When we let vouchers drain our schools, it hurts us all.
1. When it comes to education, one size doesn’t fit all.
What does this mean? Is this a one-liner that is supposed to indict traditional public schools as having no options or choices within the system? The public system has a variety of choices in curricular, co-curricular and athletic options. In fact, the typical school district has significantly more choices for students than the typical private school. Grade: F
2. School Choice saves taxpayer money.
You did not show your work because you can’t. Your universal voucher bill creates a new, bloated bureaucracy in the State Treasurer’s office with a file for every student that will cost, not save, taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. You are going to refund parents for more than 100,000 students. You’re going to write checks to homeschooling parents. Grade: F
3. Competition breeds excellence.
Free-market principles have been applied to public schools to promote segregation and institutional racism. Again you don’t show your work because there is no credible research to back up your claim. This same misleading answer was given to justify charter schools like ECOT. Grade: F
4. All students benefit from education freedom.
Students benefit from a quality educational opportunity. Strong public schools strengthen our communities. Your scheme will harm our students, our families, our taxpayers, our homeowners, our communities. Grade: F
5. Parents are powerless to fight against political and sexualized material.
School district patrons have the opportunity to be heard at board meetings with elected school boards. They have access to school administrators and teachers. Parents are not powerless in influencing the direction of traditional public schools. But can the same be said for a parent and student who may disagree with any of the religious, cultural, customs or mores of private schools regarding race, gender, political views, religious freedom, etc.? Public schools accept all children. Private schools pick and choose their enrollees. Grade: F
6. Too many public schools are well-funded, but underperforming.
Quick history lesson. In 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the way lawmakers and the governor funds public education in Ohio is unconstitutional. In 2021, a quarter century later, after passing the two-year state budget, lawmakers and Gov. DeWine admitted they are not fully funding public schools. Grade: F
7. Fund teachers and students, not bureaucrats
Again, you can’t show your work. This statement is inaccurate. It is meant to inflame Ohioans against the public system. Grade: F
8. Ohio doesn’t underfund education, we misspend the money.
Your answers are wrong and redundant. See your grade on answer #6. The massive misspending by the state has been the tens of millions of fraudulent dollars given to charter school operators like Bill Lager and ECOT. Grade: F