Gadfly Bites 8/3/26—It ain’t fair

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1. School-choice-based student transportation shenanigans are starting early this year! The elected board of Lakota Local School District voted last week to declare a number of bus routes—all carrying resident students to/from the private schools they choose to attend—impractical, cancelling their busing services less than two weeks from the start of the new school year. There are no specific numbers of routes or students given here, but elected board members cited the small number of riders on each route and, thus, the high per-student cost of the routes as their justification. Supe publicly told disgruntled parents that “if there is a way to make K-12 transportation, that is what we will do.” But I somehow don’t think she really meant that. Or, if she did, she wasn’t talking about school choice families. (Fox 19 News, Cincinnati, 7/31/26)
   
   

2. Spare a moment of compassion for Gov. Mike DeWine. Dude LOVES the Ohio State Fair and last week was presiding over the bittersweet opening of his last fair as governor when reporters decided to ask him not about butter cows or deviled eggs or his beloved new Ohio-themed carousel, but about the final ESSA plan amendment the state recently sent to the federal government. Honestly, I don’t know why they bothered because this coverage only cares about what the amendment-haters have to say, despite evidence that the final version included changes wrought based on comments received. All of DeWine’s answers to the press are belittled as “claims”, while all of the various rebuttals sought by Cleveland.com sit here unquestioned. Glad it’s done. Hope it gets approved. Sorry the haters have to continue stewing in their venom. Glad that the Honorable Mike DeWine got to share a cream puff with the First Lady. And hope that he can enjoy the 171st Ohio State Fair many more times before it comes to a close while the press gaggle is usefully engaged by some other deep-fried ridiculousness on a stick further down the midway. (Cleveland.com, 8/3/26)

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