Appellate Court Agrees: Vouchers are Unconstitutional

The lawsuit has been building for over a year, with public school advocates persuading more than 300 school districts to join as co-plaintiffs. Cleveland Com (Plain Dealer) reviews the legal issues, with copious quotes from their Today in Ohio podcast hosts. 

Left out of this suit is the political argument re income eligibility. The GOP legislature has pushed their assault on public education by naming their program 'School Choice.' Initially they said the idea was to give low-income parents a way to send their promising kids to high-quality private schools.

But, the income eligibility was set just shy of wealthy. Private schools then raised tuition. Parents who had already been paying private tuition used the voucher to offset the new increase. Low income parents couldn't afford the 'difference' and so couldn't send their kids to the private schools anyway. 

This reality, however, is not part of the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit. Income eligibility is not part of the Ohio Constitution on school funding. Providing good education for all is.

Why should Ohioans abroad worry about school funding back home? Well, some of us will be returning, with kids. Some have already sent their young back for college. They may stay, work, marry, have kids. Ohio needs to provide a well-educated workforce to attract hi-tech industries. There's true societal fairness, not just lip service. And then, in the end, strong public education lends itself to a vibrant, healthy state and we all want the best for ours!