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As school districts seek support from tax levies, voters are feeling 'levy fatigue'

Parma City School District headquarters.
Ryan Loew
/
Ideastream Public Media
Parma City School District headquarters.

The way Ohio funds its schools is complex, relying on a mix of state aid and local property taxes, as well as some funding from federal sources and other grants.

It's worth noting that Ohio's school funding system has been ruled unconstitutional four times by the Ohio Supreme Court, in part for its over-reliance on property taxes.

In recent years, many homeowners in the region have been seeing increases in their property taxes due to property reassessments.

But at the same time, schools districts who are feeling the pinch have continued to ask for voter support for new levies, in some cases year after year, leading to so-called "levy fatigue."

But if property taxes are going up, why are school districts going to voters to ask for funding? Some districts point to a state law, House Bill 920, that they say is limiting funding for public schools.

We're going to spend most of Thursday's "Sound of Ideas" talking about how Ohio funds its schools, and the greater landscape impacting districts. We'll do a deep dive with experts, including school and community leaders, and an economist.

Later in this hour, we'll hear the latest installment of our music podcast, "Shuffle."

Guests:
-Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Aaron Sable, Superintendent, Medina City Schools
-Charles Walder, Auditor, Geauga County
-Howard Fleeter, Ph.D., Economist & Research Consultant, Ohio Education Policy Institute
-Amanda Rabinowitz, Host and Producer, "Shuffle" and "All Things Considered"
-Bobby Selvaggio, Musician

Rachel is the supervising producer for Ideastream Public Media’s morning public affairs show, the “Sound of Ideas.”