Steering committee member: EdChoice voucher use surged in Fairborn; summary-judgment hearing set

Andy Wilson, a member of the steering committee of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding and the Vouchers for Ohio Committee, told the Fairborn City Schools Board of Education on Feb. 6 that use of the state'funded EdChoice scholarships in Fairborn has risen sharply and that the coalition will seek a summary-judgment ruling in the lawsuit challenging the program.

Wilson said the number of Fairborn students accepting vouchers rose from 130 in fiscal 2023 to 378 this year, a change he called about a "90% increase." He told the board that a motion for summary judgment will be heard on April 28, which he said is scheduled for "a Monday morning" and would allow the judge to decide the case without a trial if she finds the legal issues sufficiently clear-cut.

The lawsuit, filed by a coalition of school districts and other parties, argues the EdChoice program is unconstitutional; the state and other interveners are opposing that claim. Wilson told the board that the case moves slowly because of its size and the number of interveners.

Wilson also gave county and statewide figures, saying Greene County voucher payments rose from about $2.2 million in fiscal 2023 to about $6.2 million in fiscal 2024 and that the share of voucher recipients meeting the low-income threshold shifted markedly between those years. He told the board the district faces a roughly $3 million annual shortfall under the state funding program and contrasted that shortfall with the roughly $677 million the state spent on the two EdChoice voucher programs last year.

Board members thanked Wilson for the update and asked to be kept informed about developments ahead of the April hearing.

Why it matters: Local increases in voucher use can reduce state funding that would otherwise flow to the district; the lawsuit outcome could affect funding and eligibility statewide.