Overview
- A unanimous three-judge panel of the 10th District Court of Appeals found on Thursday that the EdChoice voucher program violates the Ohio Constitution by creating a separate, taxpayer-funded school system.
- Judge Dave Leland wrote the program funnels public dollars to private schools that are not held to the same oversight as Ohio’s common schools and that it ‘draws taxpayer money away from public schools’ while allowing private schools to select students.
- Interim Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said he will appeal the ruling to the state supreme court and the appellate court allowed the programs to keep operating while the appeal proceeds.
- The case carries large fiscal stakes because Ohio spent more than $1 billion on private school vouchers in fiscal year 2025, a level plaintiffs say has strained public districts, especially in rural areas.
- The outcome now depends on the politically reshaped Ohio Supreme Court and could prompt either a final judicial ban, a change by the legislature to rework funding, or continued legal battles that will affect how state education dollars are distributed.