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The pro-voucher crowd is always going on and on about the unbridled popularity of school choice.

Well…

In last week’s elections, in three states, voters had a chance to weigh on school choice measures.

What do you think happened?

Here’s how the Nebraska Examiner put in the Cornhusker state:

Voters on Tuesday (Election Day) resoundingly rejected Nebraska’s new school voucher or scholarship program, steering public dollars spent to public schools.

Nebraska voters reject state funding for students attending private K-12 schools

We call that a thumpin’. Can you guess how much money they were spending on harmful private school vouchers in Nebraska?

In Ohio, we unaffectionately call it our $1 billion boondoggle. Nebraskans were spending $10 million and voters said no way.

Strike one, vouchers!

Let’s move a little closer to home, Kentucky. Voters in the Bluegrass State were asked to amend the Kentucky Constitution to allow public tax dollars to go to private schools.

Voters said No. Strike two, vouchers!

In Colorado, voters were asked a similar question to put school choice in the state constitution.

And they answered in a similar fashion like Nebraska and Kentucky. No.

Strike three, vouchers you are out.

In Ohio, Senate President Matt Huffman and the pro-voucher crowd don’t have the guts to go to voters because they know their scheme that is hurting local public schools and local public school children and ripping off local taxpayers is a bust and very unpopular.

Is your district part of our lawsuit? Check here.

If not, why not? Vouchers are unpopular and standing up for your public schools means standing with the will of the people in your community.

Learn how to join here or email Bill Phillis at ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net.

Sincerely,

Vouchers Hurt Ohio

Good Tuesday morning,

One week until the election.

Then, we have the Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference that begins Sunday, Nov. 10 and runs through Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Vouchers Hurt Ohio and the Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding will have a Trade Show Booth in the exhibition hall so stop by and see us.

Our booth number is 210.

We will have a lot of information and some great SWAG for you.

We are also going to be making a presentation on the EdChoice voucher lawsuit on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Room A213-215.

In the past, we have had large crowds in attendance so get there early for a seat. We will bring you up-to-date on the lawsuit and we will answer any questions you have.

There is a lot to report. The lawsuit is moving forward in Franklin County Judge Jaiza Page’s courtroom in 2025.

And a recent series of newspaper articles confirmed that the private school voucher programs are siphoning away nearly $1 billion a year from your public schools.

What does this mean for you as an elected board member who must ensure your students learn in a safe environment? Everything.

Stop by our booth, stop by our presentation, and there will be another chance to see how we operate.

On Monday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m., we will hold a Coalition Steering Committee meeting in room C150-151. You are welcome to join and observe and see the dedicated coalition of current and former school board members, superintendents, teachers and yes, of course, we have lawyers.

We are also fortunate to have former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Brown as our Steering Committee Chairman. We would not be in court suing the state without this group of dedicated steering committee members so please make a point to stop by.

The Coalition has been part of the annual OSBA Capital Conference since 1992 and we are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible during the three days.

Is your district part of our lawsuit? Check here.

If not, why not? Learn how to join here or email Bill Phillis at ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net.

Sincerely,

Vouchers Hurt Ohio

Good Tuesday morning,

Every school board member, treasurer and superintendent in Ohio needs to understand that supporting the voucher lawsuit is standing up for the taxpayers in your community.

Let’s say that again so it sinks in: Suing the state and challenging the constitutionality of the harmful EdChoice private school voucher $1 billion boondoggle is fighting for your parents, homeowners, students, businesses, and your community.

This year, there is a spate of local levies on the ballot across Ohio at a time when voters are not feeling great about taxes.

We’ve witnessed property values rise and that’s great for homeowners, but it also naturally puts them on the defensive when there is any discussion of property taxes going up.

And we know, no school district goes to the ballot unless they absolutely must so each levy up for a vote on or before Nov. 5 is an absolute necessity to the community.

In Milford Exempted Village, the district is one of seven in greater Cincinnati asking taxpayers for money this November, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Milford is bracing for the levy to fail.

They are planning to consolidate school buildings.

They are going to reduce transportation, meaning students in K-8 who live less than two miles from their school will not receive transportation, and zero high school students.

By the way, public schools are required by law to transport EdChoice voucher students.

