAL VOUCHER PROGRAM—A WARNING TO OHIO
The Arizona governor said the new law had “set the gold standard in education freedom…” An additional voucher fanatic tweeted, “Every red state in the country should follow the lead.”
Read the full email here.
JULY 21: WAKE-UP CALL TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMUNITY
First, the education privatizers wanted “choice” for poor kids in low-performing school districts (reflecting poverty in the districts). Next, they demanded “choice” for all. Now, they want to eliminate public schools. They are now openly discussing it.
Read the full email here.
JULY 20: 10,000 ECOT’S COMING TO OHIO
William Lager, the ECOT Man, purchased for himself the best state officials he could, and that was a lot. Controlling state officials allowed him to steal hundreds of millions from Ohio taxpayers. Did they learn a lesson?
Read the full email here.
JULY 19: MEMBERSHIP IN THE E&A COALITION/VHO FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 IS GROWING RAPIDLY
July 19: In the first 18 days of July, 64 districts have paid membership dues.
Read the full email here.
JULY 18: REGARDING THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION: TIME FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS TO FISH OR CUT BAIT
For more than two decades, the Ohio Legislature has been quietly moving toward a universal voucher scheme, thus abandoning the constitutionally-required common school system.
Read the full email here.
JULY 15: THE ANTI-PUBLIC GOOD PRIVATIZATION-OF-EDUCATION GANG HAS CREATED A POLITICAL TRAJECTORY THAT, IF NOT HALTED BY LITIGATION, WILL DOOM THE OHIO PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM.
There is a cluster of voucher zealots comprised of a small fraction of the Ohio population that is determined to destroy the constitutionally-required common school system.
Read the full email here.
JULY 14: FORMER OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (ODE) CHARTER SCHOOL OFFICE CONSULTANT DENIS SMITH ASKS, “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?” (IE) COLLECTING THE MILLIONS ECOT OWES OHIO TAXPAYERS
Denis Smith’s July 7 article is a “must read” for those concerned about government spending on unregulated school alternatives to the public common school system required by the Ohio Constitution.
Read the full email here.
JULY 13: STEVE HINNEFELD: “INDIANA VOUCHER COST NEARS QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS.” INDIANA AND OHIO VOUCHER PROGRAMS SEEM TO BE ON PARALLEL TRACKS
Indiana and Ohio voucher advocates have pushed expansion of vouchers using the same playbook.
Read the full email here.
JULY 12: WEST VIRGINIA CIRCUIT COURT STRIKES DOWN UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER LAW
WV Circuit Court Judge Joanna Tabit strikes down the WV law. The WV Constitution has a constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient system of public schools. (This WV provision was copied from Ohio’s Constitution).
Read the full email here.
JULY 11: HB583 FILLED WITH MISCHIEF REGARDING CHARTER SCHOOLS
The charter school lobby has its fingerprints all over HB583, which the Governor has signed into law.
Read the full email here.
JULY 8: VOUCHER HUNGRY PRIVATE SCHOOLS MAY RUE THE DAY THEY CONSORTED WITH POLITICALLY POWERFUL VOUCHER ZEALOTS TO DISMANTLE THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM BY ADVANCING THEIR VOUCHER AGENDA
As the percentage of the state budget for vouchers grows and conversely the percentage decreases for the common school system, the taxpaying public will insist on regulating the privates.
Read the full email here.
JULY 7: COLUMBUS DISPATCH’S THEODORE DECKER: BILLION-DOLLAR BOONDOGGLE ECOT MUST BE ADDRESSED
Decker, in his June 30 Dispatch column, puts another spotlight on the raid ECOT’s Bill Lager made on the state treasury over a period of several years, beginning in 2000.
Read the full email here.
JULY 6: STEVE DYER’S JUNE 29 10TH PERIOD EXPLORES POTENTIAL VOUCHER SCANDALS IN VIEW OF THE ECOT RIP OFF OF TAXPAYERS
The state’s record of holding school choice providers accountable for the use of tax money is dismal. The charter industry in Ohio (and across the nation) is rife with fraud and corruption, as well as, low academic performance and scant educational opportunities.
Read the full email here.
JULY 5 PM: TOLEDO JOINS THE LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF EDCHOICE VOUCHERS
Attached is a news release regarding Toledo Public Schools joining the EdChoice voucher litigation.
Read the full email here.
JULY 5: PETER GREENE, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR AT FORBES.COM: “THE HAMMER THAT BREAKS THE CHURCH STATE WALL HAS HIT PUBLIC EDUCATION ONCE AGAIN. WHAT PARTS OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL IT BRING DOWN?”
In this article, Greene observes “that the through-line on the court’s free exercise decisions is that the free exercise of religion is not possible without taxpayer subsidy.”
Read the full email here.
JULY 1: JUNE 25 LIMA NEWS: COULD SUPREME COURT’S RULING ON SCHOOLS IN MAINE AFFECT OHIO VOUCHER LAWSUIT?
The Carson Decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has no effect on the EdChoice voucher case in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 30: DONALD COHEN: THE WORST PRIVATIZATION DEAL IN U.S. HISTORY JUST GOT EVEN WORSE
It appears that every public service or function is up for sale.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 29: SENATE PRESIDENT’S ANSWER TO WHETHER OR NOT TO REPEAL THE THIRD GRADE GUARANTEE—MORE VOUCHERS
The State Board of Education, as required by the law, is considering raising the promotion score on the Third Grade Guarantee.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 28: ALTHOUGH THE CARSON V MAKIN U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION DOES NOT AFFECT OHIO’S EDCHOICE VOUCHER CASE, IT IS ANOTHER HEAVY BLOW TO THE WALL OF SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
The roles of the church and the state are different. History has taught us that the two should be separated, as Jefferson stated, “by a wall of separation.”
Read the full email here.
JUNE 27: STEVE DYER’S JUNE 20, 10TH PERIOD: OHIO SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The awesome Steve Dyer in a new analysis found the following regarding privatization programs in Ohio
Read the full email here.
JUNE 24: DISCRIMINATION IS TAXPAYER FUNDED IN OHIO VIA VOUCHERS
Taxpayers in Ohio help fund private schools via vouchers and direct state payments to private schools. Private schools can and do discriminate in regard to enrollment practices, due process for students and employees, and a plethora of other ways.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 23: WHO SHALL CONTROL OUR PUBLIC GOODS?
A quiz-check
Read the full email here.
JUNE 22: PUBLIC FUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PFPS) FILES AN AMICUS BRIEF IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA VOUCHER LAWSUIT
A majority of the states have a constitutional provision that forbids public funding of private religious schools. Voucher proponents are attempting to convince courts that these “no aid” provisions were adopted because of anti-religious prejudices. The amicus brief filed by PFPS urges the court to reject that myth.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 21 (PM): TODAY’S U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION IN THE CARSON CASE
June 21: Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Carson case does not address the central issues of our constitutional challenge of the EdChoice voucher program. Our case will move forward with no concern regarding today’s SCOTUS decision.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 21: SEARCH FOR THE STATE’S AUTHORITY TO NEGLECT THE AUTHENTIC PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM AND THEN LAVISHLY FUND ALTERNATIVES
Carefully read, or possibly re-read, the Constitutional provisions for education in Ohio. Search for state authority to fund vouchers for private school and privately-operated charters.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 20: HB290—UNIVERSAL VOUCHER VULTURE BILL
In the current political climate, HB290 will be enacted incrementally or in one enactment. Judicial intervention is necessary.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 17: WHOSE CHOICE—STUDENT OR PRIVATE SCHOOL?
