PUBLIC EDUCATION & DEMOCRACY
Our country was founded on the belief that self-governance requires an educated electorate.
Our founders believed that a system of public schools funded and operated by the state makes it possible to guarantee equal access to education, something a private system could not achieve. Education is so important that public education is the only state function that the Ohio Constitution requires the state legislature to fund.
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This makes education a paramount function of state government.
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A basic principle of the League of Women Voters is that every person deserves access to a high-quality public education. It is as fundamental to citizenship as is the right to vote. Public education is not a consumer item, but a resource for the common good that serves a civic purpose– effective self-governance. The beneficiaries of public education are not just the students, but the communities where they live, the work places that employ them, and a functioning society.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS PRINCIPLE
The League of Women Voters Position on Privatization calls for ensuring transparency, accountability, positive community impact, and preservation of the common good when considering the transfer of government services, assets, and/or functions to the private sector.
Public education and democracy go hand in hand in another way, too. In a democracy all students deserve to be treated with dignity, valued for who they are, and have their history honored and voices heard. This must be central to the content of a public education and the daily life of the classroom.
Education policy has become politicized. Some have promoted a narrative of public school failure to justify greater accountability for public schools and the diversion of public funds to pay for options previously funded by individuals. A well-funded public system must now compete for resources with private, religious, and quasi-public schools. This long-term assault has put public education itself at risk.
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We advocate for fair and full funding of Ohio's public schools because a strong democracy depends on educated citizens. Learn more about how public education works in the resources below, and follow our action alerts here
to join us in standing up for Ohio's students.