NEW Podcast: Meet the Paul Revere of Ohio's Voucher Crisis

In Ohio and across the nation, no one has been warning about the risks to public education for longer than William Phillis—who once served as the assistant superintendent of public instruction for the state of Ohio.

But more than just warning about it, Bill has worked hard to do something about it.

Decades ago, he was the leader in making the case—in court—that Ohio’s overall system of funding public schools violated Ohio’s Constitution. And he won that case at the Ohio Supreme Court.

Ever since, he’s also been sounding the alarm about the dangers posed by universal private school vouchers. A coalition Bill leads is now taking action on that front as well, with a case set for trial later this year.

Over the past year, as the toll of Ohio’s universal voucher experiment has become far more clear, I’ve learned so much from Bill and his coalition about the scale of the crisis, and the truly twisted ways it’s playing out in school districts and communities across Ohio.

If you have the time to WATCH/LISTEN to our entire conversation above—and I mean, listen carefully—I guarantee you will have a far better appreciation of why Bill and I are so alarmed about the explosion of universal vouchers that’s taking place across the country, including:

• how the original sales pitch/narrative for vouchers has disappeared as all restrictions have been eliminated

• how vouchers are now costing upwards of $1 billion in Ohio and other states

• how this explosion in spending threatens states’ support for public education

• how taxpayers are spending far more for private school students in many districts than they are for public students

• how new voucher programs are disproportionately supporting families who are already attending private schools—and can afford to do so

• how this entire scheme leaves rural and urban communities paying to subsidize the private school education of well-off suburbs

Unfortunately—painfully—Bill’s alarm way back then turns out to have been wholly justified. Not enough people listened back then.

We MUST listen now. And Act.

Please WATCH, then share widely.

Picking up on our discussion, here are more details on the crisis:

1. To see how universal vouchers are breaking down across the state—largely supporting families who were already attending private schools, go here:

2. To see the details on the lawsuit Bill and I discuss, go here;

3. We need every public school district in Ohio to sign on to help this case:

   Take a look at the list of schools who are already supportive of this landmark litigation (it’s an impressive list); if the school district where you live is not on that list, please advocate that your district sign on as well. Call, email, talk to folks you know on the school board, etc. Attend meetings. The coalition that has brought the suit has even provided a Model Resolution that can be presented at school boards and voted on to support this critical effort. You can learn more about how to advocate for your school board here.

4. But all this work goes beyond even a lawsuit. This also has to be about politics. Our broader goal must be that parents and taxpayers and constituents across Ohio (most of whom still believe in a strong system of public education) all wake up to the mortal threat that this voucher explosion has become—and there’s no better way to begin that crucial political awakening than having a public conversation in each school district as to why it’s so important that school boards express and provide support for this work. So think of the suit as an organizing tool to bring the attention and energy this fight needs (yet does not currently have).

   Also, be sure your Democratic state legislative candidates (in Ohio and elsewhere) make this issue a central part of their campaigns. EXAMPLE: I recently attended a kickoff for Rose Lounsbury, running for the Ohio statehouse from the Dayton area. Look what she says about the universal voucher disaster in only a few minutes. Every candidate should be making this a core a part of their campaign, as Rose does. Her short summary is a masterclass on how to expose the problem.

Check out how she does it, in just a few short minutes, HERE.

This is a crisis, folks. We need to treat it as such.

MORE to come.