Private school

South Carolina schools Superintendent Ellen Weaver is running for reelection, facing Democrat Sylvia Wright in a race that is competitive in fundraising but has favored Republicans since 2011. Weaver touts gains in reading and math, a push for school safety, and expanded career pathways, while defending the state's three-year-old voucher program that provides over $7,600 per student for private school or homeschool expenses. Critics, including Wright, say the program lacks accountability and mostly benefits families who could already afford private schooling; a recent cyberattack froze vendor payments. Weaver's tenure has also drawn controversy over book bans, cutting AP African American Studies, and aligning with conservative groups like PragerU amid broader public-school enrollment decline.

Michigan's next governor will confront a steep decline in reading proficiency, with just 38.2% of third graders meeting English language arts standards in 2026, down from roughly half in 2015. Republican John James and Democrat Jocelyn Benson both cite Mississippi's reading gains as a model and support evidence-based, phonics-focused instruction, but diverge on execution. James says existing education funding is sufficient if administrative waste is cut and redirected to classrooms; he also backs school choice and a constitutional amendment making the state superintendent report to the governor, plus an A-F school grading system. Benson wants a weighted school funding model, a $60,000 minimum teacher salary, expanded early childhood education, and targeted support for struggling schools rather than a focus on blame.
James and Benson both back science-based reading fixes for Michigan's literacy crisis but split sharply on funding and accountability.

An Ohio appeals court has ruled that the state's EdChoice and EdChoice Expansion voucher programs, which direct more than $1 billion in taxpayer money to private schools, violate the Ohio Constitution's requirement for a "thorough and efficient" system of common schools. The unanimous three-judge panel found private schools face less oversight, can selectively admit students, and divert funding from public schools, which have limited options in rural areas. The ruling is stayed pending appeal, and outgoing Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says he will take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing the program supports family choice rather than harming public schools.

The decision was welcomed by Policy Matters Ohio, teachers' unions, and a coalition of roughly 300 school districts that sued over the programs, who say lawmakers should return to a bipartisan school funding formula left unfunded for two years. The case now heads to Ohio's Supreme Court, where the outcome could have major political implications given mounting public frustration over vouchers, property taxes, and rising electricity costs ahead of the state's upcoming elections.

Republican John Bratz and Democrat Craig Goforth are running for Madison County, North Carolina's school board chair ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with early voting beginning Oct. 15. Both candidates, in interviews with The News-Record, cited student safety, teacher support and funding as top priorities, along with facility maintenance and responsible financial planning.

Bratz, a current District 2 board member with a maintenance and engineering background, emphasized bus safety, competitive teacher compensation and preventative facility upkeep. Goforth, who has 18 years of prior school board experience and helped bring programs like ROTC and school resource officers to the county, focused on securing additional funding streams, managing growth from nearby Weaverville, and addressing food insecurity among students. Both candidates said transparency between the school board and community is essential, echoing the new superintendent's stated goal of improving communication with parents. The race also touches on statewide debates over private school voucher expansion and public school funding pressures affecting North Carolina districts.

Ahead of North Carolina's Nov. 3 general election, Madison County Board of Education chair candidates Republican John Bratz and Democrat Craig Goforth outlined contrasting views on private school voucher expansion and public school funding, two of the most prominent issues in statewide races this cycle. Bratz said he supports parental school choice but argued any school receiving public funds should face accountability standards comparable to public schools, warning that voucher expansion must not drain resources from rural districts like Madison County. Goforth was more critical, saying vouchers divert tax dollars from public schools that must serve all students while private schools operate with fewer obligations.

Both candidates backed continued school nutrition support, with Bratz favoring universal free meals for all students, citing stigma and funding gaps under the prior system. Statewide, school nutrition programs reportedly face significant debt. Bratz's priorities for a first term include facility maintenance, student safety, CTE and STEM programs, and balancing technology with traditional instruction. Goforth emphasized fairness across the district and raising the graduation rate through CTE and extracurricular investment. Early voting began Oct. 15.

A three-judge panel of Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals in Franklin County has unanimously ruled that the state's EdChoice voucher program is unconstitutional. The decision sides with a coalition of more than 300 public school districts that sued, arguing EdChoice improperly uses taxpayer funds to support private school tuition while creating a parallel education system not subject to the oversight required of public schools.

Judge Dave Leland, writing for the panel, said EdChoice "secures with taxpayer funds a competing system of uncommon schools" and draws money and students away from public districts, causing financial strain. The program remains in effect for now, as the court anticipates the state will appeal the ruling. The case could ultimately reach the Ohio Supreme Court, with implications for school choice funding debates and similar voucher programs being watched nationally.

Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus unanimously ruled Thursday that the state's two largest private-school voucher programs, EdChoice and EdChoice-Expansion, violate the Ohio Constitution. The three-judge panel upheld a June 2025 lower court decision finding the programs conflict with the constitutional requirement that the General Assembly maintain "a thorough and efficient system of common schools" statewide.

A coalition of roughly 300 Ohio school districts had sued, arguing the voucher programs, which account for most of the state's $1 billion annual voucher budget, divert resources from public schools while funding private schools subject to far less state oversight. The court found those private schools cherry-pick students and are geographically concentrated in urban areas.

The panel stayed its own ruling, so vouchers remain in effect as the state is expected to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, where Republican-appointed justices hold a six-to-one majority. The outcome could reshape school funding debates and voucher policy nationally ahead of the 2026 elections.