Resident urges Oakwood to join Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit, cites voucher growth

Rose Lounsbury addressed the Oakwood Schools Board during public comment on March 10 and urged the board to join Vouchers Hurt Ohio, a coalition of districts challenging Ohio’s private school voucher expansion.

Lounsbury, who identified herself as a former public school teacher and Oakwood parent, told the board she has emailed a joinder resolution and asked members to pass it. She said the voucher program now drains $1 billion from Ohio public schools annually and that Oakwood’s voucher use has grown dramatically since 2023. "Oakwood's voucher use has exploded, increasing 1,575% since 2023, according to the Ohio Department of Education," Lounsbury said, and she added that "94 percent of vouchers in Oakwood are given to families who do not qualify as low income," a figure she attributed to state data.

Lounsbury said the cost to join the legal action would be about $2 per pupil per year for Oakwood, which she called a small price compared with the potential fiscal impact on public schools. She asked the board to "show the courage and leadership to join" and to pass the joinder resolution.

The board did not take action on the request during the March 10 meeting. The superintendent earlier and later discussed the broader state budget process and said the district is engaging with legislators and state associations about funding.

Ending: Lounsbury closed by urging residents to contact state legislators about the budget and voucher program; no formal board vote was recorded on the joinder request at the meeting.