PUBLIC EDUCATION

As a former public school teacher, Rose Lounsbury intimately understands the challenges of our public school system.

From chronically underfunded schools to an alarming shortage of qualified teachers, Ohio’s public schools face big challenges. The unfortunate reality is that these challenges are avoidable and could be solved if legislators cared enough to do something. 

Rose will bring her experience and compassion as a teacher to the statehouse. She will fight to revise Ohio’s long-standing unconstitutional school funding model by reducing the state’s overreliance on the property tax-based funding system and reinstating the Fair School Funding Plan, which her opponent voted to dismantle. By fixing the way we fund schools, we will see better public schools and fewer tax levies. Our students deserve better and our communities cannot afford to continue the cycle of property tax levies.

Rose will also push back against the universal EdChoice school voucher system—which her opponent supports—that gives over $1 Billion each year in taxpayer-funded tuition discounts to families who are already sending their kids to private school. Private schools operate outside the accountability, oversight, and curriculum standards of Ohio’s public schools. We should not be financing unaccountable, often religious, private education with our public dollars. Our tax dollars should support schools that serve all students.   

Rose will support Ohio’s teachers for the experts and professionals they are. Too many teachers feel attacked and demoralized. Our teachers are tasked with the enormous responsibility of educating our future leaders and they deserve to be respected and adequately paid while they do so. 

Children are our greatest investment in the future. If we care about our future, we need to put our money where our kids are and fairly fund public education.