To The Editor: Voucher Policies Have Undercut GOP Values
I have been a lifelong Republican and a consistent voter in every election and primary. I have twice run for public office and have spent more than 41 years serving families and children as a public school educator. Throughout that time, I supported many Republican candidates.
It is with genuine sadness that I now publicly state that I can no longer consider myself a Republican, nor can I support Republican candidates in the state of Ohio.
Most Ohioans are unaware that many public officials — including school board members, superintendents, and treasurers — are required to file annual financial disclosure statements with the Ohio Ethics Commission to ensure there are no conflicts of interest involving taxpayer dollars.
Recently, the Ohio Ethics Commission considered recommending an extension of this requirement to board members of public charter schools. That proposal was abandoned after objections from legislative leadership, including Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman, Republicans representing northwest Ohio. Transparency and accountability in the use of public funds were once core conservative principles. Apparently, that is no longer the case.
Speaker Huffman, when he was president of the Senate, also inserted Ohio’s universal voucher expansion into the state budget at the last moment, avoiding meaningful public debate. The cost of the program is now costing Ohio taxpayers a sum approaching $1 billion annually.