Ohio public unions see 610 opt-outs

Public workers in the Buckeye State are leaving their unions in what Freedom Foundation calls a “tidal wave” of opt-outs. “More than 440 of those opt-outs came from employees tied to the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) — unions long reliant on confusing fine print and arbitrary ‘opt-out windows’ to keep members trapped,” writes Ryan Horan. “What makes these numbers so impressive is the strategic outreach employed by the Freedom Foundation. Through a coordinated campaign including mailers, emails, digital ads and canvassing, we reached employees across the state, sending more than 200,000 pieces of content to Ohio public-sector employees in just two months.” [Emphases in original.]

Montana governor takes aim at Medicaid abuse

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte aims to reduce skyrocketing Medicaid costs by by filing a 1115 Medicaid Demonstration, reports the Mountain States Policy Center. “The safety net of Medicaid should be there for those who truly need it, but if everyone is allowed to climb upon the net, it will collapse,” Gianforte said in a press release. “By requiring healthy adults to engage in work-related activities and cost sharing, we can help preserve the long-term sustainability of the Medicaid program and ensure that this critical health coverage remains available for those who need it most.” The Treasure State is among many state governments struggling to contain costs that have been rising rapidly since the Medicaid expansion required by the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Tennessee charter schools lead post-COVID recovery

Charter schools in Tennessee have outperformed traditional public schools in the years since the COVID lockdowns, the Show Me Institute reports. Though both categories performed poorly during the 2020-2021 school year, as schools across the country were forced to close, a longitudinal study by researchers from the University of Kentucky and the University of Southern California shows that students in charter schools scored higher by as much as 0.14 standard deviation. “Results show that charter school and TPS students performed comparably during the pandemic in 2020-21,” the study concludes. “Post-pandemic, in 2021-22 and 2022-23, charter school students demonstrate greater academic growth. This growth was driven primarily by schools in the broader Nashville region and in elementary and middle schools.”

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