Champions of school choice fail to reveal the nuances of choice.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 16: VOUCHER MAGIC: THE ILLUSIONS HAVE TRICKED MANY
There is no credible evidence that voucher students are served better academically than in their own public school environment.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 15: VOUCHERS HAD A DARK BEGINNING IN THE 1950’S
Libertarian Economist Milton Friedman started to promote his voucher ideas about the same time the US Supreme Court rendered the 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision. The Brown decision overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine and required education to be provided on an equal basis.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 14: HANDWRITING ON THE VOUCHER WALL: THE INTERPRETATION IS CLEAR—UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS ARE AT HAND
The voucher gang has a clear-cut agenda—a voucher for each and every student.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 13: ADVOCATES OF VOUCHERS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS CLAIM PUBLIC MONEY (AS A RIGHT) WITHOUT EVEN A MODICUM OF REGULATIONS
Accountability and Private-School Choice, an article written by Notre Dame Law School Professor Nicole Stelle Garnett essentially claims that students have a right, at public expense, to attend private schools that are free from nearly all regulations that govern public schools.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 10: FORDHAM INSTITUTE’S MAY 31 FLYPAPER ARTICLE—“THE CORE CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION”—IS ONE MORE ATTACK ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
The author of the article makes a long stretch to diminish the efficacy of public education.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 9: A STUDY BY THE OHIO EDUCATION POLICY INSTITUTE (OEPI) SHOWS THAT STATE FORMULA AID PLUS TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY REPLACEMENT AID FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAS NOT KEPT PACE WITH INFLATION SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2011. FUNDING FOR CHARTERS AND VOUCHERS HAS BEEN GENEROUS.
The state budgets reveal the priorities state officials embrace. Expanded funding for vouchers and charters since 2011 compared to increases for public school districts is shocking. A recent study by OEPI should jar public school advocates into action.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 8: STEVE DYER REGARDING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON EDCHOICE VOUCHER RECIPIENTS
So much for the voucher campaigners’ battle cry—rescuing poor kids from “failing school districts”!
Read the full email here.
JUNE 7: NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY INITIATIVE FILED AN AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF THE STATE DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT
Pro-voucher groups nationwide are weighing-in against the EdChoice voucher lawsuit. The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative filed an amicus brief in support of the State’s motion to dismiss the case.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 6: STEPHEN DYER—AMAZING STAT: 2 IN 3 OF OHIO VOUCHER RECIPIENTS NEVER ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Steve Dyer, in his June 1 10th Period blog exposes the egregiously disingenuous battle cry of the voucher lobby—rescue poor children from “failing public schools.”
Read the full email here.
JUNE 3: POLITICIANS NEED TO RESPECT THE RULE OF LAW; OTHERWISE DEMOCRACY IS DOOMED
Whether the issue is redistricting of legislative districts or securing a thorough and efficient system of common schools, the applicable constitutional provisions must be honored.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 2: BRIEF UPDATE ON THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT IN THE MAY NEWSLETTER OF OHIO RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (ORTA)
The attached article appears in the May ORTA Newsletter. The article provides some basic information about the lawsuit but doesn’t delve into the damage a universal voucher system will inflict on STRS.
Read the full email here.
JUNE 1: HB583, AN EDUCATION OMNIBUS BILL TEED-UP FOR PASSAGE, CONTINUES THE LEGISLATIVE NORM OF EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY AND FUNDING AMOUNTS FOR VOUCHERS AND FURTHER DEREGULATION OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
The school privatization propensity of the legislative majority in the Ohio House and Senate continues the march toward privatization of public schools.
Read the full email here.
MAY 31: DENIS SMITH, FORMER STATE CHARTER SCHOOL CONSULTANT, TIES THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION TO CHARTER SCHOOL SUPPORTERS
Denis Smith, a veteran teacher, school administrator, and Ohio Department of Education consultant retired a few years ago but maintains a keen advocacy for public education. In a recent letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch, he connects the dots between the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the charter lobby. He also raises some potential ethic issues surrounding the superintendent’s employment.
Read the full email here.
MAY 27: MUSLIM CLERIC FETHULLAH GULEN, THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND A COUPLE HUNDRED MUSLIM-ORIENTED CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE US, IS IN THE WORLD NEWS AGAIN
Gulen charter schools have a healthy share of the charter school market in the US. These schools have not been without controversy.When Ohio started in the charter school business in the late 1990’s, the Gulen group was among the very first to launch their brand of charters.
Read the full email here.
MAY 26: STEPHEN DYER’S MAY 20 10TH PERIOD: “WARNING TO BIDEN ADMIN: OHIO’S $71 MILLION FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL GRANT DISASTER”
Steve Dyer is an attorney, journalist, former Ohio legislator, and a thoughtful, tenacious public school advocate. His May 20, 2022 10th Period shows the senseless, ineffectual use of federal charter school grant funds in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
May 22 Columbus Dispatch Front Page Story: “Senate President, The Man Who Runs Ohio”
The Dispatch features a story that begins on the front page and continues for two full pages about how the Senate President is postured to be the most politically powerful person in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
MAY 24: OHIO’S PREMIER EDUCATION BLOGGER JAN RESSEGER–AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY IN OHIO: WHAT IS THE KOCH –FUNDED BUCKEYE BLUEPRINT’S EDUCATION PLAN?
In a May 19 Blog, Jan Resseger exposes the anti-public school strategy of a new initiative of the Koch’s Americans for Prosperity.
Read the full email here.
MAY 23: FUND STUDENTS, NOT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, IS A DUMB IDEA—VERY DUMB. ADDITIONALLY IT MOCKS THE OHIO CONSTITUTION
Manifestations of the “fund students” notion are vouchers, tuition tax credits and education savings accounts. The charter school funding scheme is also a “fund students” notion.
Read the full email here.
MAY 20: 50 MYTHS AND LIES THAT THREATEN AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS: THE REAL CRISIS IN EDUCATION BY DAVID C. BERLINER, GENE GLASS AND ASSOCIATES
The American common school system has been under serious attack for four decades—since the defective 1983 Nation at Risk report. Myths and lies have been the ammunition used by privatizers to whack the common school system imposed by the education provisions of the Constitutions of each of the 50 states.
Read the full email here.
MAY 19: SCHOOL VOUCHERS LOOMED LARGE IN THE MARCH 1988 REPORT ON PRESIDENT REAGAN’S COMMISSION ON PRIVATIZATION
On September 3, 1987, President Reagan announced his intention to appoint a Commission on Privatization. One of his charges to the Commission was to consider the “use of vouchers to provide services to the public through the private sector.”
Read the full email here.
MAY 18: OKLAHOMA’S DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO PARENTS FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES IS AN OMEN FOR HB290—THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL
HB290 would essentially distribute public tax funds to all parents for the purpose of purchasing education. Recent experience in Oklahoma should be a warning to lawmakers in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
MAY 17: EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE INTENTIONS OF THE DELEGATES OF OHIO’S 1850/1851 AND 1873/1874 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM—PART 3*
The first segment of Part 3 showed that the 1850/1851 Constitutional Convention delegates diligently protected the constitutional language which forbids religious or other sects from controlling any part of the common school funds. This section of Part 3 refers to debates during the 1874/1875 Constitutional Convention regarding the same matter.
Read the full email here.
