Category: Uncategorized

May 23, 2025

House Budget Cuts Aid to Fund Deportations and Tax Breaks for the Wealthy

This article from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) details how the House’s budget reconciliation bill drastically cuts critical supports like Medicaid, SNAP, and the Child Tax Credit, which disproportionately harms low-income families and communities of color. According to CLASP, the bill redirects these funds to expand immigration enforcement—allocating $45 billion for agencies like ICE—and to extend tax breaks favoring the wealthy. The organization criticizes the bill as prioritizing mass deportation and economic inequality over the needs of vulnerable Americans.

May 13, 2025

REFOCUS: A New Lens for Leading Through Crises

At ACS, we don’t just build tools—we refine them. When we find new approaches that help organizations, we integrate them into our resources. ACS has updated its Crisis Communication Worksheet with a reminder to REFOCUS: a powerful, step-by-step mindset tool designed to help leaders pause, regain perspective, and communicate with purpose when the pressure is on. It’s not just about managing the moment—it’s about leading through it. This addition reflects ACS’s ongoing commitment to evolving and improving our tools based on real-world experience! Check out the updated Crisis Communication Worksheet here!

May 1, 2025

Updates to ACS What to Watch: Parts 1 and 2!

The ACS What to Watch 2025 Update is a critical follow-up to ACS’ Winter 2025 Newsletters: What to Watch: Part 1 and What to Watch: Part 2, confirming that many of the threats we previously identified have materialized; the Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, major changes to education policy, and increasing restrictions on reproductive healthcare—developments that particularly impact women and marginalized communities. The Update also highlights recent legal challenges and court rulings that have temporarily blocked some of the most extreme measures. Read more here!

April 17, 2025

Introducing the ACS Communication Framework and Dissemination Work Plan!

Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) is excited to unveil a new tool designed to help organizations communicate with clarity, consistency, and impact.

The Communication Framework and Dissemination Work Plan helps your team:

  • Align messaging with your goals and audience needs
  • Identify the best communication channels
  • Streamline internal workflows and responsibilities
  • Respond effectively to change or crisis
  • Evaluate and refine your communication strategies

Whether you’re sharing updates with staff, engaging stakeholders, or advocating for change, this tool ensures your message reaches the right people—at the right time—with the right impact! Download now!

April 14, 2025

Ohio’s School Vouchers: A Growing Threat to Public Education?

Ohio’s expanding school voucher program is diverting public funds to private education, potentially undermining public schools and creating inequities in the state’s education system.

This article from the Akron Beacon Journal examines Akron Public Schools’ opposition to Ohio’s expanded voucher program, arguing it drains public funds and benefits wealthier families while lacking accountability.

And this one from the Columbus Dispatch looks at how Ohio’s school voucher costs are rapidly increasing, raising concerns that the program favors private school families and weakens public education funding.

Both articles show growing statewide concerns that the voucher system is shifting resources away from public schools, deepening educational disparities across Ohio.

March 24, 2025

Rising Child Care Costs Impacting Ohio Families More Than College Tuition

This article by Signal Cleveland examines a recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute that shows Ohio families spend an average of $17,071 annually on infant child care—nearly 54% more than the $11,110 average tuition at four-year public colleges in the state. In Cuyahoga County, child care has become the highest monthly expense for families, surpassing costs for housing, food, transportation, or healthcare.

February 26, 2025

Ohio’s Medicaid Expansion at Risk: Proposed Trigger Law Could Leave 770,000 Without Coverage

A recent article details how Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed state budget includes a “trigger law” that would end Medicaid expansion in Ohio if the federal government reduces its funding, potentially leaving 770,000 residents without coverage. The clause is being debated as congressional Republicans consider Medicaid cuts, and while similar measures exist in other states, Ohio lawmakers are still negotiating the final budget. Critics warn that ending Medicaid expansion would harm families, hospitals, and businesses, while supporters argue that the state cannot afford to cover the costs if federal funding decreases. 

February 24, 2025

Is Ohio prioritizing school choice over public education?

Is Ohio prioritizing school choice over public education? This article from Cleveland.com details how Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget would cut $103 million from traditional public schools over the next two years while increasing funding for charter schools by $221.8 million and private school vouchers by $265.4 million—343 of Ohio’s 609 school districts would lose state foundation aid in the next fiscal year, with suburban districts facing the largest reductions.

Critics argue that diverting funds to less-accountable alternatives could lead to higher property taxes and fewer opportunities for public school students. The administration defends the budget as a shift toward funding students rather than specific districts.

The implications? A budget that reinforces Ohio’s trend of prioritizing school choice over public education funding, raising concerns about equity, accountability, and long-term consequences for public school students and communities.

February 12, 2025

How ACS is Supporting Ohio’s Reproductive Rights Advocates

Ohio reproductive rights advocates are preparing for ongoing challenges to reproductive freedoms. This article from Ohio Capital Journal highlights the importance of their advocacy, as they engage the community, prepare for legal battles, and educate the public on how they can defend reproductive rights.

The ACS Fund for Women & Girls plays a crucial role in this advocacy by providing financial support to women and girls, particularly those of color, to access reproductive services, pursue higher education, and build careers in public service. Through our fund, ACS is supporting these advocates’ efforts to ensure that all women have the resources and opportunities to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and futures.

Contribute to a broader movement that empowers women, promotes reproductive justice, and strengthens community resilience against challenges to reproductive rights. Make a difference today.