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Republican Lawmaker Proposes Tying Funding to Students, Not Public Schools

Akron Kenmore High School
AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Tax levies could be replaced by state and lottery dollars.

The Republican leader of the House Education Committee says he has a plan to overhaul the way Ohio funds its public schools. 

Rep. Andrew Brenner of central Ohio says his plan would centralize school funding by banning local tax levies and funding each student equally through state funds and lottery profits. That money would follow students, who could attend any Ohio school they want. Brenner says he assumes some districts would gain funding and some would lose, but says he doesn’t have a breakdown.

"With the state taking over the bonds for all the local school districts, they wouldn’t have to worry about that. It’s like giving them a clean slate," Brenner said.

Charter schools would be funded the same way, though on-line schools would get less money. Brenner says the idea is a conversion starter, but could go to voters in 2018.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.