Coalition Testifies Before House Education Committee This Week
Parents and educators belonging to the All in For Ohio Kids (AOK) coalition testified again before the House Education Committee this week, urging lawmakers to adopt the Fair School Funding Plan with fully up-to-date costs.
When the Fair School Funding Plan was passed in its initial phase-in stage in 2021, it finally put the state on a path to correct decades of an unconstitutional and unfair public school funding system. The plan was intended to calculate the actual cost of educating a child and ensure the state fulfills its constitutional obligation to deliver its fair share of that funding. The plan was set to be phased in over six years, with the final two in FY 2026-27. But Gov. DeWine’s budget proposal cuts $103 million from public schools – in part because it uses 2022 cost analysis, leaving the Fair School Funding Plan formula broken. DeWine’s proposal also fails to update “categorical weights,” which the Fair School Funding Plan requires to ensure students with special needs, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and English language learners have the support they need to learn.
Columbus City Schools (CCS) stand to lose $45 million under DeWine’s budget proposal. Traci Cottrell is a CCS teacher and lives in the district. She said her property taxes went up by nearly 40% due to the CCS’s 2023 levy, which was necessary, in large, part because of the long-term failures of the state to adequately fund Ohio’s public schools
“Now, this proposed state decrease will erase the money from the school levy. It will impact programs and Columbus City Schools budget,” she said in written testimony. “This is unfair to the students, families, and taxpayers of Columbus City Schools. As a taxpayer in Ohio, I pay taxes for my school district. As a resident of Columbus City Schools, I pay taxes for the schools. These taxes go to support the students of Columbus City Schools. This legislative body needs to do the right thing and fully fund public schools [and] not force this burden back to the taxpayers who already pay their fair share.”
The Talawanda School District in Butler County also struggles due to underfunding from the state, testified parent Emily Greenberg. She said the district appears wealthy, but Miami University, which is located there, does not pay property taxes and many area farmers benefit from property tax relief. The state contributes only 22.89% of the district’s budget, Greenberg said.
“We are already witnessing the departure of some of our faculty and staff as [there are] limited gifted services for elementary age children, a lack of busing for any child who lives less than two miles from their school and no busing for students grades 9-12, and as schedules become increasingly unmanageable for working families,” she said in her testimony. “The erosion of TSD quality will certainly erode the Oxford community, and by extension, the quality and student experience of Miami University. The erosion of Miami University will leave Ohio down one more tool as it attempts to compete in a competitive, 21st century economy. Our school district is essentially being punished for our community’s two centuries of service to Miami University, and to the State of Ohio.”
Founding AOK coalition members Policy Matters Ohio and Ohio Federation of Teachers also provided testimony. Hannah Halbert, Policy Matters Executive Director noted that by pinning the state side of the formula to 2022 costs while allowing the local share costs to increase to 2025 property values further shifts costs back to local communities.
“The state share is estimated to decline in more than 80% of the districts under DeWine’s proposal,” Halbert testified. “This is exactly the wrong direction for education funding.”
Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, told the committee that under DeWine’s proposal, the state will be covering a smaller portion of public school funding than it did in 1997, the year the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the school funding system unconstitutional.
“For reference, at the time of the DeRolph decision, the state share of education funding was 42%, and that decision said that school funding would only be constitutional when legislators move away from an overreliance on property taxes,” she said.
Brian Hanner, a member of the Dover Board of Education in Tuscawaras County, urged the committee to consider the unique needs of all districts including those in rural communities like his when crafting the state budget. Most importantly, he stressed the importance of making sure the formula uses up-to-date costs.
“I’m here begging you to update Ohio’s Public School Funding Formula in each and every budget,” Hanner said. “Our children deserve a system that is responsive to their needs, one that supports their growth and ensures they have every opportunity to succeed. By prioritizing these updates, we can create a future where all students—whether in urban, suburban, or rural schools—are given the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”
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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.
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