MAY 16: EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE INTENTIONS OF THE DELEGATES OF OHIO’S 1850/1851 AND 1873/1874 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM—PART 3*
Part 3: The Use of Public Common School Funds for Sectarian EducationThe vision of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851 was clear, very clear, and so was the intent to separate the common school system from any religious affiliation.
Read the full email here.
MAY 13: EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE INTENTIONS OF THE DELEGATES OF OHIO’S 1850/1851 AND 1873/1874 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM—PART 2*
Part 2: Thorough and Efficient System of Common Schools. The intent of the constitutional framers is clear. The “thorough and efficient” clause was adopted without issue at the 1850/1851 Constitutional Convention.
Read the full email here.
MAY 12: EDCHOICE VOUCHER SCHEME DOES NOT ALIGN WITH THE INTENTIONS OF THE DELEGATES OF OHIO’S 1850/1851 AND 1873/1874 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM—PART 1*
The EdChoice voucher scheme is contrary to the intention of the Delegates’ vision of the state system of common schools.
Read the full email here.
MAY 11: STEVE DYER: ON THE AVERAGE CHARTER SCHOOLS SPEND TWICE THE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR REVENUE ON ADMINISTRATION THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Attached is Steve Dyer’s May 6, 10th PERIOD. Dyer found that some charters spend more than half of their money on administration.
Read the full email here.
MAY 10: OSU ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR VLADIMIR KOGAN: LOCALLY ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS ARE FAILING
A recent article by Associate Professor Kogan is in sync with a bevy of voices challenging the efficacy of democratic control of school districts by elected boards of education
Read the full email here.
MAY 9: BEWARE OF THE BUCKEYE BLUEPRINT CAMPAIGN, A GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE OF THE KOCH BROTHERS’ AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY (AFP)
The Buckeye Blueprint campaign is active in some Ohio school communities, attempting to stop Boards of Education from joining the EdChoice voucher litigation.
Read the full email here
MAY 6: NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS (NAPCS) CITATION: GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE IS A TRUE CHAMPION OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
Governor DeWine recently received the 2022 Champion for Charter Schools award from NAPCS. Ohio is being recognized for charter school advancement. The voucher crowd will no doubt award one or more state officials in Ohio for the advancement of vouchers since both charters and vouchers are both being proliferated in Ohio.
Read the full email here.
MAY 5: TAX FUNDED VOUCHERS ALLOW STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES TO WAIVE THEIR FEDERAL AND STATE RIGHTS TO A FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION
A few months ago the Equity and Adequacy Coalition received a reminder from Ian Robinson and Sarah Robinson that voucher students with disabilities give up rights guaranteed by federal and state law when they opt into a private school setting.
Read the full email here.
MAY 4: JAN RESSEGER: OHIO CHARTER SCHOOL SECTOR EPITOMIZES ALL THE REASONS WHY THE FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOLS PROGRAM MUST BE REFORMED
In an April 24 blog Ohio’s Jan Resseger uses the Ohio charter school dismal track record as reason for reform of the federal charter school program fund.
Read the full email here.
MAY 3: DIANE RAVITCH IN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: FIX THIS WASTEFUL FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL FUND
In this New York Daily News article Diane Ravitch identifies some of the fraud, corruption and profiteering associated with charter operatives that have received federal Charter School Program funds (CSP).
Read the full email here.
MAY 2: FORDHAM INSTITUTE IN A 4-22-22 ARTICLE LAMENTS THE LEGISLATION PASSED THAT ALLOWS YOUNGSTOWN, LORAIN AND EAST CLEVELAND TO REGAIN LOCAL CONTROL
Fordham Institute seems to support every policy that penalizes constitutionally-mandated public schools and every policy that provides tax-support for private schools and other private education ventures.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 29: THE GOAL OF SCHOOL CHOICE PROMOTERS IS NOT IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COMPETITION WITH AUTHENTIC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School choicers have no desire to compete. Their goal is to eliminate authentic public education and de-regulate education.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 28: VOUCHER CREATORS AND THEIR DISCIPLES USE MAGICIANS’ TOOLS TO PROMOTE THEIR CAUSE
Magicians use lies (deceit), distractions, sleight of hand, and planning ahead to trick and entertain folks. The original voucher promoters, Economist Milton Friedman and his fellow-travelers in the 1950’s, were promoting the political ideology that various governmental functions should be privatized; thus, subject to market forces.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 27: DON’T THINK PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE UNDER SIEGE? READ THOMAS ULTICAN’S 4/22/2022 ARTICLE ON THE CITY FUND
The City Fund (TCF) is an ultra-wealthy organization bankrolled by a couple billionaires who have the goal of privatizing the education programs of 40 large cities by 2028—just 6 years from now. Thomas Ultican explains this dark plot.
Read the full email here
APRIL 26: MESSAGE FROM US REPRESENTATIVE ROSA L. DELAURO TO CHARTER SCHOOL BULLIES REGARDING OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED FEDERAL REGULATION ON THE USE OF FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL PROGRAM (CSP) FUNDS: BACK OFF
Research by the Network for Public Education (NPE) has revealed tremendous misuse of the annual $440 million CSP funds. The federal administration is proposing the new regulations to curb the fraud and profiteering connected with the program.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 25: 18 GOVERNORS, AS LACKEYS FOR THE CHARTER SCHOOL LORDS, OPPOSE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE USE OF FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL PROGRAM (CSP) FUNDS
The charter school industry, which represents possibly 6 percent of the student population, has an outsized impact on education policy.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 22: NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION (NPE) REPORT: OHIO NEAR LAST PLACE IN THE NATION IN THE STATE’S COMMITMENT TO THE DEMOCRATICALLY-GOVERNED SCHOOLS (THE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM)
The NPE analysis of a state’s resistance to the privatization of public education puts Ohio third from the last among states and Washington, D.C.; only Florida and Arizona has a greater appetite for privatizing public education than Ohio.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 21: CHARTER INDUSTRY: UNDER-REGULATED AND THUS OVER-THE-TOP CORRUPT—YET CURRENT CHARTER ADVOCATES RESIST ALL ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY RULES
The charter school initiators a couple decades ago convinced unsuspecting state officials throughout the nation that charters could outperform the traditional public school system on less tax money if transparency and accountability would be greatly diminished.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 20: HB290—UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL NOT ABOUT IMPROVING EDUCATION
When school choice-friendly state officials or school choice advocates are asked why they support alternatives to authentic public education, many if not most will say something like—“to improve education”.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 19: SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR TO FORBES MAGAZINE SUGGESTS THAT PROPOSED FEDERAL REGULATIONS FOR CHARTER SCHOOL GRANTS RAISE A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION ABOUT CHARTERS
In an April 6 article Peter Greene, senior contributor to Forbes, says that proposed new federal regulations on the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) raise a fundamental question about the nature of charter schools.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 18: FORDHAM INSTITUTE WRITER IN AN APRIL 7, 2022 ARTICLE CONNECTS THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR THE USE OF FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOL PROGRAM (CSP) FUNDS TO TEACHERS UNION AGENDA
Fordham, a charter school advocate and sponsor of charters, rants against any attempts to regulate the charter industry.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 15: CITIZENS MUST HONOR, RESPECT AND APPLAUD THE FIRST AMENDMENT
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; …”
Read the full email here.
APRIL 14: CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE NOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Student “A” attends a school operated by the district community via an elected board of education. Student “B” attends a charter school operated by a private corporation with no elected board member.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 13: SCHOOL CHOICE: WHAT IT IS NOT ABOUT AND WHAT IT IS ABOUT
School choice is not about:
Read the full email here.
