Commit to Ohio schools with Fair Funding Plan
These institutions encouraged critical thinking, reasoning, creativeness and problem solving while giving me the tools of knowledge and information. I took these skills into a career as a public school educator, retiring after 32 years of service in K-12 schools and an additional 12 years at the college level.
And now our state representatives are choosing to dismantle this system of public schools created in the Ohio constitution by decreasing funding, using 2022 data to determine the cost to educate K-12 students and restricting school cash balances — not following the Fair Funding Plan.
Their budget wants buildings with a less than 60% capacity to be sold to outside entities with no regard for its usage — many housing technical programs and special needs classes that require larger spaces. And were paid for by our tax dollars.
Why? What possible benefit would our children have by reducing staff, programs and services if these cuts are passed? The only benefits will be to charter schools that are not held accountable for spending, curriculum or outcomes. What happens to bus service, to lunch programs, to extracurricular programs including sports and arts, to advanced placement and International Baccalaureate opportunities?
Public schools were created to educate all children regardless of aptitude, ability — both physical and cognitive, or economic standing. It's time to commit to public schools with Fair Funding to give Ohio students the high-quality education they deserve in order to prepare them for success.
Joann Smith, Canton
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Commit to Ohio schools with Fair Funding Plan | Letter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
4 days ago
- Axios
Miami-Dade Public Schools predicted a $50 million deficit. It wasn't far off
Earlier this year, Miami-Dade County Public School officials braced for a potential shortfall of about $50 million. Ahead of Wednesday evening's first budget hearing for the district's 2025-26 school year, officials told Axios that the prediction wasn't far off. Why it matters: They previously had warned that budget shortfalls could lead to major shifts in the district, including job cuts or hindering the growth of programs, like International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement classes. Yes, but: This year's sharp decline was expected and can be mainly attributed to the sunsetting of federal stimulus funds. "We've been planning for this year for a long time," district chief financial officer Ron Steiger told Axios. "Our budget is shrinking, but it is expected." Friction point: Ahead of the school board's 6pm meeting, public education advocates are rallying to demand more transparency and public oversight of charter schools, primarily around finances and curriculum access. Miami-Dade and districts statewide have seen a decrease in funding because of declining enrollment driven by the state's growing voucher program. The intrigue: District officials were bracing for an even greater shortfall after the Trump administration halted more than $5 billion in public school funding, including more than $45 million slated for Miami's public schools.
Chicago Tribune
04-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: America is soon to turn 250. Remember the warmth of the bicentennial?
Friday marks the start of a countdown to America's 250th birthday next year, and rarely has the nation felt so divided. Or at least it hasn't felt so divided since the run-up to America's big milestone birthday. In 1976, 200 years after the Declaration of Independence, America celebrated its bicentennial in spectacular fashion, with parades and fireworks, festivals and historical reenactments. Tall ships graced New York Harbor, while a stirring ceremony got underway at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A covered-wagon train passed through Illinois on its way to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. More than 90% of the population participated in at least one 1776-related celebration. Red, white and blue were everywhere. The bicentennial arrived during a difficult time for the country, arguably more difficult than today. In 1976, social and political changes were coming quickly in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, a lost war and a political crisis. The nation had just witnessed the Watergate scandal, including the shocking resignation of President Richard Nixon and what was, to some, the equally shocking pardon of Nixon by hand-picked successor Gerald Ford in 1974. The Vietnam War had ended in 1975, after many years of bitter protests, including the deaths of four students gunned down by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University. Almost 60,000 Americans died in the war, and at least 3 million Vietnamese civilians and combatants. At the same time, America was locked in a dangerous Cold War against the Soviet Union. Thousands of nuclear warheads on a hair trigger were aimed at each nation's cities and military bases. The economy wasn't giving anyone a reason to celebrate. The Dow Jones industrial average barely cracked 1,000 that year, versus its current level of 44,000-plus. The annual inflation rate was 5.7% in 1976 and headed to double digits by the end of the decade. Today, it's 2.4%. Unemployment stood at 7.7%, nearly twice today's jobless rate of 4.1%. Worse yet, the seeds had been planted for the Rust Belt recessions that devastated American manufacturing workers in the early 1980s, forever changing the face of Chicago and the Midwest. Even the music and hairstyles were divisive in the mid-1970s, not to mention the clothes — from the powder-blue leisure suits and skin-tight disco duds to denim, denim and more denim. Yet despite all that, Americans put aside their worries, prejudices and battle scars to come together for the country's 200th birthday. A wave of patriotism and nostalgia swept the nation, ushering in a renewed commitment to the ideals of liberty and equality enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. In his aptly named autobiography, 'A Time to Heal,' President Ford accurately described the bicentennial as a moment when Americans began to recover their pride and faith in the country. That was 50 years ago. Can it happen again next year for the 250th? Yes. The American people can come together to demonstrate their resilience and work toward a more perfect union. If that sounds impossible, consider how impossible it sounded in 1976. Planning for the 2026 birthday celebration is in the hands of a nonprofit with a multimillion-dollar budget operating under the banner of In a recent report to Congress, the group promised to deliver, 'The largest and most inspiring commemoration in our nation's history.' Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have agreed to serve as honorary national co-chairs, along with the former first ladies. There are big-money corporate commitments and strategic partnerships. A national celebration is planned for Washington on July 4, 2026 — not far from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., where the biggest wild card in planning the event resides. President Donald Trump, the success of this celebration in bringing together a divided country depends on you as much as anyone. Follow a self-centered, attack-dog script, and half the country will turn away, disgusted and convinced the Republic they love is in unworthy hands. Rise above the defensiveness and name-calling, show the capacity for leading the country as one, and perhaps the whole country will respond, as it did during the bicentennial. This nation needs to heal, and as 1976 demonstrated, a big birthday bash can indeed help to inspire a national reconciliation. America is crying out for it now just as much as it did then. Let's make it happen.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Myrtle Beach Rabbi shares thoughts on Iran and Israel conflict
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach-area rabbi is weighing in on the conflict between Israel and Iran as the two nations work toward a ceasefire after weeks of hositlity. Rabbi Josef Naparstek said generations ago, Iran's huge Middle Eastern footprint has driven the nation's leaders toward reclaiming that land — with Israel standing in its way since 1948. 'The U.S. showed that the conflict is not just between Israel and Iran, it's between the free world and Iran,' Naparstek, a rabbi at Chabad, said. Over the past two weeks, Naparstek said Israel took the initiative to defend itself against Iran after years aggression by it and proxies like Hamas — which is why a defensive attack was needed. 'They started building the nuclear bomb. And they're stating clearly that their goal is to destroy the state of Israel. So definitely, the intention, it's not for peaceful reasons, he said. 'It's not something that they say it's only for themselves.' * * * Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
