A Stronger Future for Ohio Starts With Fully Adhering to the Fair School Funding Plan
All In For Ohio Kids Statement on Gov. DeWine’s Budget Proposal
As hearings on Gov. Mike DeWine’s 2026-27 Budget proposal continue before the House Finance Committee, the All In For Ohio Kids Coalition is releasing the following statement about the importance of adhering to the Fair School Funding Plan:
When he released his 2026-27 Budget proposal yesterday, Governor Mike DeWine said that Ohio’s children and people are our greatest assets. We share that conviction. We also share the governor’s goal of making Ohio the best state to raise a family.
Four years ago, we pushed our lawmakers to include the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2022-23 State Budget – finally fixing 20 years of an unconstitutional and unfair public school funding system. The Fair School Funding Plan calculates the actual cost of educating a child and ensures the state fulfills its constitutional obligation to deliver its fair share of that. The plan was set to be phased in over six years, with the final two in FY 2026-27.
While we’re encouraged that Gov. DeWine’s budget proposal includes the final phase of the Fair School Funding Plan, it falls short in significant ways:
- Gov. DeWine bases his proposal on 2022 costs – which due to inflation, amounts to a funding cut. In fact, DeWine’s failure to update those costs means the state would be funding public schools at a lower level than it did in 1997, when the Supreme Court declared the school funding system unconstitutional.
- DeWine’s proposal does not appear to address “categorical weights,” which adjust funding levels according to the different needs of students in a district.
- The budget proposed by Gov. DeWine starts to scale down the funding guarantees some districts receive from the state. The guarantee allows districts to plan for the future by ensuring they won’t experience sudden cuts to state funding.
- The Governor’s plan holds down funding for wellness programs, which have provided essential mental health support for students throughout the state.
The following quotes from coalition members are available for attribution:
Jason D. Marshall, father of students in Pickerington Local School District; All in for Ohio Kids parent leader:
“The Ohio Constitution requires that the state fund public education based on what it actually costs to educate a child. As a parent, I can’t base my budget for groceries on 2022 prices, so how can our lawmakers budget for our school districts using 2022 costs? The result will be that school districts like mine will have fewer dollars from the state to work with and will be forced to ask voters to raise their property taxes – in the midst of sky-rocketing property valuations.”
Hannah Halbert, Executive Director of Policy Matters Ohio:
“Lawmakers cannot fulfill their promise to Ohio’s children by passing the budget Gov. DeWine presented. In order to work, the Fair School Funding Plan’s formula must be based on updated cost components and must account for the cost of educating students with special needs, economically disadvantaged students and English language learners. Otherwise, the formula is broken. Without updating the formula to reflect the real costs of educating our kids, we will repeat the mistakes of the past of overrelying on local funding or underfunding our schools and shortchanging students, especially those in Black, Brown, low-income, and rural communities. We cannot accept a system that leaves children behind.”
Melissa Cropper, Ohio Federation of Teachers President:
“For more than twenty years, Ohio families have dealt with insufficient school funding. Parents, students, and educators have been asked to do more and more with less and less. The Fair School Funding Formula was designed to fund education based on what that education actually cost. Over the past four years, we have gotten closer to the goal of a fairly funded education system. The refusal to use current costs in the formula undercuts the Fair School Funding Formula as a whole by using old data to calculate financing for current expenses. We are confident that the people of Ohio want their schools to be funded at levels that will afford all children the opportunity to live up to their potential, and we look forward to working with Gov. DeWine and the Ohio legislature to make that happen with a fair and fully funded formula.”
Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President:
“As Ohio lawmakers begin working through the details of the state budget in the weeks and months ahead, the Ohio Education Association urges all Ohio leaders to join in the commitment to ensuring all students have resources to succeed in our public schools and life - no exceptions. This means approving the final funding phase of the Fair School Funding Plan with updated cost components, as has always been intended under this plan for a constitutional school funding formula. Ohio’s educators look forward to having constructive conversations with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the importance of prioritizing public school funding, so all our students can receive the world-class public education they deserve in our state.”
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The All in For Ohio Kids Coalition formed in 2021 to ensure that every child in Ohio, no matter their race, zip code, or how much money their family has, can attend a great public school that prepares them for a bright future. The coalition is anchored by the Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Policy Matters Ohio.