APRIL 12: VOUCHER EXPANSION REJECTED BY THE GEORGIA SENATE IN A BIPARTISAN VOTE
The voucher tsunami creating chaos across the nation is being turned back in some states by legislation and in other states by litigation. A March 25, 2022 report from Public Funds Public Schools describes the Georgia Senate’s rejection of voucher expansion in the peach state.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 11: FORDHAM INSTITUTE’S MARCH 28 ARTICLE—OHIO’S BAD HABIT OF SIDESTEPPING ACCOUNTABILITY—FORDHAM’S WRONG AGAIN
Fordham is typically on the wrong side of most education issues. In the March 28 article, the Fordham author supports the harmful third grade guarantee, more difficult graduation requirements and state takeover of school districts.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 8: FORDHAM INSTITUTE’S MARCH 25 FLYPAPER ARTICLE OPPOSES PROPOSED COMMON-SENSE RULES FOR FEDERAL MONEY FLOWING TO THE CHARTER SCHOOL INDUSTRY. PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES SHOULD SUPPORT THE PROPOSED RULES.
Studies have shown that multiplied millions of federal Charter School Program (CSP) funds have been wasted and have enriched charter school management companies.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 7: LIBERTARIAN JEREMY KAUFMAN: “VOUCHERS ARE JUST A STEPPINGSTONE TOWARD REDUCING OR ELIMINATING [GOVERNMENT] INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS.”
In a Libertarian Institute podcast, Jeremy Kaufman clarified the endgame of Libertarians: end government support for education (Kaufman, 2021, 29:13).
Read the full email here.
APRIL 6: OUR SCHOOLS: FORMER TEACHERS AND BOARD MEMBERS SAY CHARTERS RUN BY ACCEL SCHOOLS ARE DESIGNED TO FAIL
A March 23 article written by Jeff Bryant reveals some startling information about Accel Schools.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 5: MISUSE OF PUBLIC TAX DOLLARS BY MENLO PARK ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
Charter schools are beginning to unionize. The March 25 article by Dr. Tanisha Pruitt provides information about the misuse of public tax dollars by the management of the Menlo Park Academy charter school.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 4: WEST VIRGINIA VOUCHER PROGRAM BEING CHALLENGED IN COURT
West Virginia came late to the voucher party, but went hog wild. The WV voucher program is the broadest in the U.S. When fully implemented, it will subsidize the private education of all private school and homeschooled students.
Read the full email here.
APRIL 1: WHY DO CHARTER SCHOOL OPERATORS AND ADVOCATES RESIST REGULATIONS THAT EXPAND TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY?
In Ohio and throughout the nation, charter advocates and operators resist regulations for their enterprise. Typically, they are successful in stopping proposals that make charters more accountable and transparent.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 31: OHIO EDUCATION POLICY INSTITUTE: THE CENTRAL IMPORTANCE OF THE DEROLPH RULINGS TO SCHOOL FUNDING IN OHIO—BY HOWARD FLEETER
In a very excellent article, Howard Fleeter reviews the actions the state has taken in regard to school funding as a result of the 5 major DeRolph rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 30: LETTER TO THE EDITOR EXTOLLING THE VIRTUES OF PUBLIC EDUCATION BY PROMINENT CENTRAL OHIO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER, ROBERT WEILER
The attached LTE was published in March 25 Columbus Dispatch. Mr. Weiler’s letter warrants wide circulation.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 29: AVAILABILITY OF A PUBLIC FUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEBINAR ON STUDENT-CENTERED FUNDING (MONEY FOLLOWS THE STUDENT, BACKPACK FUNDING) APRIL 7 AT 3:00 PM EST
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has circulated model backpack legislation to states throughout the nation. The Universal Voucher Bill, HB290 in Ohio, is in line with the ALEC model.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 28: THE CHARTER SCHOOL BUSINESS IN OHIO AND ACROSS THE NATION IS FRAUGHT WITH CORRUPTION
The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) in Ohio may be in the top 10 charter frauds in the nation. At least ECOT is a poster child for corruption in Charterville.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 25: THOSE WHO CONTROL THE STATE’S BUSINESS IN THE STATEHOUSE SEEM TO HAVE NO ALLEGIANCE TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION REGARDING EDUCATION
Public officials in the state of Ohio take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Ohio as they enter into their respective state duties. It would seem imperative that public officials have a firm grasp of the provisions of the Ohio Constitution and that they enact legislation that fits within the parameters of all those constitutional provisions.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 24 PM: FEBRUARY/MARCH ISSUE OF OEA’S OHIO SCHOOLS WEIGHS IN ON THE DEROLPH SCHOOL FUNDING CASE
The 25th anniversary of the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision has attracted some well-deserved attention. The Ohio Schools article adds some features to the narrative that are not reported in other venues.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 24: TODAY IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEROLPH SCHOOL FUNDING RULING
Some Ohioans, especially those engaged in public education, will recall the newspaper headlines, “Unconstitutional” on this day or the next day, a quarter century ago.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 23, 2022: WILLIE SUTTON, THE NOTORIOUS ROBBER, WAS ASKED WHY HE ROBBED BANKS. HIS REPORTED RESPONSE: THAT IS WHERE THE MONEY IS
Why do some entrepreneurs make education their business? Simple, that’s where the money is.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 22, 2022: SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS AND PERSONNEL AND ALL OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES MUST SUPPORT THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION AND THE FULL-IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CUPP/PATTERSON FAIR SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN
It would be ruinous to school district students if the Cupp/Patterson Fair School Funding Plan is scrapped or only partially funded. Also it would be a travesty if the plan would be fully implemented, but then the funding tank is drained by an expanded or universal voucher system.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 21, 2022: CENTERBURG SUPERINTENDENT MIKE HEBENTHAL: HERE’S THE PROBLEM WITH VOUCHERS
Superintendent Mike Hebenthal is a passionate advocate of the public common school system, and thus, opposes the privatization of the system. Attached is his thoughtful and compelling Letter to the Editor published in the Knox Pages.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 18, 2022: FORDHAM INSTITUTE WRITER SUGGESTS THE SKY IS FALLING IF THE PLAINTIFFS PREVAIL IN THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION
In a March 14 article in Fordham’s Ohio Gadfly Daily, a Fordham writer predicts dreadful consequences if the EdChoice voucher program is ruled unconstitutional. Students will be damaged, school districts will be flooded with students, and other voucher programs will be successfully challenged, the writer says.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 17, 2022: FORUM ON THE HISTORY OF SCHOOL FUNDING AND THE SOLUTION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1997 OHIO SUPREME COURT RULING THAT THE SYSTEM IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
State officials have an opportunity to fix school funding with the Cupp/Patterson Fair School Funding Plan. The public needs to demand a fix. Join the conversation!
Read the full email here.
MARCH 16, 2022: CATHOLIC SCHOOL FAMILY APPLICANTS HAVE FILED A MOTION TO INTERVENE AS DEFENDANTS IN THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT
The State of Ohio is the Defendant in the Coalition’s challenge to the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher scheme. The case was filed January 4. The Ohio Attorney General will, of course, represent the State Defendants.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 15, 2022: A FEW DAYS FROM NOW—MARCH 24—WILL MARK THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OHIO SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN THE DEROLPH SCHOOL FUNDING CASE
On March 25, 1997 the newspaper headlines screamed, “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”. The March 24 Decision was a surprise and shock to most of those in power at the Statehouse.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 14, 2022: ADDENDUM TO MARCH 11 POST
In the March 11 post, some legislators in the 1970’s and 1980’s were referred to as “Champions of Public Education”.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 14, 2022: FORDHAM INSTITUTE: THE HYPOCRISY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS SAYING THEY ARE “OPEN TO ALL”
In a February 24 Flypaper article, a Fordham writer puts together a multitude of words and a couple tables that are irrelevant to the issue. Basically, the writer argues that if all districts are not subject to open enrollment, the public school system is not “open to all.”
