Gadfly Bites 10/24/25—The long haul

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1. Is EdChoice here to stay or is it not? I mean, there’s that whole voucher groucher lawsuit thing (hah!), whose plaintiffs were recently joined by super-bougie and super-high-performing Oakwood City Schools, whose bottom line cannot possibly be impacted by vouchers… (Dayton Daily News, 10/22/25) …as well as the suggestion that a proposed new school funding plan would ultimately make vouchers unnecessary. (NBC 4 News, Columbus, 10/24/25) Meanwhile, over in Akron City Schools, the incumbent school board president is once again being besieged by haters for her pro-voucher stance as she runs for re-election. “Families are not obligated to stay in underperforming systems,” Carla Jackson writes in a new ABJ op-ed. “The public school system should aim to attract and retain students by meeting their needs — just like any other service. Telling families to stay, no matter how poorly they feel served, is not equity. It’s entitlement.” (Akron Beacon Journal, 10/23/25) Despite all the slings and arrows, the state has just contracted with a new outside vendor—ClassWallet—to handle financial transactions for EdChoice and the other voucher programs. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce folks say it will speed up processing, protect against fraud, and cost less than the old in-house system. Sounds like a good investment for the long haul if you ask me. (NBC4 News, Columbus, 10/22/25)
   
   

2. Speaking of the long haul, the Ohio Senate this week passed a bill that would require schools to teach kids about the “success sequence”. That is: Graduate from high school, get a job, get married, have kids—in that order—as a research-proven way to avoid poverty. “We have been throwing money at the war on poverty, and where has it gotten us?” said co-sponsor Sen. Jerry Cirino. “What we need are better life goals. We need better life decisions to be made.” The bill now moves on to the House of Representatives. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 10/22/25)
   
   

3. Staying on topic, Licking Heights Local Schools is celebrating its first graduate to be accepted as a part of Ohio’s Grow Your Own Teacher Program. Jillian Armentrout is a new freshman in college but will soon be back at her alma mater as a substitute while working toward becoming a certified math teacher in a few years. Nice! (Newark Advocate, 10/23/25)

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