Courtesy Cuyahoga Falls Community Schools

(7-17-26) Over the last two weeks, we tracked how Ohio’s private school voucher program grew into a universal subsidy and looked at the lack of accountability requirements for private schools receiving these tax dollars. Today, we are bringing the data straight home to see exactly how these state policies impact the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake communities.

When public education funds are redirected, it creates an immediate funding disparity right here in our neighborhood:


•The Per-Pupil Funding Gap: By Fiscal Year 2028, CFCSD is projected to receive the legal minimum state funding share of $822 per enrolled student. Meanwhile, for FY26, the state general education fund pays out maximum private school vouchers worth up to $6,166 for K-8 and $8,408 for 9-12.

•Local Demographics: Data confirms that 81% of the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake families utilizing these state private vouchers do not qualify as low-income under traditional financial support guidelines. This means the bulk of local voucher funding subsidizes middle- to upper-income brackets who have already exited the public framework.

•Hidden Transportation Costs: During the 2025-26 school year state law required CFCSD to provide or pay for private school transportation. When busing isn’t practical, the district must provide a payment in lieu of transportation. Last school year, CFCSD paid about 164 families $596 per student. Beginning in August 2026, because the district now provides high school transportation, it must also transport private school students in grades 9-12 who live within a 30-minute drive of their assigned public school.

•Special Education Services: Public school districts are also mandated to provide special education services to qualifying students who attend private schools, even though they are not enrolled in the public school.

When state funding fails to keep pace with the real-world costs of running our classrooms, public school districts are left with zero alternative state revenue streams. By law, our only option to protect baseline classroom operations is to look directly to local voters for support through a property tax levy or income tax.

For a deeper dive into this topic, please visit our Finance Friday page on our district website. 👉 https://www.cfalls.org/FinanceFridays.aspx

Note: This is the same formula used for all Stateline area school districts