Latest news with #FairSchoolFunding
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate leadership disapproves of some House restrictions to public school funding
Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) Ohio Senate leadership has given public school districts some hope that their version of the state budget will provide better financial support for education. Cleveland Heights/University Heights City School District (CHUH) prioritizes musical expression for its students. 'I'm part of band, and we go on trips and we play music, we perform,' CHUH freshman Kennedi Brown said. 'We also do a lot of fundraisers, and it's really fun.' For the flutist, she has been waiting for a trip for musicians to go to New York. 'We do master classes, which actually enhance our playing and it makes us better players,' she said. Brown, Emmanuel Gutierrez, and a group of students and educators came to Columbus to represent the school, testifying before the Ohio Senate Education Committee about the importance of education funding. The district would have received $7 million from the state under the expected full phase-in of Ohio's Fair School Funding formula. But under cuts in the Ohio House version of the education budget, they would only receive $700,000. Asked if they fear that trip won't happen if school funding is cut, Brown responded, 'Absolutely.' She said she worries the state will squeeze school budgeting even more, through a House proposal to cap districts' rainy day funds to 30% — and refunding anything above that back to the taxpayer. The Senate Finance Committee is currently reviewing hundreds of amendments to the House's passed budget, and although the chamber's budget isn't out yet, Senate leadership has already said that the 30% cap isn't enough. 'I, personally, think 30% is too low if we were to do a carryover balance cap,' Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said. A week later, he added that the caucus would 'definitely' need to have a conversation as to 'whether we want to have a cap at all.' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, who helped come up with the idea, defended the cap. 'Schools are just sitting on a lot more money than they can spend,' Huffman claimed. According to the House GOP, schools have carried over $10.5 billion, which should be going back to the residents. The bill would require counties to cut property tax rates, distributing unspent cash back. 'The extra money that you have, that you didn't need to spend and you don't need to start your year — while your other taxes are coming in — we're going to reduce the real estate taxes in that school district on a pro rata basis,' the speaker said. School district treasurers and county auditors have warned that the plan to cap reserves would cause major problems. They say it would throw the most basic aspects of money management for schools into complete disarray, punish districts for being good stewards of public funds, and make financial planning, saving for projects, and managing risk all much more difficult. The Cleveland Heights students hope that the Senate will follow through on public education funding. 'Losing school funding could cut down on all of our stuff in the orchestra and everything in our school,' Gutierrez said. The substitute bill is expected to be announced in early June. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbus school leaders fight for fair school funding
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As lawmakers in Ohio debate the state budget, public school advocates say proposed cuts and policy changes could harm children's education. 'What's at stake is education for not just every single student who lives in Columbus, but every single child who lives in the state of Ohio,' Ohio Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-District 4) said. Which school issues central Ohio voters approved in May 2025 election Columbus City Schools held a town hall meeting Wednesday night to bring together educators, lawmakers, and members of the community for a vital conversation about the state of public education and the proposed biennial state budget, including its direct impact on Columbus City Schools. Leaders made it clear that the conversation was grounded in a simple but urgent truth: fair school funding is not just a policy issue, but a justice issue. 'It is incredibly important that our legislators do their constitutional duty to fund our public schools,' Columbus Board of Education Vice-President Jennifer Adair said. 'Without that, we are really, really devastated in what we can do for our students here in Columbus City schools, as well as across the state.' The Fair School Funding Plan was passed in 2021. It was a bipartisan overhaul of Ohio's K-12 funding system and was created to meet the actual cost of educating every student and have the state contribute more fairly. That formula, though, is now under threat. 'This is detrimental not only to CCS, but to be honest, all public education in this state,' Adair said. 'So, the budget, it includes issues around vouchers. It includes the ability not to fund. It makes us give away our cash balances, our cash reserves.' Southwest Licking rejects levy; board member says another attempt likely In its new budget proposal, the Ohio House announced it would abandon the Fair School Funding model entirely. 'A lot of people focus on, well, this school district in this area or this school district in this area,' resident Sonja Nelson said. 