Contact: Neil Bhaerman, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org
Senate Budget Bill Still Falls Short Of Fair Funding Promise
The All In for Ohio Kids (AOK) coalition is made up of the Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Policy Matters Ohio. AOK released the following statement in response to the Ohio Senate’s substitute budget bill:
Four years ago, lawmakers promised to fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2026-27 budget. Since then, we have been waiting for state legislators to make good on their commitment, so all Ohio children – regardless of wealth, race, ability or background – can attend a public school that provides them with everything they need to succeed.
Unlike the House budget, the Senate sub bill retains more of the elements of the Fair School Funding Plan, yet when taken as a whole, it underfunds schools, increases uncertainty for districts, and makes it harder for districts to pass levies necessary to fill the gaps created by the continued shortchanging of education by the state.
● The Fair School Funding Plan requires the state to fund the actual cost of educating students with up to date costs, not based on which students perform best on standardized tests – which studies show are biased against lower income districts.
● The Fair School Funding Plan is predictable because it is based on a formula. Districts cannot plan if lawmakers change it from budget to budget.The sub bill also contains several misguided provisions to make it more difficult for school districts to raise revenue locally. It weakens – yet retains – the House’ cap on districts’ carryover reserve. AOK members will continue to review the sub bill and release more in-depth analysis in coming days.
The following quotes from coalition members are available for attribution:
“The Senate Leadership found $600 million for a handout to the billionaire Browns owners. Imagine what kind of state we could have if they put the same energy into funding our public schools. I’ve waited long enough for our state lawmakers to keep their commitment to my children and all Ohio kids. It’s time for lawmakers to do their job. Pass the Fair School Funding Plan, with updated costs, as they promised us four years ago.” — Ryan Wynia, Ohio Organizing Collaborative Parent leader whose children attend Big Walnut Local Schools
“Ohio students deserve local public schools that are fully funded. Ohio communities deserve fair and stable school funding that lets school districts plan ahead and reduces the need for repeated school funding levies. Ohio taxpayers deserve to know that public money is being spent responsibly. By gutting essential components of the Fair School Funding Plan and using outdated cost inputs, the budget released today by the Ohio Senate fails to deliver what our students, communities, and taxpayers need and deserve.” — Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers
“Property tax relief should never be accomplished on the backs of Ohio’s public school children, and the Ohio Education Association maintains our very serious concerns about the Ohio Senate’s insistence on moving forward with plans for short-sighted carryover caps and other hand-tying measures that will leave many school districts’ finances in shambles and force cuts to the staff and services our students rely on to get the great public education they deserve. Our lawmakers have much work to do in the coming days and weeks to improve this state budget proposal by fully updating and funding the Fair School Funding Plan so they can keep their promise to Ohio’s kids.” — Scott DiMauro, President of the Ohio Education Association
“Ohio has a constitutional duty to provide an adequate education to every student, regardless of their zip code or whether they have different abilities or needs. That means funding schools based on the actual costs of providing that service. This version of the budget does not go far enough to preserve the formula and further hamstrings districts by making it more difficult to propose and pass local levies to make up for how badly the state shortchanges schools.” — Hannah Halbert, Executive Director Policy Matters Ohio