This piece was previously published on Crain’s Cleveland Business and is reprinted here with permission.
Education shapes the opportunities available to young people, as well as the well-being of all our communities. Every child, no matter their background or where they live, deserves access to a high-quality education. Without it, we cannot hope to build vibrant and prosperous neighborhoods or compete on the global economic stage.
Ohio has made strides toward a more equitable and adequate school funding model. The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) is slowly rolling back the state’s overreliance on local property taxes to fund schools — a system that had generated extraordinary and unconstitutional disparities between children in rich communities and those who happened to live in poorer ones. With each state budget bill, Ohio has moved closer to fully implementing the plan, phasing in the formula funding by thirds in each biennium, but without a guarantee of full implementation in future cycles.
As the next budget approaches, legislators who support equitable and adequate school funding must consider three factors, particularly for urban districts, which are home to higher shares of students who are Black, and lower-income than their counterparts.
Timing matters. Ohio’s funding formula reflects regular changes in the local property-tax base; it must also factor in up-to-date, realistic cost estimates. Analysis by the Ohio Education Policy Institute shows how including increased property valuation and income data without also updating the costs of educating a child masks the gap between what can be generated locally and what schools really need. This creates the illusion that the state’s obligation is much smaller than it really is, allowing legislators to rationalize funding cuts. Lawmakers must correct this in the next budget. Failing to do so will continue the unconstitutional overreliance on local property taxes, at students’ expense.
Voucher spending is unsustainable. Ohio spent nearly $1 billion subsidizing private schools in 2023-24. In one year alone, the program grew by $352 million. In the year since Ohio expanded vouchers and began providing tuition vouchers regardless of need, the number of vouchers has exploded, while private school enrollment has remained largely flat, confirming that the program primarily benefits households already sending students to private school without the state’s help. More than 87% of private school students are receiving a state subsidy. Vouchers are no boon to students in urban districts —instead they divert public dollars to private interests, largely in communities that are already doing well.
Adequate school funding is more than just dollars and cents. It’s about providing the tools and opportunities that students need to succeed. Modern textbooks, up-to-date technology, safe facilities, and sufficient staff are necessities, not luxuries. Well-funded schools can also attract and retain highly qualified teachers, whose expertise and dedication are critical to student success. Moreover, investments in early childhood education, nutritious school meals, and mental health resources can significantly enhance student outcomes and well-being. Ohio’s public schools educate nearly 90% of all students in the state; lawmakers should not shortchange these students to fund additional rounds of unnecessary tax cuts for high-income Ohioans or subsidize the minority of students who have been attending private schools. On a per-pupil basis, the state is still spending less than our neighbors in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Disparities in school funding have long created inequities in educational quality and outcomes. Historically marginalized communities, including racial minorities and low-income families, bear the brunt of this inequity. These disparities are not just unfair; they perpetuate cycles of poverty, limiting upward mobility and denying countless children the chance to reach their potential. In the upcoming budget policymakers have another opportunity to use our shared resources to chart a better course for the vast majority of Ohio students by closing the FSFP loopholes, fully implementing the FSFP, and ensuring every public school has the resources necessary to serve every student.
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