'But if they all do not have the opportunity to thrive, then we are not competitive as a country and that's our fault and we need to fix that.' About 90% of Ohioans send their children to public schools and around 47,000 children attend Columbus City Schools. According to leaders, those students and future generations are at stake. 'It is incredibly detrimental,' Adair said. 'It is very difficult then to plan and budget for what it is our children need. And it's really an opportunity to continue to just push an agenda that devalues our children and public education.' The state budget has already passed the House and is now in the Senate's hands, but leaders said it's not too late to advocate for public education. They said it's not just about numbers on a spreadsheet; it's about making sure every student has the support and resources to thrive. According to Adair, the district could lose $123 million in funding. Whitehall residents successfully take council-approved tax breaks to a citizen vote 'Just to put that into context, our voters did what they needed to do and pass our levy, which is only 35 million,' she said. 'I don't want to say only; it was a sacrifice, $35 million a year, which pays for various essential services.' Lawmakers and educators stressed there are severe consequences if the state doesn't invest on the front end of a life. 'If we don't do that, what that means is that we are going to pay more and it's going to be invested in things that we don't want to be invested in, things like incarceration and in Medicaid, because we are not investing in education so that children can have opportunity to become productive and contributing members of our communities,' Piccolantonio, said. Leaders are urging the community to take action in support of fair school funding by calling and writing to state lawmakers, even challenging residents to take it a step further and educate others around them on what's at stake. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio schools making cuts after levy failures now face possible loss in state funds
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio House passed a budget opponents say will dramatically cut funds for public school districts, some of which are already facing tough financial decisions. The Ohio House elected not to implement the third and final phase of the Fair School Funding Act in House Bill 96, the state budget. The bipartisan act created a formula for school funding that would weigh individual school's demographics and needs to equitably disperse funds. Without Fair School Funding, the Ohio League of Women Voters estimates public schools will lose out on $400 million. Debate over Ohio's property tax relief continues More than half of Ohio's school district levies failed in November, including levies to support Reynoldsburg, Marysville and Westerville schools. All three districts are facing major budget cuts without levy funds, and representatives said losing the Fair School Funding Plan could cost them crucial funds. Reynoldsburg communications director Valerie Wunder said the district has not received new funding in 15 years and is examining how state budget proposals could affect the schools. Left-leaning nonprofit Policy Matters Ohio estimates Reynoldsburg could lose more than $31 million over the next two years without the Fair School Funding Act. See previous coverage of Reynoldsburg's budget cuts in the video player above. 'We are not making any definitive statements about future budgets; however based on preliminary information, H.B. 96 may result in revisiting district expenditures and expenses,' Wunder said. 'We anticipate it would not be favorable.' Reynoldsburg has already had to revisit its expenses in recent months. After November's levy failed, Reynoldsburg schools had to cut $8.5 million from its budget. The district has cut $8.3 million so far by reducing support staff, cutting 51 teachers and increasing pay-to-participate fees. Licking County superintendents get more time to prepare after Intel, Microsoft delays Marysville Treasurer and CFO Todd Johnson said Marysville has a very low cost per pupil, and has not passed a new levy in 17 years. It's not for lack of trying; Marysville has had two levies fail since the last state budget was under consideration, including a close vote in November that failed by less than a 2% margin. On March 20, Marysville Board of Education approved two dozen staff cuts in subjects like art, music and gym, joining previously approved pay-to-play fee increases. These cuts would hopefully be restored if voters approve the emergency operating levy in May, but Johnson said reductions in state funding would only intensify budget trimming. 'Quite frankly, it doesn't matter where the money comes from whether it be state funding or a local levy, we will need additional funds to maintain our level of service which has already been decreased,' Johnson said. Marysville and Reynoldsburg are just two of many Ohio districts making difficult financial decisions. Westerville already has to cut 30 teachers next school year to address a funding shortfall after a levy failure. Ohio budget plan renews high-speed rail chances Several Westerville district representatives testified against H.B. 96, including Superintendent Angie Hamberg. Hamberg said the district would quickly run out of cash without adequate state funding, requiring hefty programming cuts. She said their only option would be to pass a series of small levies to offset the costs, but she was not optimistic that would be feasible. The House budget is not final and now goes to the Senate for consideration. Local school districts have encouraged families to request more funding in the state budget during legislative hearings. 'I'm sure legislators are hearing a lot from people that don't like paying taxes, but I hope they balance that with those people that want a quality school system for their kids with the same level of opportunities that we had growing up,' Johnson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio House budget would cut all elected members of the State Board of Education, limit board to five
