Vouchers were ruled unconstitutional - Now what?
From Public Education Matters by Ohio Education Association
February 26, 2026 · 39 min · Season 6 · Episode 24
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of a court ruling declaring Ohio's school voucher program unconstitutional and the ongoing legal battle.
As Ohio continues to spend more than $1 billion each year of public taxpayer money on unaccountable private school voucher schemes, more than 325 Ohio school districts are standing together in the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit to force the state to stop cutting those checks. In June 2025, a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge sided with the coalition on three counts, declaring vouchers unconstitutional in the state. But, the case now has to continue moving through the appeals process before there can be injunctive relief. Chardon Education Association member Dan Heintz is on the Vouchers Hurt Ohio steering committee, and in this episode, he walks us through the legal arguments that are being made, the next steps, and what educators across the state should be saying to their district leaders about joining the lawsuit. A LOOK AT THE TIMELINE: January, 2022 - The Vouchers Hurt Ohio coalition files the lawsuit in the Franklin County Common Pleas court challenging the constitutionality of the state's private school voucher program. Click here to read the press release, which includes a link to a copy of the complaint. June, 2025 - Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jaiza…
People in this episode
Guest: Dan Heintz
Topics covered
- education policy
- school vouchers
- legal challenges
- Ohio education
- public funding
- court rulings
Keywords
- vouchers
- unconstitutional
- Ohio
- education
- lawsuit
- Dan Heintz
- public funding
- court ruling
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ohio Education Association, Vouchers Hurt Ohio
Places: Ohio
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