Gadfly Bites 10/16/26—Status quo vs. bragging rights

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1. The 10th District Court of Appeals in Franklin County yesterday upheld a lower court ruling that Ohio’s private school vouchers are unconstitutional, citing their funding process and private schools’ ability to grant enrollment to voucher students or not. However, the court allowed the lower court’s stay of the decision to remain in place (and the voucher programs to continue), assuming that an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court was inevitable. Inevitable it may be, but there doesn’t seem to be any urgency as this coverage concludes the high court is “likely to take up the case in its next term or two.” (News 5 Cleveland, 10/15/26)
   
   

2. Staying on the topic of helping families to afford school options (Were we? Kinda felt like we were talking about the opposite of that.), here’s a look at how the federal government’s impending Education Freedom Tax Credit compares to Ohio’s own five-year-old tax credit scholarship program. The implication is that our program “led the way” for the national one, but that assessment feels like a stretch to me. YMMV, of course. (Columbus Dispatch, 10/15/26)
   
   

3. My first ever Gadfly Bites clip from Stars and Stripes was back in February, when then-current State Superintendent Paul Craft was announced as the next U.S. War/Defense Department’s education chief. I assume that this will be my last ever clip from Stars and Stripes, announcing Col. Craft (ret)’s departure from the role, effective October 31. (Stars and Stripes, 10/15/26)
   
   

4. Sounds like the improbable Princeton City Schools bus driver strike is over as of yesterday, although service won’t resume until Tuesday due to the district’s previously-scheduled fall break. Here’s hoping that short-sighted district leaders and their hapless contractor have all woken up to the fact that whatever sweetheart deal they worked out back in the day that allowed this ridiculous situation to happen now needs to be blown up as soon as possible. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 10/14/26)

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