Ohio's K-12 voucher program is ruled unconstitutional by appeals court
Reported byWYSO Public Radio
Read the full story at WYSO Public RadioAI-assisted summary
Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals has ruled that the state's EdChoice universal voucher program is unconstitutional. A Franklin County Common Pleas judge reached the same conclusion in 2022, but the program stayed in place while the case was appealed. Writing for a three-judge panel, Judge David J. Leland said the program funds a separate school system rather than the single public system the state constitution requires, lacks state oversight, and is unavailable to many rural residents who help pay for it. He also wrote that it draws money away from public schools and hurts their ability to win local levies.
The ruling does not end the program for now. The article says a stay allows it to continue while the case moves to the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Ohio Attorney General is expected to appeal. About 180,000 students take part in EdChoice, which was expanded in 2023. Before then, vouchers were limited to students in certain low-income areas or those meeting other criteria.
Reaction split along familiar lines. Voucher opponents, including groups representing teachers and public school advocates, called the decision a win for public schools and urged lawmakers to return to the Fair School Funding Plan. Supporters, including School Choice Ohio and the Ohio Christian Education Network, said they disagree and expect to prevail on appeal. House Speaker Matt Huffman said one appeals court's decision does not change earlier rulings that upheld school choice programs. The two major candidates for governor also responded, with Amy Acton stressing full funding of public schools and a spokesman for Vivek Ramaswamy saying he is confident the Supreme Court will resolve the issue.
Why it matters
The case affects the roughly 180,000 students using vouchers and the public schools whose funding and local levy prospects are at issue. Families, taxpayers and school boards may face changes depending on how the Ohio Supreme Court rules.
- School vouchers
- Court ruling
- School choice
- State funding formula
- State legislature
- School levy
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
Sign in to react.
- How should Ohio balance parents' ability to choose a school with the state's responsibility to support public schools?
- What information would help local residents judge how vouchers affect their own district's budget and levy prospects?
- If the program changes, what should state leaders do to support students currently using vouchers?
Suggested with AI.
Public discussion (0)
Share how this affects your community. Be respectful, stay on topic, and don't post personal information. Editors may hide comments that break these rules.