Read the full email here.
MARCH 11, 2022: CHAMPIONS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE 134TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY—NOT ENOUGH
This message will not resonate with any Statehouse observers less than 60 or 70 years of age.Back in the day, champions of the public common schools were prevalent in the legislative offices of the Ohio Statehouse—
Read the full email here.
MARCH 10, 2022: HEARING ON THE INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE’S BID TO INTERVENE IN THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LAWSUIT
Soon after the EdChoice voucher lawsuit was filed on January 4, the Institute for Justice, based in Virginia, acting on behalf of some Ohio families, filed a motion to intervene. Neither the Institute for Justice, nor the families being represented are parties to the lawsuit the plaintiffs filed.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 9, 2022: JANUARY 2022 US GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE (GAO) REPORT REVEALS SERIOUS ACADEMIC PROBLEMS, STUDENT ATTENDANCE MONITORING ISSUES AND FINANCIAL RISKS IN VIRTUAL SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY CHARTER VIRTUAL SCHOOLS
Some of what the GAO study revealed in the January 2022 Report:
Read the full email here.
MARCH 8, 2022: VOUCHERS INCREASE SEGREGATION
A Lima News analysis of data provided by the Ohio Department of Education shows that in Lima, Ohio the EdChoice Voucher scheme segregates!
Read the full email here.
MARCH 7, 2022: FORDHAM INSTITUTE RHETORIC: “…NO ONE ‘SYSTEM’ HAS ANY INHERENT RIGHT TO EDUCATE STUDENTS.”
An interesting statement in Fordham’s February 14 Ohio Gadfly Daily—Ohio’s Enrollment Slump and What That Means for Policymakers—is: “State policymakers should value and respect the decisions of Ohio’s parents, remembering that, contrary to anti-choice rhetoric, no one ‘system’ has an inherent right to educate students.”
Read the full email here.
MARCH 4, 2022: TRANSFERRING PUBLIC FUNCTIONS INTO PRIVATE HANDS IS HOSTILE TO THE COMMON GOOD
Privatization of public functions such as highways, public safety services (fire and police), prisons, and education leads to unequal treatment of citizens, particularly the poor.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 3, 2022: ECONOMIST MILTON FRIEDMAN WAS WRONG ON HIS NOTION THAT VOUCHERS WOULD IMPROVE EDUCATION
In 1955 Friedman wrote a paper—The Role of Government in Education—in which he advocated that the only role government should have in education is to provide some money for parents to buy some kind of private education.
Read the full email here.
MARCH 2, 2022: JAN RESSEGER: FIVE REASONS WHY THE LAWSUIT FILED BY OVER 100 SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO END EDCHOICE VOUCHERS IS SO URGENTLY IMPORTANT.
Jan Resseger blogs about various contemporary issues, especially about education. Her insights are always enlightening.
Rea the full email here.
MARCH 1, 2022: THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: GOP SETS SIGHTS ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
On balance, the GOP initiatives on public education are more troublesome than helpful.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 28, 2022: PURSUANT TO THE STATE BUDGET BILL (HB110), ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS NOW PAY FOR VOUCHERS
Previous to HB110, only districts with voucher students were financially affected by voucher deductions. Now all districts are financially affected by the EdChoice voucher program.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 25, 2022: 5 REASONS WHY THE EDCHOICE PROGRAM VIOLATES OHIO’S CONSTITUTION
The EdChoice Program violates a strict interpretation of the Ohio Constitution.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 24, 2022: PRIVATIZING EDUCATOR TRAINING TO END PUBLIC EDUCATION BY THOMAS ULTICAN
The crowd that is bent on privatizing public education continues to attack the public common school system in multiple ways and advances private alternatives using unconventional, untested approaches.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 23, 2022: SPONSORS OF HB290 (THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL), LONG ON FEEL-GOOD RHETORIC, BUT SHORT ON CONSTITUTIONAL VALIDATION
HB290 was heard in the House Finance Committee on February 15. One sponsor declared HB 290 is not an attack of the public school system, while the other sponsor asserted a litany of flaws in the public school system; thus, the implication: vouchers are necessary.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 22, 2022: FORDHAM HAS IT WRONG ON THE EFFECT OF VOUCHERS ON SEGREGATION
EdChoice vouchers segregate students. Fordham disputes that claim in a January 28 article in Ohio Gadfly—The Anti-Voucher Lawsuit Misleads When It Comes to Segregation. In a 10th Period post Steve Dyer debunks the kind of argument Fordham spews out.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 21, 2022: SCHOOL VOUCHER ADVOCATES AND RECIPIENTS ARE BEING DUPED BY SOME WEALTHY LIBERTARIANS WHOSE ULTIMATE AGENDA IS TO REQUIRE PARENTS TO PAY FOR THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN.
The ultimate goal of voucher puppeteers is to require parents to pay for the education of their children.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 18, 2022: OHIO LAWMAKERS ADMONISHED TO DEFEND THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM IN A FEBRUARY 12 LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The LTE by Chip Santer is timely and most appropriate in the context of the constitutional challenge of the EdChoice voucher scheme.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 17, 2022: THE STATE BUDGET BILL (HB110) GREATLY EXPANDED THE FUNDING OF AND ELIGIBILITY FOR EDCHOICE VOUCHERS—MORE EXPANSION IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS
The 134th General Assembly seems to have an insatiable appetite for vouchers.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 16, 2022: THE TALE OF TWO SCHOOL FUNDING SPIGOTS—ONE FOR THE SYSTEM, ONE FOR THE INDIVIDUALS
The Ohio Constitution requires the State, by taxation, to secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools (Article VI, section 2). Also, the Ohio Constitution requires the State to provide, by law, for the organization, administration and control of the public school system supported by public funds (Article VI, section 3). Contrary to the intent and words of the framers of the Ohio Constitution, the legislature has established additional tax-supported arrangements for education—charter schools and vouchers.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 15, 2022: BETSY DEVOS CAMPAIGNING FOR AND HELPING TO FUND AN END-RUN AROUND THE MICHIGAN GOVERNOR AND MICHIGAN CONSTITUTION
When Ms. DeVos served as US Secretary of Education, she demonstrated no respect for state constitutional provisions for K-12 education. Her laser-focused agenda was to privatize public education as required by all State Constitutions. In her private life, she is continuing her privatization campaign
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 14, 2022: OHIO IS PAYING SCHOOLS THAT BASICALLY DISCRIMINATE
Attached is an article published in the Columbus Dispatch Saturday, February 12.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 11, 2022: GUEST COLUMN BY DENIS SMITH: SCHOOL VOUCHERS TAKE PUBLIC FUNDS; THEY GIVE NEITHER ‘CHOICE, JUSTICE’
In a February 7 Columbus Dispatch column, Denis Smith, a retired school administrator and former consultant in the Ohio Department of Education charter school office, provides insight into who bankrolls part of the voucher movement…
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 10, 2022: STATE AUDITOR OF OKLAHOMA REGARDING EPIC CHARTER SCHOOLS: “THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF REPORTED ABUSE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS STATE”
The State Auditor of Oklahoma said she believes that the charter school in question was intentionally established to “’milk for profits—as the Enron of public education’.” The auditor’s statement is right on target.
