“As a public school district, Oakwood is invested in, and benefits from, a strong and vibrant public school system across Ohio,” said board member Nathan Reiter Garcia. “As such, Oakwood joining this lawsuit demonstrates we as a district are invested in public education and that we stand in solidarity with other public school districts across the state.”
Use of EdChoice private school vouchers has increased dramatically to nearly $1 billion a year for the 2023-24 academic year after Ohio lawmakers expanded eligibility to every family in the state, regardless of income.
Lawmakers said EdChoice expansion would give more families access to private school education. Opponents say the program redistributes taxpayer dollars from public schools to families who don’t need it to subsidize religious education.
A Dayton Daily News analysis of Ohio Department of Education data found it mainly supports families already enrolling their children in private schools. The state awarded $993.7 million for families to send children to private schools in a recent school year. That was $383.7 million more than the previous year and more than $30 million more than legislative analysts predicted when lawmakers expanded the program.
Families that participate in EdChoice are eligible for more funding than the state allocates to public school districts in many cases. Oakwood receives $2,479 per pupil in state funding, according to the district; a high school voucher receives up to $8,407 of taxpayer dollars from the state.
“Oakwood’s decision reflects a clear commitment to fair funding and to protecting the future of public education for every Ohio student,” said Rose Lounsbury, an Oakwood mother of three and founder of Oakwood Advocates for Public Education.
In June, a Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page ruled the private school voucher program unconstitutional, but the ruling immediately was stayed due to the likelihood of appeal.
The judge found that vouchers create a separate and unequal system of private schools that are not required to accept all students who apply; divert funds from public schools; and channel taxpayer dollars to religious institutions.
Centerville City Schools, Dayton Public Schools, Northmont City Schools and Northridge Local Schools are other Montgomery County districts that are part of the lawsuit joined by more than half of all districts in Ohio. Other area districts include Fairborn, Greenville, Hamilton, Middletown and Springfield schools.
Staff writers Eileen McClory and Thomas Gnau contributed to this report.
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