Fair School Funding In Ohio

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The full version of this video is available here.

For more information:

  • Summary of DeRolph vs State of Ohio: click here.
  • Ohio Fair School Funding (HR 305) website: click here.
  • Ohio Education Policy Institute overview of HB 305: click here.
  • Cleveland Plain Dealer summary article: click here.

Talking Points (Compiled on 4-23-2021):

  • The method of funding public education in Ohio was declared unconstitutional in DeRolph v. Ohio in 1997.
  • Twenty-four years later, the Ohio General Assembly still has not passed a funding plan to provide constitutionally mandated fair funding for public education.
  • The on-going funding method uses a combination of local property taxes, local tax levies and state money to fund public education.
  • This has been declared unconstitutional because it does not set the minimum or base cost for educating each student.  If a district and state money do not provide the minimum cost to educate students, this becomes an equity issue.
  • The Fair School Funding Plan is the result of three years of work by a team of experts in education and school funding. 
  • The experts come from a variety of districts and professional credentials representing urban, suburban, rural, affluent, moderately meaned, and financially challenged districts.
  • The Fair School Funding Plan has three steps:
  • First Step:  The base cost of educating students in each district is determined.  The base costs include classroom, school, and district costs.
  •  Second Step:  Once the base cost is determined, the ability of local districts to meet the base is determined.  The local ability to provide the base is determined by assessing property tax revenue and residents’ income.  If there is a shortfall, it becomes the state’s responsibility to provide the difference.
  • Third Step:  The additional costs, categorial aid, are determined.  These additional categories include funding of education needs for students with special needs, economically disadvantaged students, gifted students, English Language Learners, career and technical education, pre-K education, and transportation. 
  • The plan provides for direct funding of community schools and vouchers instead of “pass-thru” funding.
  • Districts are guaranteed not to lose state funding in this plan.
  • This plan has bipartisan support in both the Ohio House and Senate as part of the next biennial budget.
  • Several funding sources are being considered to provide the money to implement the plan.
  • When we fund the future of public education in Ohio, we are funding the future of Ohio.
  • The House passed the budget and it now moves on to the Senate.  The budget must be approved by both the House and the Senate and signed by the Governor by June 30,2021 because the new budget must be in effect by July 1, 2021.
  • Want more information?  The Ohio League of Women Voters presented a round table presentation on the Fair School Funding Plan.  It can be viewed on YouTube at “Equitable School Funding in Ohio:   Why It Matters and How to Get There”.
  • Want to lend your support?  Email your state representative and senator and tell him/her that you support passage of the Fair School Funding Plan that is part of the pending biennial budget. 

What you can do to help:

Write a letter to, call or email these key legislators, and do it before the budget deadline of June 30! Here are some tips:

  • Possible talking points for your letters are included above– choose just those that you feel strongly about, or that you have a personal connection to.
  • Your letter does not have to be long – it just needs to get to the legislators and be counted! 
  • If you email the legislators through the provided links below, you will be asked for your full name and address to prove you are a constituent.  If you instead write a letter, call, or email from your personal email account, be sure to include your full name and address in your message.
  • If you can contact the legislators more than once between now and June 30, that’s even better.

Who to contact:

Senate President: Senator Matt Huffman, Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Telephone: (614) 466-7584. To Email, click here.

Senate Finance Committee Chair: Senator Matt Dolan, Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Telephone: (614) 466-8056. To Email, click here.

Governor: Governor Mike DeWine, Riffe Center, 30th Floor, 77 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-6117. Telephone: (614) 466-3555. To Email, click here.

If you live in Toledo, you are in State Senate District 11 and your senator is Teresa Fedor. She is a committed supporter of Fair School Funding. Please consider writing to thank her for her support:

Senator Teresa Fedor, Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Telephone: (614) 466-5204 To Email, click here.

If you are not in this district, you can look up your Senator by clicking here.

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