Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper is warning that two Ohio House bills could reshape the operating reality for public school districts and educators statewide. In an interview on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Cropper said House Bill 671 would allow the state to withhold state funding from school districts that challenge state laws in court, a provision she says is aimed at more than 300 districts involved in litigation tied to EdChoice vouchers.
She also raised concerns about House Bill 693, which she said could expose educators to punishment over classroom language and further narrow professional autonomy. With the Ohio Federation of Teachers’ 2026 Convention approaching, Cropper framed the moment as a high-stakes test for public education funding, educator respect and the future of union advocacy.
Public school funding and educator autonomy are back at the center of Ohio’s education debate as the Ohio Federation of Teachers raises concerns about a new wave of state legislation.
On the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper described House Bill 671 as a direct threat to school districts that use the courts to challenge state policy. She also criticized House Bill 693 as another step toward restricting classroom practice and narrowing educators’ professional judgment.
Cropper’s message was not framed as a partisan exchange. Instead, she presented the bills as a structural question: whether public institutions can challenge state action without facing financial retaliation and whether educators can meet student needs without fear of discipline for routine classroom interactions.
Cropper said House Bill 671 would allow the state to withhold state funding from school districts that challenge state legislation.
In practical terms, she explained, the bill would not affect local property tax revenue or federal funds, but it could strip districts of state dollars that support day-to-day operations. For many districts, state funding is a core component of staffing, transportation, special services and basic classroom resources.
The bill appears to be aimed at more than 300 Ohio school districts that sued the state over EdChoice vouchers, Cropper said. The districts prevailed at the trial court level, with vouchers declared unconstitutional, but the state is appealing, she said.
Her concern is that if the bill becomes law, the school districts that pursued litigation could now face a financial penalty for exercising a legal right to challenge state policy.
The EdChoice Scholarship Program, referred to as the EdChoice Voucher Program by Cropper, has been a recurring point of conflict in Ohio’s education policy landscape. Cropper has consistently argued that voucher expansion diverts taxpayer resources from public schools to private institutions.
In the interview, she framed HB 671 as a continuation of that fight, but with a new mechanism: discouraging districts from litigation by threatening their funding.
From a labor and public policy perspective, the stakes extend beyond the program itself. If districts can be financially punished for participating in lawsuits, the bill could create a chilling effect on future challenges involving education funding, student services and state mandates.
Cropper emphasized that the bill’s intent, as she sees it, is not merely to win a policy argument, but to deter opposition.
Cropper said the bill’s design reads as a warning to districts: challenge state action and risk losing state support.
She argued that even if the proposal does not advance, its introduction signals a posture that discourages accountability. In her view, the bill functions as a pressure tactic, attempting to shift the balance of power away from local school districts and toward state lawmakers.
The bill would likely face constitutional scrutiny if enacted, given the implications for access to courts and the ability of public entities to seek judicial review, she said.
Cropper next addressed House Bill 693, which she said includes provisions that could punish teachers for classroom language, including the use of pronouns.
While the broader bill addresses gender identity, Cropper focused on the workplace impact: the risk that educators could be disciplined for how they refer to students.
She argued that teachers are trained to respond to students as individuals and to focus on what each student needs to succeed. In that context, she said, legislative restrictions can interfere with the practical work of building trust, maintaining classroom stability and supporting student learning.
Her critique centered on professional autonomy. She described the bill as another example of lawmakers inserting themselves into classroom-level decisions that are typically handled through educator training, district policy and student support systems.
Across both bills, Cropper returned to a consistent theme: respect for educators.
She described a climate where teachers face increasing external constraints, from policy mandates to public scrutiny, while still being expected to deliver results under tight resource conditions.
For unions representing educators, those pressures translate into bargaining issues, retention challenges and workplace safety concerns. When educators feel their judgment is second-guessed or their daily interactions are policed, it can accelerate burnout and turnover.
Cropper’s comments positioned the Ohio Federation of Teachers as defending not only wages and benefits, but the professional standards that allow educators to do their jobs effectively.
Cropper next discussed the Ohio Federation of Teachers’ 2026 Convention, which is approaching quickly. It will convene under the theme: Our Profession, Our Union, Our Future.
She described the convention as a mobilization moment for members, focused on issues that shape educators’ work and the stability of public schools. Among the priorities she highlighted were vouchers and affordability pressures that affect families and communities.
Cropper also said the convention is designed to prepare members for an election year in which education policy and public funding will be central. Her emphasis will be on helping members evaluate where candidates stand on issues affecting their livelihoods, their students, and their communities.
The proposed state legislation Cropper discussed reflects a broader national pattern: public education debates increasingly turning on governance, funding and the boundaries of professional discretion.
In Ohio, HB 671 raises questions about whether school districts can challenge state policy without financial retaliation. HB 693 raises questions about how far lawmakers can go in regulating classroom interactions and whether such regulation improves student outcomes or creates new barriers to learning.
For the OFT, the immediate task is to keep public education funding stable, protect educator autonomy and ensure that school districts can advocate for their communities through lawful means.
As the legislative session continues and the convention approaches, Cropper’s message to members and the broader public is clear: the future of Ohio’s public schools will be shaped not only by budgets and programs, but by whether the state’s policy environment respects the institutions and professionals responsible for educating the next generation.
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