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Acton vows to reform Ohio's $1.4 billion voucher system — but the GOP legislature holds the pen

Columbus, Ohio • November 5, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: an empty Ohio public school classroom in the morning light, rows of wooden desks with open notebooks, an American flag and an Ohio flag by the windows

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Governor-elect Amy Acton takes office in January promising to take on Ohio's private school voucher system — a program that now costs taxpayers more than $1.4 billion a year — and to fully fund the state's public schools. But the new governor will have to push that agenda through a Republican-controlled General Assembly, and the first moves may come before she is even sworn in.

Acton, the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the first Democrat to win the office in 20 years, made school funding a centerpiece of her campaign. Her campaign says the voucher system "funnels billions of Ohio taxpayer dollars to private schools and wealthy Ohioans with no accountability," and that "public money should be for public schools," The Columbus Dispatch reported. "As governor, Dr. Acton will tackle the corrupt school voucher system, push for needed transparency and fully fund Ohio's public schools so every Ohio student has access to a high-quality, public school education," her campaign said.

She also backs the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, first approved in 2021, which current Republican lawmakers have said is too expensive. The stakes are high for districts: about a fifth of Ohio's public schools face financial uncertainty, even as voucher spending has climbed past $1.4 billion, the Dispatch reported.

The program at the center of the fight is EdChoice. Lawmakers expanded eligibility in 2023 to families earning up to 450% of the federal poverty line, making vouchers near-universal: about 180,000 students now use them, with scholarships of $6,166 for grades K-8 and $8,408 for high school, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. Ohio spent more than $1 billion on private school vouchers in fiscal year 2025, the second full year of the expansion, with nearly half of that money — $492.8 million — going to the EdChoice expansion.

EdChoice is also facing a court fight. On October 15, Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the program, as currently set up and funded, violates the Ohio Constitution's requirement of a "thorough and efficient system of common schools." The court put its own ruling on hold while the state appeals to the Ohio Supreme Court, so nothing changes for families for now. The case was brought by the Columbus City School District and other public school districts.

Public education advocates welcomed Acton's win. Columbus City Schools board President Antoinette Miranda told the Dispatch she is "optimistic" with Acton as governor, while acknowledging an "uphill battle" against the Republican legislature. "She has said she values public education and went through public education herself," Miranda said. "Hopefully we can get better funding and there will be more attention paid to public education by the state." Parents United for Public Schools said the election "was about the future of our public schools and the millions of Ohioans who depend on them," and Ohio Education Association Vice President Dan Greenberg said the teachers' union is hopeful "we're moving in the right direction regarding public education in Ohio."

Not everyone expects a rollback. Mike Petrilli, president of the conservative-leaning, pro-charter Fordham Institute, told the Dispatch he thinks Acton and the Republican legislature can reach compromises that increase funding for public education while keeping the current school choice system. "I would be surprised, at the end of the (budget) process next summer, when we're looking at whatever gets passed by this Republican General Assembly and signed into law, if we see any backward movement on school choice," Petrilli said. He added that Acton's "decisive" win means Republicans cannot ignore her veto powers: "School funding is a priority for (Acton) and I do think Republicans in the legislature are going to have to give the governor something on her priorities."

That veto power is newly real. Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the Ohio House on Election Day, winning eight seats previously held by Republicans and dropping the GOP below the 60-seat threshold it has held since 2013 — so Acton's vetoes can no longer be overridden without Democratic votes. Republicans still hold the House majority, and they kept their veto-proof majority in the Senate.

The fight may start before Acton takes office. In the lame-duck session, the current Republican supermajority could still pass education legislation with outgoing Gov. Mike DeWine. State Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Delaware County Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, told the Dispatch on Nov. 4 that "based on what happened last night, we're going to have to sit down and figure out what to do." Among the pending bills is Senate Bill 311, which would force under-enrolled public school buildings to close, sell or convert to charter schools. The Ohio Education Association said it will "remain vigilant" and that a lame-duck education push is "absolutely on our radar."

Sources: The Columbus Dispatch, "What does Amy Acton mean for Ohio's education, school vouchers?" (Nov. 5, 2026, full text verified); Ohio Capital Journal, "Ohio governor's race: Where the candidates stand on education issues" (Sept. 11, 2026); The StatePage (Ohio) / Fostoria Free Press, appeals court ruling on EdChoice (Oct. 15, 2026). Event date verified: Dispatch analysis published November 5, 2026, following the November 3, 2026 election; EdChoice ruling October 15, 2026; election results unofficial until certified.