Read the full email here.
FEBRUARY 9, 2022: ALABAMA STATE LEGISLATORS PROPOSE A BILL THAT RIVALS HB290 IN OHIO
House Bill 290, pending in the Ohio Legislature, would provide a voucher for every student which, could be used in a variety of private entities, as well as the public system. The bill proposed in Alabama would have the same effect.
Read the full email here.
February 8, 2022: Jocelyn Rhynard, Dayton School Board Vice-President and Coalition Steering Committee Member, Has Compelling Article Published in Dayton Daily News
Ms. Rhynard’s thoughtful article counters one published earlier in Dayton Daily News. It supports the challenge to the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher program.
Read the full email here.
February 7, 2022: Ohio Becoming More Charter-School-Friendly According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS)
NAPCS issues an annual report which rates states on how they measure-up to a model they developed. Ohio jumped from 24th to 12th place in the state ratings.
Read the full email here.
February 4, 2022: APPROXIMATELY 500 NON-TAX NON-CHARTERED SCHOOLS OPERATE IN OHIO—WHO MINDS THE STORE?
The State is responsible for securing (protecting) a thorough and efficient system of common schools. There are about 500 non-tax non-chartered schools operating in Ohio that are essentially unregulated.
Read the full email here.
February 3, 2022: PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION IS A STATE RESPONSIBILITY: THE STATE WASHES THEIR HANDS OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY WHEN ISSUING VOUCHERS
The Ohio Constitution is very unequivocal about State responsibility
Read the full email here.
February 2, 2022: THE CHARTER SCHOOL AND VOUCHER WARS CONTINUE: A TALE OF TWO CITIES, OR MAYBE THREE
Denis Smith, retired school administrator and ODE Charter School Office consultant, discusses school privatization in 3 C’s—Columbus, Charleston and Concord.
Read the full email here.
February 1, 2022: “A SEAT AT THE TABLE”
A lobbyist, who represents several school districts, during the State budget process prior to June 30, 2021, advised his client school districts to stay out of the EdChoice Voucher litigation so they could have a “seat at the table.”
Read the full email here.
January 31, 2022: PARENTS SUE WV TO STOP VOUCHERS
The pushback against vouchers is spreading. Citizens are awakening to the harm their public officials are causing public school children.
Read the full email here.
January 28, 2022: SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION CHAMPION, FORDHAM INSTITUTE, WEIGHS-IN AGAINST THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE
In two January 18 posts, two Fordham folks argue that the lawsuit misses its mark in its constitutional arguments and that the lawsuit twists the truth about school funding.
Read the full email here.
January 27, 2022: A THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT SYSTEM OF COMMON SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE—PERIOD!
The State has NOT perfected a thorough and efficient system of common schools as required by the Ohio Constitution.
Read the full email here.
January 26, 2022: OHIO’S EDCHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM HAS FAILED: DAN HEINTZ
Dan Heintz, a teacher, school Board member, and member of the Equity and Adequacy Coalition steering committee, sets the record straight on the failed EdChoice Voucher scheme.
Read the full email here.
January 25, 2022: A PUBLIC FORUM: ARE SCHOOL VOUCHERS LEGAL—FEBRUARY 23, 7-8:45 PM (VIA ZOOM)—SPONSORED BY THE HEIGHTS COALITION
Attached is information regarding the Forum. Zoom attendance is limited; sign-up early.
Read the full email here.
January 24, 2022: FAIRBORN CITY COUNCILWOMAN, DONNA WILSON, IDENTIFIES THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS ON MUNICIPALITIES
Vouchers hurt voucher students, district students, school districts, other political subdivisions, public retirement systems, and school district employees. Fairborn Councilwoman Wilson shows how vouchers affect municipalities.
Read the full email here.
January 21, 2022: THE DEPTH OF CORRUPTION IN THE CHARTER SCHOOL WORLD IS BEYOND FRIGHTENING—CAROL BURRIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION (NPE) UNCOVERS A SEWAGE PIT IN AN OHIO CHARTER OPERATION
An investigation of one charter—Buckeye Preparatory Academy—uncovers a tangled web of fraud, corruption and pillage of tax revenue that illustrates the idiocy of Ohio’s charter school law.
Read the full email here
January 20, 2022: THE PRINT-VERSION OF MAUREEN REEDY’S COLUMBUS DISPATCH LTE—ANTI-VOUCHER LAWSUIT A “COURAGEOUS” SUPPORTED ACT
Reedy praises the school districts that have joined the Coalition’s challenge to the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher scheme.
Read the full email here.
January 19, 2022: JANUARY 11 LETTER TO DISPATCH EDITOR BY JEANNE MELVIN, PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS: VOUCHER PROGRAM VIOLATES CONSTITUTIONAL CALL FOR ONE SYSTEM OF COMMON SCHOOLS
The Ohio Constitution is very clear; the state is responsible for securing (protecting) a (ie.) one system of common schools. Jeanne Melvin provides context for that truth in the LTE.
Read the full email here.
January 18, 2022: OHIO TAXPAYER GENEROSITY TOWARD PRIVATE SCHOOLING
Ohio Department of Education is fining some school districts for not transporting private school kids. Not enough bus drivers, but districts are expected to transport private schoolers, even if it means leaving district students left in the cold.
Read the full email here.
January 17, 2022: DR. SARAH M. STITZLEIN’S ARGUMENT FOR WHY SCHOOL VOUCHERS HARM AMERICAN CIVIC LIFE
Vouchers work against the public good and the path to productive citizenship. Dr. Sarah Stitzlein, in a January 5 Washington Post article addresses these matters.
Read the full email here.
January 14, 2022: ARGUMENTS EDCHOICE VOUCHER ADVOCATES MAKE ARE SHORT ON LOGIC AND LONG ON PERSONAL ATTACKS
Voucher advocates puppet emotional clichés that are unrelated to the issues that are relevant to the voucher debate.
Read the full email here.
January 13, 2022: NATIONWIDE PRO-VOUCHER ADVOCATE ORGANIZATION, INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE, HAS ALREADY FILED TO INTERVENE IN EDCHOICE VOUCHER CASE
The voucher supporters will line-up in attempt to intervene in the Coalition’s/VHO’s challenge to the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher scheme. We will, of course, oppose those efforts.
Read the full email here.
January 12, 2022: THE MEANING OF KEY WORDS IN ARTICLE VI, SECTION 2 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION
The 1851 constitutional provision for education—“The General Assembly…shall secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state…” is a straight-forward statement that is clear and without ambiguity; nevertheless, a definition of key words will further elucidate the State’s responsibility inherent in this provision.
Read the full email here.
January 11, 2022: FORDHAM INSTITUTE, BUCKEYE INSTITUTE, SCHOOL CHOICE OHIO, SENATE PRESIDENT, AND AARON BAER OPPOSE EDCHOICE VOUCHER SUIT
The usual anti-public school crowd came forward with guns blazing against the EdChoice Voucher litigation.
Read the full email here.
January 10, 2022: THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LEGAL CHALLENGE SETS FORTH AN ORIGINALIST-VIEW OF CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION
The Coalition’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the EdChoice voucher scheme is most assuredly not asking the Court to “legislate from the bench.” The Complaint filed puts a spotlight on the wording and intent of Ohio’s constitutional requirements for a high-quality system of common schools and how the EdChoice voucher system is a cancer that has the potential to kill off the common school.
