{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Public Education Matters","title":"Take the Dough, We Gotta Know: A conversation with the bipartisan sponsors of SB 443","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/48eccd15\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2522,"description":"Ohio is now spending more than $1 billion in public taxpayer dollars each year on private school vouchers, but how much do we really know about where that money goes and whether it delivers any real results? In this episode, State Sen. Kent Smith (D-21st District) and State Sen. Bill Blessing (R-8th District) discuss their bipartisan efforts to bring transparency and accountability to Ohio’s near-universal voucher system, while also tackling the bigger questions of school funding, property taxes, school meal access, and the future of public education.\nLEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRO-PUBLIC EDUCATION, PRO-LABOR CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT | State Sen. Kent Smith is the OEA member-recommended candidate for the 21st Ohio Senate district. OEA members can click here to check out the list of all the OEA member-recommended candidates running for state and federal office. And listen to Season 7, Episode 2, starting around 28:55, for more on what goes into these candidate recommendations.\nWATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE | Click here to see the video of Sens. Blessing and Smith's press conference on May 27, 2026, announcing the introduction of SB 443 in the Senate. Blessing and Smith were joined by Representative Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County); Alana Cropper, Treasurer of Forest Hills School District; Piet Van Lier, Deputy Director of Honesty for Ohio Education; and Karen Rego, President of the Cleveland Heights Teachers Union for this press event.\nBLESSING'S LETTER TO THE EDITOR | While discussing property tax levies in this episode, Sen. Blessing mentioned a letter to the editor he previously wrote. Click here to read his statement. \nSMITH'S 2023 PREDICTION | During our conversation for this episode, Sen. Smith referenced a Cleveland.com article about Gov. DeWine's announcement in the 2023 State of the State about expanding vouchers in Ohio to near-universal eligibility. Smith warned of the  consequences of voucher expansion for public education funding, which have since come to...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/qLU1HXpO0BWjHZ9wsRqLDb3niD3HIo0pJs38nc-jHtg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE3NTcwLzE2OTEw/ODIxNjctYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}