Public commenter urges Oakwood to join voucher lawsuit; board appoints members to prepare talking points

Rose Lounsbury, speaking on behalf of Oakwood Advocates for Public Education, told the Oakwood Board of Education Aug. 4 that a recent Franklin County judge’s ruling found the EdChoice voucher program unconstitutional on three counts and that Attorney General Dave Yost has announced plans to appeal. “Stopping the flow of public dollars to private schools is the right thing to do,” Lounsbury said, and she asked the board “what are we waiting for?” — urging Oakwood to join Vouchers Hurt Ohio, the group bringing the suit. Board members discussed several concerns raised by Lounsbury and by trustees during the board report period: the potential defunding of public education, differences in per-student funding amounts between voucher students and public-school students, and equity concerns because private voucher-accepting schools are not held to the same public reporting and enrollment requirements as public districts. At the end of the discussion the board chair asked for volunteers to form a two-person committee to research the district’s role and potential reasons for joining the lawsuit. Two board members agreed to prepare talking points and return next month with findings and recommendations for the board’s consideration. No formal motion to join the lawsuit was made at the meeting. The board’s action was a direction to members to research and present information next month; any decision to join legal action would require a future, formal board vote.