Cincinnati Public School Board of Education member Eve Bolton says the district could lose a quarter of its operating budget if a proposal making its way through the Ohio Statehouse passes.
H.B. 671, introduced by Representative Jamie Callender last week, threatens to put state funding for public schools in escrow if those districts are a part of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Ohio's universal private school voucher program. Each district would have its state funding released only if it withdrew from the case or if the lawsuit was dropped.
Franklin County Judge Jaiza Page ruled Ohio's voucher program was unconstitutional in June 2025. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost appealed, and the case is now before Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals.
Data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce shows the state spent more than $1 billion in the last fiscal year on its five school choice voucher programs. Close to half of that $1 billion was spent on Ohio's EdChoice Expansion program alone, which has no income requirements.
At the same time, many Ohio districts, including CPS, have shrunk their operating budgets, claiming they're not getting adequate financial support from the state.
CPS received around $156 million in state funding this year and would risk losing that amount if the legislation passes.
Around 330 Ohio public school districts, more than half in the state, have signed onto the lawsuit. Addressing fellow board members Monday night, Bolton said the bill would have devastating consequences statewide.
"We kind of hope there's strength in numbers," she said. "The reality is, this would be a financial disaster for many, many districts."
State Senator Jerry Cirino backed Callender's bill, saying it will keep public school districts from spending tax dollars on lawsuits against the state.
"The priority of our schools should be that every student is educated to meet the standards of our state, not the pursuit of ideology," Cirino said. "Representative Callender's bill ensures that schools cannot use state money intended to meet student needs to sue the very state that supports them. I'm proud to support this legislation and look forward to seeing it in the Senate."
Bolton says Callender's bill shows how bitter the school funding fight between public educators and lawmakers has become in recent years.
"This is one more example of the attitude and perspective that Columbus has," Bolton told the Board. "We've joined that lawsuit to protect our own taxpayers' dollars."
The coalition, Vouchers Hurt Ohio, requires each district to pay dues every year to be a part of the lawsuit. The coalition's website says each district pays $2 per pupil annually to help with legal costs.
CPS has been a dues-paying member of the coalition since 2022. With 34,390 students are enrolled in the district, CPS spent close to $69,000 last school year on the suit.
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