Looking back at 2024, Ahead to 2025

December 17, 2024

This will be our last email of the year, but we will return with weekly updates beginning January 7, 2025.

Looking back at 2024, we witnessed how the private school voucher program is harming our public schools.

We learned the real choice and power in so-called school choice is in the hands of the private school operators who get to pick and choose their students based on income, athletic or academic talent, religion, race, and disability so the universal voucher program is but a myth.

It is a program for wealthy and religious families as the vast majority of families taking vouchers are just receiving a refund or a rebate for their tuition. They aren’t moving their children from public to religious schools. They were already enrolled.

We learned each dollar more for private schools is a dollar less for public schools so the $1 billion boondoggle for vouchers is literally robbing the public schools to pay the private school pirates.

We learned the pro-voucher gang, backed by billionaires like the Koch family and Betsy DeVos, know exactly what they are doing. This is a calculated plundering of the public treasury and they want the loot, but they don’t want to be held accountable for a single penny financially or a single student academically.

When some state lawmakers proposed financial and academic accountability, the pro-voucher crowd lobbied like there was no tomorrow to gut those oversight ideas from any legislation.

Yes, it was a tough year and you can already see the adverse impact on public schools as more and more local districts are forced to go to local voters with requests for levies or face cutting programs, teachers and staff.

We’ve seen the unfair impact of state mandates that cost public schools like the requirement to provide transportation for all private school students regardless of cost. Do you think the state reimburses public schools for this heavy toll? No way.

We realize this is hard to take, and this is why we are fighting back.

We’ve seen a group of suburban wealthy schools across the state rise up against vouchers and join our lawsuit.

We’ve seen all types of public schools from urban to rural to small town to suburban sign up because they understand we need to save our schools and protect our taxpayers from this ripoff.

We’ve also witnessed a rebellion against voucher expansion in other states with groups deciding the best tactic for them to challenge vouchers.

And we saw voters in three states reject vouchers and school choice when it was put on the ballot for a vote.

Our extreme lawmakers and Gov. DeWine would never put vouchers up for a vote in Ohio because they know it would be a loser for them.

And here is the best news of all for public schools and public school supporters.

Vouchers in Ohio go on trial in 2025.

We’ll repeat that: Vouchers in Ohio go on trial in 2025.

We’re looking forward to the new year.

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

If not, isn’t it time you joined. You don’t want to miss it. Learn how here.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! See you again in 2025!