For decades, Ohio lawmakers have been systematically underfunding public schools – depriving more than 80% of children of the quality education they all deserve. Moreover, the nature of our school funding system, which relies heavily on local property taxes, disadvantages communities that are already under-resourced like Ohio’s predominantly Black and brown big cities and rural communities. 

The state Supreme Court ruled four times that Ohio’s school funding system is unconstitutional. State lawmakers addressed this problem by implementing the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan – which allocated state funding based on the actual cost of educating a student in every district. The plan factored in needs such as students living in poverty, English language learners, and the number of children with disabilities. Yet in the 2026-27 state budget, lawmakers abandoned the plan – and shortchanged public schools by $2.75 billion. Meanwhile, they gave more than $1 billion a year to unaccountable private schools, slashed income taxes for the wealthiest Ohioans, and spent $600 million for billionaires to build a new football stadium. Ohio lawmakers allocate a lower share of the base cost of funding for public schools today than they did when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled their system unconstitutional. 

Meanwhile, politicians are advancing proposals that would further damage public schools by slashing property taxes and accelerating the voucher program. The Trump administration’s expansion of vouchers and dismantling of key parts of the Department of Education gives even more bandwidth to state lawmakers to defund public schools. 

Below are narratives based on values described during a listening session with public education organizers including Honesty for Ohio Education, Parents United for Public Schools, Ohio Equal Rights, Columbus Education Justice Coalition, and Red Wine & Blue Civics. Narratives are structured using the Values, Villain, Vision formula of the Race Class Narrative.

Value: Whether we live in Cleveland or Cambridge, public schools are anchors of our communities. They are where lasting friendships are made, traditions are kept alive, and young minds are inspired. 

Villain: But for certain politicians and their billionaire backers, our schools are just another way to cash in. Lawmakers slash funding for public education so their wealthy donors can get even richer from tax cuts and tax breaks. They push privatization schemes and have public schools taken over by for-profit charter school companies they invest in or own. They take money out of our schools so well-to-do Ohioans get a break on private school tuition. They force cash-strapped residents in under-resourced communities to make up the difference by raising local taxes. 

Vision: Let’s come together and call on our lawmakers to fully fund our public schools, so every Ohio community – from our big cities to our small towns – has public schools that every resident can be proud of. 

Value: Many public schools today do much more than educate our kids. They help families get enough to eat, provide health care, and some even offer homeless families a safe place to rest. 

Villain: But today, certain politicians demand more than ever from our public schools. They punish schools that serve Black and brown students and students with low incomes so they can give handouts to their wealthy friends and donors. 

Vision: We have the resources for every Ohio child – no matter what they look like or where they come from – to attend a school that is fully resourced to help them reach their full potential. Let’s come together and demand that our elected leaders fully fund public education. 

Value: Whether we come from big cities or small towns, most of us can point to a teacher who made us special, who inspired us to try a little harder, study a little longer and dream a little bigger. 

Villain: Certain politicians try to turn us against schools and teachers because they know they’re the ones to blame for starving our schools of the resources needed to provide every child a quality education – regardless of what they look like or how much money their families have. 

Vision: Ohio can have a great public school in every community where educators are paid enough to live on and have the tools to help each child go as far as their dreams take them. Let’s come together and demand lawmakers fully and fairly fund our schools. 

Value: Whatever a child’s race, religion, gender or ability, most of us believe there should be a place for them in public school. 

Villain: But certain politicians are taking money from our schools to give kickbacks to their wealthy backers. They’re stripping our schools of funding that ensures English learners, students with disabilities and students from under-resourced communities get the support they need.

Vision Let’s call on our leaders to fully and fairly fund our public schools – so every student can have what they need to learn and thrive– no exceptions. 

Vision: We rely on our public schools not only to prepare our children to succeed – but to lay the foundation of strong communities. 

Villain: But certain Ohio politicians see public schools as just another way for their wealthy backers to cash in. They slash funding for public education to hand out tax cuts and tax breaks to their wealthy donors – forcing local communities to cover the cost. 

Vision: When our schools are well-resourced, our home values stay strong and our neighborhoods thrive. Every Ohio community can have strong schools when our lawmakers fully and fairly fund public education. 

• Schools are the hubs of our communities. When our schools are well-resourced and strong, the entire community thrives. 

• Whatever a child’s race, religion, gender or ability, they should be able to get a great education at their local public school. 

• Our schools bind us together – through cheering on our teams, forging friendships and learning what it means to be part of a community.

• In Ohio, more than 80% of children are educated in public schools – but certain lawmakers/politicians would rather use our public dollars to help mostly well-off families send their children to unaccountable private schools that get to pick and choose the students they serve.  

• Certain politicians try to turn us against schools and teachers because they know they’re the ones to blame for starving our schools of the resources needed to provide every child a quality education – so they can give kickbacks to their rich friends. 

• Today certain politicians demand more than ever from our public schools. They punish districts that serve predominantly Black and brown students, and students with low incomes – starving them of funding while handing out our public dollars to the wealthiest Ohioans. 

• When politicians choose to give kickbacks to their wealthy donors, instead of fully and fairly funding our schools, they’re forcing cash-strapped residents in under-resourced communities to make up the difference by raising local taxes. 

• Ohio has the resources for every child to attend a school that is fully equipped to help them reach their full potential – no matter what they look like, their ability, or where they come from. Let’s come together and demand that our elected leaders fully fund public education.

Education Content

• Safe and Equitable Schools — We Make The Future

• We Make the Future: Freedom to Learn

• We Make the Future: Fund Our Future

• Communications Toolkit: Protect Our Schools | NEA

• Frameworks Institute: Envisioning Equity

• Communications Toolkit: Vouchers | NEA

• The Trump Actions Sparking the Most Backlash: One Big Beautiful Bill and Cuts to Social Security and Education – Data for Progress

• Voters Agree K-12 Education Is Off Track, Oppose Eliminating the Department of Education – Data for Progress