Read the full email here.
January 7, 2022: PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE FILING OF THE EDCHOICE VOUCHER LITIGATION RESULTED IN STATEWIDE COVERAGE
Attached is a list of links to various news articles.
Read the full email here.
January 6, 2022: DENIS SMITH IN THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE: USE THE INJUNCTION TO RETHINK CHARTER DISASTER
Denis Smith, former school administrator in West Virginia and Ohio and former consultant in the Ohio Department of Education charter school office, gave some sage advice to the residents in West Virginia. His opinion piece provides substantial insight into the broader context of the charter world.
Read the full email here.
January 5, 2022: LIMA’S LEO ACADEMY CLOSES, LEAVING 150 STUDENTS STRANDED
The attached Lima News article tells yet another story of disruption in education.
Read the full email here.
January 4, 2022: AN AP ARTICLE IN THE JANUARY 2 DISPATCH LINKS MUSLIM CLERIC FETHULLAH GULEN WITH POLITICAL UNREST IN TURKEY
Fethullah Gulen’s Muslim religious/political movement operates in the range of 200 tax-funded charter schools in the United States.
Read the full email here.
January 3, 2022: VOUCHERS DO NOT FIT THE MOLD OF THE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM REQUIRED BY THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.
Article VI, sections 2 and 3 set forth state responsibility for education. Section 2, adopted in 1851 specifies that the state shall secure, by taxation, a thorough and efficient system of common schools. Section 2 also provides that: “…but that no religious or other sect, or sects, shall ever have any exclusive right to, or control of, any part of the school funds of the state.” Section 3, adopted in 1912 specifies that provision shall be made by law for the organization, administration and control of the public school system supported by public funds; hence, the state has the responsibility to secure, fund, organize, administer and control the public school system.
Read the full email here.
December 22, 2021: STORIES ABOUT BISHOP SYCAMORE “SCHOOL” IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH AND THE NEW YORK TIMES POINT TO OHIO’S NEGLECT TO REGULATE “SCHOOLS” THAT ARE NOT A PART OF THE CONSTITUTIONALLY- REQUIRED PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL.
The so-called Bishop Sycamore “School” has been headlined in various newspapers, including the Columbus Dispatch and New York Times in recent weeks. The organizers/operators of the school have come under intense scrutiny, including being investigated by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).
Read the full email here.
December 21, 2021: THE ABSURDITY OF PARENTS BEING ENTITLED TO TAX-FUNDED VOUCHERS FOR EDUCATION.
The HB290 universal voucher advocates—the backpackers—pontificate parental empowerment and education freedom. They argue that parents are entitled to choice, at public expense, at whatever education establishment is available to them.
Read the full email here.
December 20, 2021: THE RHETORIC—FUND STUDENTS NOT THE SYSTEM– IS CONSPICUOUS BY ITS OUTRAGEOUS IGNORANCE.
The universal voucher zealots puppet the expression “fund students, not the system”. They either are showing their ignorance of the Ohio Constitution or their utter contempt for it.
Read the full email here.
December 17, 2021: WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE FROM CURRENT AND RETIRED PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS ABOUT THE IMPACT UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS (HB290) WILL HAVE ON THE PUBLIC RETIREMENT SYSTEMS?
Private school educators, of course, don’t pay into public retirement systems.
Read the full email here.
December 16, 2021: THE HB290 BACKTRACK BILL PROMOTERS ISSUE ANOTHER DISINGENUOUS ATTACK AGAINST THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL
An ongoing campaign to blast the public school system seems to be the way the HB290 campaigners hope to achieve their objective of universal vouchers. A December 15 Cleveland Plain Dealer article by Guest Columnist Troy McIntosh, a voucher zealot, is an example.
Read the full email here.
December 15, 2021: EDCHOICE VOUCHERS—ANTITHETICAL TO THE PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM REQUIRED BY THE OHIO CONSTITUTION
The EdChoice voucher program in Ohio has nothing in common with the public common school system
Read the full email here.
December 14, 2021: PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOLS POST HB290—(THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL)
HB290 would entitle all school-age students in Ohio eligible for vouchers—home-schoolers, current voucher students, private school students whose tuition is already covered privately, and those who are not enrolled in any program.
Read the full email here.
December 13, 2021: THE US SUPREME COURT HEARD ARGUMENTS DECEMBER 8 ON WHETHER PARENTS MAY USE STATE EDUCATION MONEY FOR SECTARIAN SCHOOLS
The State of Maine provides subsidies to parents for education in rural districts that don’t have their own high schools. Parents are allowed to use the subsidy to enroll their children in other public or private schools—but not religious schools. The Maine Supreme Court upheld the State’s decision to prohibit the use of the subsidies in religious schools. The matter is now before the US Supreme Court.
Read the full email here.
December 10, 2021: CHARTER SCHOOL OPERATOR—RON PACKARD—WITH A HUGE CHARTER SCHOOL PRESENCE IN OHIO EXPANDS INTO THE WEST VIRGINIA CHARTER MARKET
Charter business operator Ron Packard crossed the Ohio River to fill his pockets with money from the WV treasury.
Read the full email here.
December 9, 2021: THOMAS ULTICAN’S ARTICLE ON THE CURRENT ATTACK ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
Many public school administrators, teachers, and advocates still don’t believe public school districts are under attack. Thomas Ultican’s article should be a wake-up call.
Read the full email here.
December 8, 2021: BLOOMBERG BOOSTS THE FAILED PARASITICAL CHARTER SCHOOL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE WITH AN INFUSION OF $750 MILLION
A plethora of billionaires and multiple charter sector support groups are propping up the charter school business
Read the full email here.
December 7, 2021: THE ANTI-PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL ORGANIZATION—FORDHAM INSTITUTE: REFORM-MINDED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD PUSH FOR CHOICE…
The Fordham folks seem to be salivating over the recent election of a lot of board members that are not “school establishment” individuals. Apparently, they prefer “grassroots contenders running on culture-war issues”.
Read the full email here.
December 6, 2021: US SUPREME COURT CONTINUES TO EXPAND THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT TAX AID IS ALLOWED FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
University of Dayton Professor Charles Russo provides insight into the direction of the Court regarding church/state issues.
Read the full email here.
December 3, 2021: A POLITICAL CANDIDATE’S GUEST COLUMN IN THE DECEMBER 2 COLUMBUS DISPATCH—ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP MUST COME TO END IS RIGHT ON TARGET
Congressman Jim Renacci, a candidate for governor, hit the nail on the head in a December 2 Dispatch column. (This is not an endorsement of the candidate in any way, shape or form.) He provides evidence that former Governor Kasich’s privatization of the state’s Economic Development Department has been a tax-sucking boondoggle.
Read the full email here.
December 2, 2021: UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL (HB290) WILL COST SCHOOL DISTRICTS A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY
HB290 would remove nearly $1 billion for students that are currently homeschooled and those who are currently enrolled on private tuition.
Read the full email here.
December 1, 2021: RESOLUTIONS OF OPPOSITION TO HB290 ARE NEEDED: THE GOSHEN LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION CAN BE USED AS A TEMPLATE
Boards of Education and public common school advocacy organizations and agencies should be adopting resolutions in opposition to HB290.
Read the full email here.
