Public school advocates look to OH Senate to restore Fair School Funding

Farah Siddiqi

As Ohio lawmakers debate the state budget, advocates for public schools are voicing concerns proposed cuts and policy changes could harm children's education.

Critics have charged the state appears to be prioritizing football stadiums over core services for students and families. The House budget does not fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan. The bipartisan plan, adopted in 2020, was designed to ensure all students receive adequate support.

John Stanford, president of the Children's Defense Fund of Ohio, said the plan was created to meet the actual cost of educating every student.

"They want to give $600 million to the Browns for a stadium and now, the Cincinnati Bengals are now saying, 'Well, what about us?'" Stanford pointed out. "It's this cycle of giving money away to people and organizations, to the detriment of children and families."

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled four times the state's school funding model is unconstitutional. The House budget provides a $50 per student increase in many districts, and cuts $2.75 billion from the final phase of the Fair School Funding Plan, according to the Ohio Education Association.

Scott DiMauro, president of the association, said the plan was built around realistic cost estimates for delivering quality education including class size, staffing, materials and support for special education and low-income students. He thinks failure to follow through with implementing the six-year plan would shift more burden onto local taxpayers and leave many students behind.

"Districts that were slated to receive increases had those increases halved," DiMauro noted. "They arbitrarily came up with a $50 per student increase-barely enough to buy a pair of shoes, let alone pay for the learning needs of our students."

DiMauro stressed the Ohio Senate now has a chance to, as he sees it, correct course and ensure the state meets its constitutional obligation. At risk, he added, is fair and adequate funding for the nearly 90% of Ohio students who attend public schools.