Revere board to hold community sessions after union asks district to join voucher lawsuit

Trustees at the July 14 Revere Local School District work session discussed a request from the district union to join a statewide lawsuit challenging aspects of school vouchers and state funding. Rather than decide at the meeting, the board agreed to solicit broader community input through evening and daytime sessions and to collect feedback by email.

Board members asked what joining would mean in practice. Mister Berdine explained the joining fee is $2 per average daily membership (ADM), which trustees estimated could cost the district roughly $5,000–$6,000 per year depending on student counts. Several trustees noted the fee recurs annually while the litigation could take years to resolve.

Trustees also emphasized there is no guarantee that a favorable judgment would channel restored state money back to Revere. Mister Berdine cautioned, “There's no guarantee as to what happens if the litigation prevails,” and other board members said state officials would ultimately decide how any recovered funds are allocated.

Supporters framed joining as a way to press for accountability and fair funding, arguing that private-school vouchers create an unequal regulatory and funding environment. Other trustees worried joining at this stage — several years into the litigation — might have limited influence and could deepen local divisions between taxpayers who favor vouchers and those who do not.

To gather information, the board agreed to hold multiple public sessions in early September (evenings and daytime Zoom or in-person meetings), share proposed joining language and allow written comment before taking a formal vote. The board did not commit to joining and deferred a final decision pending community feedback and further analysis.