Ohio's voucher programs have devastated public school funding by moving public dollars away from public schools to private schools, which are not held to the same standards.

Over the past several decades, politicians and their billionaire donors have created a narrative that our public schools are failing and that vouchers offer middle- and lower-income families an opportunity to send their children to private schools, but we know this to be false. Our public schools are not failing; they are often outperforming nearby voucher-accepting private schools. On top of that, vouchers are mainly used by wealthy families that are already sending their kids to private schools.

We are joining our partners at Honesty for Ohio Education in launching the Voucher Accountability Project to educate Ohioans on the truth behind private school vouchers by showing the lack of oversight and transparency, how voucher schools can easily discriminate and exclude students from enrolling, and how these programs are directly harming the vast majority of Ohio's students that attend public schools.

Vouchers aren't free... they're fraud. Join us for the official launch of the Voucher Accountability Project—a press event and protest against the institutional defunding of our public schools, hosted at Moler Elementary, a Columbus City School that will be closing at the end of this school year due to state funding cuts.

Be a part of the movement—join us as we launch the Voucher Accountability Project.

When: Tuesday, June 2nd 9AM

Where: Moler Elementary School 1201 Moler Rd Columbus, OH

The Columbus Board of Education is making critical decisions about school closures, transportation cuts, and staff reductions — decisions that will deeply affect our students, families, and neighborhoods for years to come.

But our community has not been meaningfully included in these decisions. Once again, families and educators are being left out of conversations, actual two-way dialogue, that shape the future of our schools.

It’s time to demand a fair, transparent, and community-centered process for addressing the district’s budget shortfall — one that values students, not savings.

The Columbus Education Justice Coalition (CEJC) has submitted a proposed Budget Shortfall Policy to the Board of Education that ensures:
✅ Transparent analysis of all costs and savings before any school closure or program cut.
✅ Consideration of full impacts on students, families, and neighborhoods.
✅ A representative decision-making committee including parents, educators, students, and community members.
✅ Real, accessible community engagement — including language access for New American families.
✅ A plan to minimize harm from any closures or cuts, grounded in research and best practices. Now we need YOU to take action.