November 30, 2021: THE INITIATOR AND CAMPAIGNER GROUP FOR HB290—UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL—HAS 16 EMPLOYEES AND A HUGE BUDGET
The group supporting the Universal Voucher Bill plans to achieve the passage of the bill in 2022, according to an article in the November 29 Columbus Dispatch. The group purchased a building across from the Statehouse for $1.25 million, has a budget of over $1.2 million per year, and has 16 employees.
Read the full email here.
November 23, 2021: BETHEL-TATE BOARD Of EDUCATION PASSES RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO HB290
Each board of education in Ohio should adopt a resolution in opposition to HB290—the Universal Voucher Bill.
Read the full email here.
November 22, 2021: US COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT RULES AGAINST PLAINTIFFS’ CHALLENGE OF A CHARTER SCHOOL DRESS CODE
The Court ruled that the Charter Day School is not a state actor, thus, it is a private operation. The Court reasoned that, although the school is funded with public money and is labeled as a public school, it is a private operation and thus, the court will not invalidate the dress code.
Read the full email here.
November 19, 2021: ELIDA BOARD OF EDUCATION RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO HB290, THE UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL
Joel Parker, CPA., Treasurer of Elida Local School sent along the HB290 opposition Resolution adopted by the Elida Board. The Resolution provides a template for other boards and organizations to adopt.
Read the full email here.
November 18, 2021: PUBLIC FUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PFPS) URGES THE US SUPREME COURT TO SUPPORT THE STATE OF MAINE’S CONSTITUTIONAL PROHIBITION OF FUNDING RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
PFPS has supported challenges to the constitutionality of vouchers in various states in the past. Now PFPS, in an amicus curiae brief, is asking the US Supreme Court to uphold Maine’s longstanding program allowing districts with no public schools of their own to pay tuition to private schools that agree to provide secular education.
Read the full email here.
November 17, 2021: OHIO’S CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS CALL FOR A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION WITH NO HINT OF FUNDING PRIVATE EDUCATION
The Universal Voucher Bill (HB290) and the existing publicly-funded vouchers insult and offend the Ohio Constitution. Article VI, sections 2 and 3 require the state to secure, fund, organize, administer, and control a system of public common schools.
Read the full email here.
November 16, 2021: THE STATE, IN CONTRAST TO DISTRIBUTIONS MADE IN THE STATE BUDGET BILL (HB110) MUST GIVE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY TO THE CONSTITUTIONALLY-REQUIRED COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM
School choice programs, especially vouchers, were given a very high priority in the Budget. This misguided priority mocks the Ohio Constitution.
Read the full email here.
November 15, 2021: SCHOOL FUNDING SHOWDOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA
The NC Supreme Court in 2004 ruled that NC children have the fundamental right to the “opportunity to receive a sound, basic education.” The NC Legislature ignored the court.
Read the full email here.
November 12, 2021: RON PACKARD’S ACCEL FOR-PROFIT CHARTER SCHOOL OPERATION MAY RUN HALF OF WEST VIRGINIA’S FIRST CHARTER SCHOOLS
The Ohio D-ranked Accel charter school operator is in line to run half of West Virginia’s first charter schools.
Read the full email here.
November 11, 2021: THE DEROLPH SCHOOL FUNDING CASE MIGHT BE A DIM MEMORY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND THIS GENERATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT PERSONNEL, BUT IT IS STILL RELEVANT
Thirty-three years ago in 1988, the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools (CORAS) was formed as a council of governments. CORAS, three years later, initiated another council of governments—the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding (E&A Coalition)—for the purpose of challenging the constitutionality of the school funding system.
Read the full email here.
November 10, 2021: PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS TYPICALLY HAVE THE DETERMINATION TO APPROPRIATELY SERVE ALL CHILDREN
Another example of the extent to which public school districts will go to serve students with disabilities is symbolized in a November 3 USA Today Network article.
Read the full email here.
November 9, 2021: RESPONSE TO A COMMUNICATION REGARDING HB290—UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL—FROM MIDVIEW SUPERINTENDENT BRUCE WILLINGHAM
His view may be representative of superintendent colleagues across Ohio (and the nation). It is critical that the public education community come together to preserve public education.
Read the full email here.
November 8, 2021: STATE REPORT CARD: CHARTER SCHOOLS NOT EVEN A CLOSE SECOND TO REAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The original promise of charter and voucher advocates: Charters will out-place school districts. The data show a different outcome.
Read the full email here.
November 5, 2021: THERE ARE COMPELLING FUNDAMENTAL REASONS FOR RELIGIOUS FELLOWSHIPS TO FUND THEIR FAITH AND THE GOVERNMENT TO FUND SECULAR FUNCTIONS: THE WALL OF SEPARATION SHOULD BE REBUILT
Government funds in Ohio have been used to subsidize the religious functions of faith groups for at least five decades. (Private schools are one of the functions of some religious groups).The funding (direct payments and vouchers) for parochial schools is rapidly escalating year by year.
Read the full email here.
November 4, 2021: CANTON MCKINLEY MARCHING BAND INCLUDES FOUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (HEARING-IMPAIRED; BLIND; AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED)
Education privatizers puppet the phrase “one-size-does-not-fit-all” as the rationale for snatching public school tax funds to support charters and private schools. Public schools do not fit the label of one-size-fits-all.
Read the full email here.
November 3, 2021: WEST VIRGINIA COMES IN LATE TO THE CHARTER SCHOOL BUSINESS, BUT WITH THE SAME SENSELESS RATIONALE
The WV Governor, pursuant to recently passed law in the state, appointed five members to the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board.
Read the full email here.
November 2, 2021: OHIO, VIA VOUCHERS, IS FUNDING RESEGREGATION OF URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF RACE, RELIGION AND DISABILITY STATUS
Private schools choose students. No student receives a voucher and then demands entry to a private school of their choice. Voucher students must be enrolled before receipt of vouchers. This fact alone guarantees that urban districts will be re-segregated and various forms of discrimination will transpire.
November 1, 2021: A CHALLENGE TO THE VOUCHER ADVOCATES: PERMIT THE RESIDENTS OF EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT AND/OR THE RESIDENTS OF THE STATE VOTE ON THE ISSUE
No statewide proposal to fund vouchers in any state has ever passed. That is one reason that voucher advocates use euphemisms like backpack bill, scholarships, education savings accounts, and tuition tax credit, instead of vouchers.
Read the full email here.
October 29, 2021: PETER GREENE, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR TO FORBES, REVIEWS A NEW BOOK ON THE WAYS CHARTERS CHOOSE STUDENTS
Charters game the system in several ways. One significant way is to choose students (it is called choice). Charter advocates talk about the efficacy of competition, but charter operators tip the scales by choosing students.
Read the full email here.
October 28, 2021: COLUMBUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “I BELIEVE PUBLIC REVENUES SHOULD HAVE CHECKS AND BALANCES WITH SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE.”
A private group has been successful in getting a “green energy” issue on the ballot, that if passed, would divert $87 million from the city of Columbus to a private operation.
Read the full email here.
October 27, 2021: PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES LOSE PROTECTION
We must publicize and fix the fact that Ohio’s special needs voucher programs are promoting and financing educational segregation at public expense.
Read the full email here.
October 25, 2021: STATE REGULATIONS FOR K-12 EDUCATION ARE NECESSARY
Charter and private schools operate in a largely deregulated environment. Traditional public schools are highly regulated. Public school officials sometimes resent state regulations, but sometimes ask for state regulations to take the “heat” off of them locally.
Read the full email here.