Milford is going to a pay-to-play fee for extracurriculars.

Also under consideration, cutting elementary art, music and physical education classes, reducing courses offered in high school and eliminating 21 staff positions.

Vouchers Hurt Milford Exempted Village!

Over the two-year state budget, EdChoice will take away nearly $1 billion from public schools – the money comes from the same line item in the state budget that pays for public schools.

Private schools are thriving, booming. Wealthy parents are getting a refund and a rebate. The anti-public school crowd are elated. They held a convention in Columbus recently celebrating their victories.

And they are laughing all the way to the bank fueled by public tax dollars siphoned from the public school system.

Want fewer levies? Want to keep your programs instead of cutting them?

Want to stand up for your community? Join our lawsuit.

Is your district part of our lawsuit? Check here.

If not, why not? Learn how to join here or email Bill Phillis at ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net.

Here’s an interesting story from Poland, Ohio, a southern suburb of Youngstown in the northeast part of the state. Read it here.

Stephen Hanzely has been going to his local school board meetings asking them to join our lawsuit.

Hanzely is a retired Youngstown State University Professor who started with a letter to the Poland school board on June 3.

He points out that the number of students in Poland taking vouchers has grown from 20 to 200 since Senate President Matt Huffman and state lawmakers made the EdChoice private school voucher program available to wealthy families in every part of the state.

The Poland school board members have placed the item on the agenda for their October 23 meeting.

Local voices matter.

In Upper Arlington earlier this year, the school board joined our lawsuit after a number of local residents formed a group and called, emailed and appeared before the board to explain why Vouchers Hurt Upper Arlington.

Vouchers Hurt Poland.

Vouchers Hurt all public schools, public school children, teachers, parents, taxpayers and our local communities because it is a ripoff for the rich and creates a separate and unequal system of schools.

We believe that is unconstitutional and that’s why we are suing the state.

Do you want to form a local group of people in your community to talk to your school board members about joining our historic lawsuit?

Email Bill Phillis at ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net to find out more.

Is your district part of our lawsuit? Check here.

Great, seems we’re the shining example for the education policies being promoted by Project 2025, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.

Now, we don’t buy into conspiracies, but we do recognize when like-minded people get together with an agenda.

Exhibit A is the Center for Christian Virtue’s recent “Essential Summit.”

The summit featured Kevin Roberts, the leader of Project 2025, and Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, the architect behind the explosive, unaccountable $1 billion boondoggle private school voucher program.

Project 2025 was written by the Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for the first 180 days of a like-minded president. Former President Donald Trump has publicly disavowed Project 2025.

Read about it here.

The Center for Christian Virtue, you may recall, made a $5 million investment in a building overlooking the Statehouse in Columbus, and has been pushing for the expansion of vouchers.

Part of the Center’s “Ohio Ministry Network,” is the Ohio Christian Education Network, which is sustained through membership dues – $5 per pupil up to $3,000 per school – from Christian schools.

We bring this up because summits ain’t cheap and this was a doozy.

In August, the Ohio Capital Journal’s Megan Henry wrote how Project 2025’s education policies mirror the legislation introduced and passed in Ohio and universal private school vouchers.

Read Megan’s story here.

Again, we don’t believe in conspiracies, but these people do think alike.

Like they think the U.S. Dept. of Education should be abolished, and the Office of Head Start eliminated, and universal vouchers implemented across the land.

Christina Collins is a former member of the formerly funded and quasi-independent State Board of Education.

She is now the Executive Director for Honesty for Ohio Education, and Collins told the Capital Journal that it’s as though the Ohio General Assembly has been bringing many of the policies outlined in Project 2025 to the Buckeye State already.

“It’s almost like Ohio knew what Project 2025 was going to go for, and that our legislature was like, let’s just get ahead of it. Let’s just start implementing,” Collins said.

“What’s embedded in Project 2025 with these Christian Nationalism values is one form of educating children,” Collins said. “It’s restrictive. It prevents the freedom of knowledge. It prevents the freedom of learning. It is not inclusive, and it is not an honest education.”

It’s something else alright, including being bought, paid and promoted with our public tax dollars.

Is your district part of our historic lawsuit? Check here.

If not, why not. Join here or email ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net for more information.