Voucher
Accountability
Project
Vouchers aren’t free; they’re fraud.
Art Contest for Students!
Honesty is launching the Voucher Accountability Project in early 2026. Right now, Ohio’s universal voucher program is robbing public funds from our public schools, which serve 1.6 million students across the state. Who’s leading the charge? Lawmakers and their billionaire donors. We’ve seen how universal vouchers have devastated public ed in other states. It can happen here too, and that’s where the Voucher Accountability Project comes into play.
Students are the heart of our public schools! Help us build the brand.
There are three submission categories:
Logo
Sticker Pack
Carousel Graphics
The winner of each category will be awarded $500. And the winning designs will be chosen by the public via online voting during the 1st week of February! More details about the competition categories and project can be found below.
The deadline to submit your artwork is January 30th at midnight! All designs must utilize the brand guide.
Voucher Accountability Project (VAP) Purpose and Overview
The EdChoice Voucher program and its expansion have devastated public school funding by diverting public dollars from public schools to unaccountable private institutions. Over the past several decades, politicians and their billionaire donors have created a narrative that our public schools are failing and that vouchers offer middle- and lower-income families an opportunity to send their children to private schools. However, we know this is false. Our public schools are not failing; rather, they generally outperform nearby voucher-accepting private schools. Additionally, vouchers are rarely used by middle- and lower-income families; instead, they subsidize tuition for wealthy families who were already sending their children to private schools.
As the Ohio legislature continues to prioritize public funding for private schools, Ohioans must understand how vouchers directly harm their local communities and the 90% of Ohio students who attend public schools. The Voucher Accountability Project will educate Ohioans about the voucher scam and equip engaged individuals with resources and tools to keep public funds public.
The Voucher Accountability Project, VAP, will exist as standalone social media pages on Meta platforms, TikTok, and as a microsite.
More information on vouchers and our advocacy work can be found here: www.honestyforohioeducation.org/voucher-toolkit
Project Goals:
Alert Ohioans to the implicit unfairness of holding private schools to a lower standard of accountability for public dollars than public schools.
Highlight how this double standard harms all schools—rural, urban, and suburban—in various ways.
Facilitate Ohioans’ meaningful engagement against this threat to Ohio’s most valuable resource—our communities.
Connect concerned Ohioans to Honesty Teams and people who share their values of fairness and fiscal accountability.
Keep the evidence of the harm that vouchers do a central point in school board and state elections.
Contest Categories
Have questions? email us: mbliss@honestyforohioeducation.org
-
Create a Logo for the Voucher Accountability Project. This logo should use the color scheme below (does not need to include all colors) and the brand font(s) and should include the name of the project. The abbreviation we are using is VAP which can be included in the logo as well but is not required.
-
Create a set of 3-5 images that can be used on social media graphics, presentations, and website pages. These should be eye-catching images that encompass the mission and vision of the project. Please utilize the brand colors and fonts below.
Examples:
Man taking money out of child’s backpack
“Keep public funding in public schools” protest sign
Robber running away from a school with a bag of money
-
Create a carousel of 4-6 graphics that provide an overview of the project. These graphics should be sized at 1080 x 1350px. Please use the branding below (colors and fonts). These graphics should tell the story of the Voucher Accountability Project: what it is, why it exists, and ways people can stay informed and get involved.
Please use the messaging below in each image. You have the option to add 1-2 more graphics with additional messaging you believe is important or could speak volumes to young people or audiences you commonly engage with. Below are some resources you can utilize for this. This is not a requirement for the submission.
Messaging for graphics:
Image 1 messaging:
“Private School Vouchers are robbing funds from our public schools and diverting them to private, often religious, schools.”
“Almost 90% of students in Ohio attend public schools. Who are these vouchers benefiting?”
Image 2 messaging:
“The wealthiest Ohioans that can afford private education and are already sending their kids to private schools.”
“Yes, you read that right. Vouchers are financial assistance for the rich, leaving the majority of Ohio students and families with less funding and resources.”
Image 3 messaging:
“Let’s get the facts straight.”
Option 1: “There are 10 counties with zero private schools: Carroll, Champaign, Hardin, Harrison, Holmes, Meigs, Morgan, Noble, Preble, Vinton.”
Option 2: “During the 2024-25 school year, only 11.6% of students utilizing vouchers qualify as low income.“
Option 3: “Let’s look at Cincinnati. Last year, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) saw a 7% increase in economically disadvantaged students, but voucher use actually dropped by 2%. Despite that, our state lawmakers robbed $50 million in funding from CPS and instead gave Hamilton County $70 million for private schools.”
Final Image Messaging:
“Vouchers aren’t free; they’re fraud.”
Resources for Optional Additional Messaging:
Branding Guide
Colors
#ffbe2c
#be0f34
#000000
Fonts
Bernoru (primary)
Open Sans (secondary)
These fonts are available on Canva. Please contact us if you run into issues utilizing these fonts: mbliss@honestyforohioeducation.org.