Gadfly Bites 3/11/26—New wave

News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.

1. As adverse financial consequences are finally, unavoidably dawning on school districts across the state (most of whom have ignored the obvious oncoming wave for years), more and more of them are reacting with the same first thought: Curtail school choice in any way they can. This includes closing borders to interdistrict open enrollment, like Cuyahoga Falls and Norton City Schools have already done… (Ideastream Public Media, 3/9/26) …and as the elected board of Ashland City Schools is currently considering. This despite the popularity of open enrollment with families and the student success stories attributable to it, as cited by elected school board members. (Richland Source, 3/10/26)
   
   

2. Districts are also cutting their Covid-era virtual academies to save money these days, which seems like a good move to be honest if the 30 staffers-to-122 students ratio for Columbus City Schools’ academy is any guide as to how inefficiently these things have been functioning elsewhere. Leaving aside any of the obvious academic considerations of course. (Axios Columbus, 3/11/26)
   
   

3. Meanwhile, Ohio is included in this roster of states where grouchers opponents are using “this one weird trick” to try and curtail vouchers, in lieu of ending them entirely. (Chalkbeat, 3/9/26) Ohio’s “curtailment trick” is, specifically, the bipartisan legislative effort currently underway to lower the income cap on EdChoice eligibility. Singing from the same nouveau hymnal is the deputy director of Honesty for Ohio Education, who complains in this op ed that the venerable Cleveland Scholarship doesn’t have an income cap of its own after more than 30 years. P.S. – Dude is also touting some thingo called “Strong Ohio Schools”. No idea what it might be, and while this is the first mention I’ve seen of it in the media, I’m sure its adherents will make whatever it is an unavoidably big deal soon enough. (Ohio Capital Journal, 3/10/26) For a more traditional voucher groucher concert experience, here’s the superintendent of Olmsted Falls City Schools playing just the hits. Hearing them again, it’s no wonder the Chalkbeat reporter in the first clip of this section suggests the new tactics “may reflect an admission by school choice opponents that these programs are here to stay.” (Cleveland.com, 3/10/26)
   
   

4. Meanwhile, back in the real world, here’s a lovely kids’ eye view—complete with tons of awesome photos—of how a small group of private school students in Cleveland spend their afterschool time every day and how they experience their city in the process. This is a beautiful piece, and if you don’t think it has anything to do with school choice…think again. It is everything. (Signal Cleveland, 3/10/26)

Did you know you can have every edition of Gadfly Bites sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.