The Ohio Statehouse. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) A provision in the version of the two-year state budget passed by Ohio House Republicans would eliminate elected members from the State Board of Education. This comes after the last budget stripped the board of most of its power. Final Ohio education budget expands vouchers, limits board of ed powers The budget passed by the House last week would reduce the board membership from 11 elected members and eight governor-appointed members to five, all appointed by the governor. When the terms of the current elected board members expire or the positions become vacant in another way, the seats would be eliminated. Three of the governor-appointed spots would also. The House budget also changes the requirements for appointed board members to require 'at least one member to represent each of a rural, suburban, and urban school district, a community school and a chartered nonpublic school.' According to budget documents, the reduction would save Ohio about $50,000. Board members received an average of $3,500 in compensation in 2024, according to state data. The budget is now in the hands of the Senate. The House changes come along with a proposal that public education advocates say would cut public school funding and eliminate the Fair School Funding model that has been in place for the last four years. The existing model calls for $666 million, but the House budget would cut that by roughly two-thirds, to $226 million. The board's budget could be coming from a separate fund, rather than its own licensure fund on which it's been relying since the last budget cycle limited their power within the state education system. With the establishment of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce two years ago, the board's powers were largely stripped away and what powers remained were centered on teacher licensure and territorial disputes. It was strongly opposed by board members and members of the public. The last two years have been a financial struggle after the change to the teacher licensure fund as well. Superintendent of Public Instruction Paul Craft came to legislators with funding requests, telling lawmakers and the board that the uncertainty of the teacher licensure fund could harm the board's bottom line, when staffing and expense cuts had been exhausted. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The fund's revenue surges at certain points of the year, when teachers get or renew their licenses. The rest of the year, the board has to live on the funds provided by the state. With the start of a new budget cycle, Craft asked for additional state support to help with the costs of annual background checks for school staff. He also asked to eliminate the video assessment portion of the Ohio Teacher Residency Program to save more than $1 million. The House's budget eliminates the teacher licensure fund, with the board's operating expenses paid from the Occupational Licensing and Regulatory Fund. The fund already exists to pay into assistance funds for nursing education, certified public accountant education and veterinary student debt. A Legislative Service Commission analysis of the budget changes noted that the moving to the occupational licensing fund 'may provide greater financial stability' for the board, because that fund 'serves as a shared operating fund for many occupational licensing and regulatory boards and commissions.' They are supported by license fees, fines, penalties and 'other assessments' put in the fund by those boards and commissions. The House also added $2 million from the General Revenue Fund in each fiscal year for the educator background check service, called the Retained Applicant Fingerprint Database (or Rapback). While a spokesperson for the board of education said it was 'premature' to comment on the reduction in board members at this point, he said the House changes to the funding, along with the elimination of the video teacher assessment, could mean good things for the board. 'We were actually very happy with the financial side of things,' said board spokesman Alex Goodman. Appropriations based on the House draft would give the board $16.3 million in fiscal year 2026, and $16.8 million in fiscal year 2027. A spokesperson for the House majority caucus did not comment on the elimination of elected officials in the budget, but said the funding changes 'reflect the recent restructuring of the board's responsibility for licensing and conduct of educators.' 'Aligning with the funding of nearly all other licensing boards, this shift addresses the long-standing status of the state board as somewhat of an outlier,' said Olivia Wile, caucus press secretary. 'It promotes consistency across the system and is expected to be advantageous over time, potentially reducing the pressure for increased licensing fees in the future.' Goodman said board leaders are already preparing to testify to the Senate the budget process moves to that chamber over the next month. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
