Fulfill Ohio’s Promise with Fair, Fully-Funded, and Honest Public Education
Ohio’s public schools and training centers inspire students’ dreams and unlock the potential of Ohioans across race, gender, and zip codes – from the littlest learners to career center students working on their vocational skills. Ohio’s educators are mentors, caregivers, coaches and confidants.
They deserve to be treated fairly and paid well.
All students must have the freedom to learn through a world-class education grounded in truth, facts and diverse perspectives. And every Ohioan should be able to go as far as their dreams and abilities can take them.
In recent years, some Ohio politicians have passed harmful education policies to enrich large corporations like defunct online charter school ECOT and for-profit colleges like DeVry University. They’ve robbed our kids of safe buildings and the up-to-date resources they need to achieve their dreams, and they’ve refused to pay teachers the value of their work.
And now, many of the same politicians who drained resources from our K-12 schools and colleges are trying to pit us against each other based on what we look like, where we’re from, or our genders.
They’ve put higher education out of reach for many working Ohioans, and then rigged the rules to benefit financial corporations and punish students for pursuing a better life.
From pre-k to Ph.D. programs, Ohio’s public education system can help us fulfill our individual aspirations and build a better tomorrow for all of us, no exceptions.
Solutions/Policies
Make wealthy corporations and the rich pay what they truly owe in taxes and fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan, so all children attend schools with modern technology, state of the art materials, and well compensated staff — including school nurses, guidance counselors, social workers, art, music and gym teachers in every school.
Use federal funds to keep staff and students safe, and address the staff shortage by compensating teachers and school staff fairly for the important jobs they do.
Protect teachers' ability to teach the truth and students’ freedom to learn by rejecting extremist attempts to whitewash our history, and to create fear and division between students, parents and educators.
Protect every public school educator and employee’s right to speak up together through collective bargaining.
Fund a public preschool option so all three- and four-year olds in the state can get a head start on reading and learning.
Protect public money for education by making charter schools and private institutions that receive vouchers accountable for outcomes, attendance, and equity.
Help Ohioans get advanced degrees by increasing state funding for higher education and expanding Ohio’s need-based aid program so it reaches the students who need it most.
Prohibit colleges and universities from using transcripts to leverage payment and get the state Attorney General's Office out of the business of collecting students’ debt, allowing schools to manage it on their own.
Fund school counselors, school social workers, and school nurses for behavioral supports and discipline alternatives that will stem school violence and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in Ohio.
By fully and fairly funding our schools, and making sure students of all races, genders, and backgrounds have the freedom to learn, we can make a better future for all of us.