Centerville residents press school board to join ‘Vouchers Hurt Ohio’ lawsuit; some defend vouchers

Dozens of Centerville residents used the board’s public-comment period Monday to urge the Centerville City Board of Education to join Vouchers Hurt Ohio, a statewide lawsuit challenging Ohio’s expansion of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers.

Speakers told the board they view voucher expansion as siphoning public dollars from district classrooms and cited state budget proposals that they said would further reduce aid to public schools. Senator Willis Blackshear Jr., newly elected to the Ohio Senate, attended and said school funding and limiting voucher expansion are among his priorities.

The appeals came during a 30‑minute public‑comment block; no motion to join the lawsuit was introduced or voted on that night. Superintendent and finance staff instead asked residents to contact state lawmakers and participate in a district letter‑writing campaign aimed at the Ohio Legislature.

Why it matters: Speakers said voucher growth and the governor’s budget could shrink state aid and increase pressure on local levies, which they said would harm Centerville’s roughly 8,000 students. The board’s response—so far—has been to encourage constituent advocacy rather than to immediately join litigation.

Arguments and public testimony

Amy Fogle, identified as a Centerville resident, asked the district to “draw a line in the sand” and join the lawsuit, arguing the legislature has allowed state funding for vouchers to grow while public funding stagnates. “We don’t believe that any of our school districts should have to rely on the levy to be properly funded,” she said.

Lisa Butel, a Washington Township resident and parent, framed the issue as both constitutional and fiscal: “Using state tax dollars for private religious education does not honor the separation of church and state,” she said, and pointed to reporting and state analysis she said shows most voucher recipients attend religious private schools.

Laurel Kerr, a Washington Township resident, said she moved to Centerville “because of the excellent school district” and urged the board to join the lawsuit to protect long‑term funding. Kate Vreiner, a Centerville resident and local business owner, said vouchers are “siphoning a billion dollars” statewide and urged immediate action.

Not all public commenters supported joining the litigation. Mike Larson, a Washington Township resident, asked the board not to join and defended school‑choice options, saying vouchers give families alternatives when local districts are failing. “Why would we support a lawsuit to take that choice away from parents whose local school districts are failing their students?” he said.

Senator Willis Blackshear Jr.

Willis Blackshear Jr., introduced to the board as the newly elected State Senator for District 6, told the meeting he will advocate on education and funding in Columbus. “We want to make sure that we are equipping our kids, our schools, our teachers, with the tools so our kids can succeed,” he said, and added he would listen to district concerns and act as an accessible point of contact at the statehouse.

Student representatives and district staff

Student board representatives also addressed voucher policy. Samaria Williams and other student reps described work on county student advisory priorities and said students favored equal accountability standards for any school receiving public dollars. “In order to receive these funds from the EdChoice program, these schools should have to meet the same standards that public schools have to meet,” a student speaker said.

District administrators stopped short of committing to litigation. In a legislative update, a district staff member identified in the meeting as Laura (role not specified in the transcript) described proposed state legislation and the governor’s budget (House Bill 96) and urged residents to contact legislators. Laura said the district is launching a public outreach push called “Heard Up, Speak Out” that aims initially to collect 1,000 letters for lawmakers and to make it easy for residents to call or submit testimony. Materials, postage and sample letters were placed on a table at the meeting, and staff said they would collect and mail submissions.

Next steps

No board vote on joining Vouchers Hurt Ohio occurred during the Feb. 24 meeting. Board members did not take final action; several public commenters suggested exploring private donations to cover any legal costs if the board chooses to join litigation. District staff encouraged phone calls and letters to state lawmakers and said additional public engagement opportunities will be announced.

Community members who spoke and the district said they expect follow‑up as the state budget and voucher‑related bills move through the legislature.