OEA: Senate School Funding Plan Doesn't Deal With Over-Reliance On Levies

The Ohio Education Associations is critical of the state Senate’s version of a revised school funding plan, which is expected to see a vote in Columbus on Wednesday.

The Senate proposal doesn’t address the state’s over-reliance on local property taxes to fund schools, and will continue to force homeowners to shoulder the cost of funding schools through local levies, according to Steven Dyer, director of government relations, communications and marketing for the teachers’ union.

“It's going to perpetuate the same just tired and sad drudgery that is school funding in the state, where we know we have to ask for large levies all the time in order to just meet basic student needs,” Dyer said.  “It's not rocket science. You know, the state steps in or local taxpayers have to tax themselves through the nose to pay for what kids need.”

Without fundamentally changing the funding model to move away from the current over-reliance on property taxes, the Senate plan would maintain the status quo on a funding formula that the state Supreme Court has repeatedly deemed unconstitutional, Dyer argues.

The House-passed Ohio Fair School Funding plan would infuse an additional $1.8 billion state dollars into public schools over the next six years. The Senate version provides about one-third of that over the course of two years, but doesn’t commit any further funds beyond that. 

Additionally, Dyer said the Senate plan greatly favors the private school system and voucher programs over the public school system.

“You look at a 25 percent increase for vouchers and a 1.5 percent increase for the 1.6 million kids who are in public schools,” Dyer said of the Senate proposal. “Put your money where your mouth is. And it’s pretty clear where [Ohio’s state senators] believe their money should be.” 

The House plan would add significantly more state funding to the mix to alleviate the financial burden on local tax payers, according to Dyer. But the state Senate calls the House version too costly.

Should the Senate pass its version Wednesday as expected, lawmakers will have to hash out an acceptable agreement on school funding by the June 30 state budget deadline.

It will take “tough, careful negotiation” between House and Senate members to carve out a plan that benefits all public school students in Ohio, said Dyer, who is also a former state legislator.

“It is not a matter of money, it's a matter of commitment. And it’s very clear to me the House is committed to it. And it’s clear to me the Senate has some growth on it to do,” said Dyer. “We’ll see what happens in negotiations. But I want to make sure that the House members who passed the Fair School Funding plan have the courage and steel in their spine to stand up to this and stand up for kids and do what's right for kids.”