The Bully Backtracks

February 17, 2026

Good Tuesday morning,

State Rep. Jamie Callender has backtracked on his “Public School Bully Bill” because we stood up to the bully.

Callender knows the lawmakers supporting the $1.7 billion EdChoice private school voucher scheme do not have a constitutional leg to stand on.

So Callender resorted to threats, intimidation, and bullying. He introduced legislation to withhold state funding from school districts in our Vouchers Hurt Ohio coalition that were suing the state.

It was an empty threat.

Vouchers Hurt Ohio held a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Our lead attorney, Mark Wallach, explained that Callender’s threat was unconstitutional and that we would go into court immediately with an injunction and win should the lawmakers be stupid enough to pass it.

Joining Wallach, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Eric Brown, who chairs the Vouchers Hurt Ohio steering committee, called Callender’s idea “outrageous,” and said he “is trying to bully and intimidate our local school districts and it won’t work.”

The news from the press conference spread fast across the state and added to the mounting criticism and pressure that Callender was feeling from educators, parents, community members and even his fellow lawmakers.

Callender has zero co-sponsors on his bully bill. Zero.

The day after the press conference, Morgan Trau, a reporter with NEWS 5 in Cleveland, reported…”after mass backlash, (Callender) has reversed course.

Watch it here.

The disgraced Callender tried to save face. He told Trau he would amend his plan to not withhold all state funding to the districts, but only the amount the school was spending on the lawsuit.

Let’s do some math before we take Callender’s clown act apart.

Vouchers Hurt Ohio asks school districts to spend $2 per pupil per year. We have more than 330 school districts in our coalition. Most spend far less in a year on the lawsuit than a single voucher for a high school student, which is $8,400.

The 330 school districts in Vouchers Hurt Ohio have spent $1.7 million on the lawsuit in six years. Six years. Callender voted to spend $1.7 billion on vouchers in the next two years with zero financial or academic accountability. In two years.

Callender spreads a bunch of, and we’re being generous here, mistruths in his interview with Trau.

On Monday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Frances McGowan tried to interview Callender about his backtrack.

He went into hiding. Read about it here.

“When contacted, Callender referred cleveland.com | The Plain Dealer to his staff, which did not return requests for comment.

Vouchers Hurt Ohio issued a press release the same day because Callender’s idea is still unconstitutional. He can’t punish school districts for exercising their constitutional right to challenge policies that harm public school children.

Plain and simple.

Judge Brown said:

“The bill will still penalize school districts and continues to be unconstitutional. Whether it is a dime or $1 million, it’s unconstitutional. The legislature should be listening to (Franklin County) Judge (Jaiza) Page, and address the unconstitutional EdChoice private school voucher program that is siphoning away $1.7 billion from underfunded, shortchanged public schools and public school children.”

Mark Wallach said:

“During the budget process, the legislature decides to fund public schools at a specific amount to meet their Constitutional obligation to provide a “thorough and efficient education” to Ohio’s students. They cannot pass a budget and months later reduce that amount just because they don’t like the idea that public schools are challenging an unconstitutional alternative system of schools that will take in a whopping $1.7 billion in the next two years. If they pass this bill, we will immediately move to challenge it with an injunction, and we will win because it is blatantly unconstitutional.”

William L. Phillis said:

“Rep. Callender presents his proposed legislation as though the coalition is somehow wasting school funds, using it on frivolous litigation. Our lawsuit uncovered a blatant problem in the way state lawmakers continue to inadequately and inequitably fund our public schools. Judge Page has already found this program, EdChoice, to be unconstitutional. State lawmakers should be appreciative that we have uncovered this unconstitutional issue so they can fix it.”

Now are you fed up with the way the pro-voucher crowd in the legislature has been treating you, your district, your students, your communities?

Are you angry at the bullying and the blatant disrespect they have for you – especially the local board members who are duly elected and take an oath of office to uphold the Ohio Constitution?

Well, what are you waiting for?

Stand up to these bullies with us because they back down when we push back.

Are you part of our lawsuit? Check here.

If not, ask yourself, considering this latest craziness from Columbus, why not? Join here.

We are stronger together and we need all districts to stand up and join.

Sincerely,

Vouchers Hurt Ohio