In May, local educators hosted an event, “Funding Our Future.” A panel of education experts including the writers of the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) spoke to concerned citizens. The FSFP was initially cut from the Ohio House Budget, but later reinstated by the Senate due to public pressure.
Raising awareness about threats to public school funding played a major role in the Senate’s decision to reinstate the FSFP. However, public school funding is still at risk. Two benefits of the FSFP formula are that it is tailored to meet specific district needs and it allows administrators to plan ahead. Its calculations allow for fiscal responsibility only under the premise that the most up-todate cost estimates are used.
The Senate budget, however, uses 2022 data and creates a misleading picture of wealth for districts. A budget based on outdated numbers cannot ensure the allocation of fair funding. This would be a disservice to public schools and the children and communities they serve. Since 2010, there has been a steady decrease in state funds and an increase in local shares to pay for public schools. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the state share was at 40% and the local share was 59%.
Local communities will be further levied to cover any discrepancy in funding caused by inaccurate data for the state’s share. This uncertainty also makes fiscal planning a challenge for administrators. The state budget introduced on June 25 still creates obstacles to funding public schools adequately.
Gov. DeWine vetoed several controversial items in the budget including:
- the power of the county budget commissions, which would have allowed a committee to reduce voter-approved schools unilaterally.
- emergency levy calculations, which required emergency levies to count toward the 20-mill floor for school funding.
- limits on replacement levies, which restricted districts from asking voters to renew or replace levies.
- a cash carryover cap that would have forced districts to refund excess property tax revenue if they held more than 40% of their operating budget.
Of these four vetoes, all but the last one are scheduled to be challenged in a Special House override session on Monday.
We know that public pressure can make a difference. You can make a difference! Contact your state representatives and ask them not to override any of our Republican governor’s vetoes. Ask them to protect public schools and our local communities. Find your representatives at https://www.lwvohio. org/contact-your-legislator.
Rebecca Kirkland
rural Defiance
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