SPECIAL TO BLUFFTON AND ADA ICONS - The Ohio House announced passage of House Bill 305, legislation that provides a comprehensive reform of Ohio’s primary and secondary school funding framework.
House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima), said, “The Ohio House has taken a significant step forward in replacing Ohio’s broken school funding formula with a new, workable framework that is appropriate to meeting the cost of a quality education for all students.”
The bill revamps Ohio’s school funding formula in two significant ways. It revises how the cost of a quality education is determined and the way in which state funds are allocated to local schools to appropriately supplement local tax effort based on capacity to raise school funds.
Bluffton superintendent comments:
Greg Denecker, Bluffton school superintendent, told The Icon: “This new funding formula is very good for public schools across the state of Ohio.
The DeRolph School Funding Supreme Court Case from the late ‘90s declared school funding unconstitutional in Ohio.
“Since that time, we have not had a real functioning funding formula for schools in Ohio for over 20 years.
Denecker commended Speaker Cupp and Representative John Patterson for all of the hard work and dedication on this bill.
“They’ve compiled an endorse amount of time and energy on this formula to fix school funding in Ohio,” he said.
“We now strongly encourage the Senate to pass this legislation and urge Governor DeWine to sign this new formula into law.”
Meri Skilliter, Ada superintendent comments:
"Having been created by practicing superintendents and treasurers, focusing on what it really costs to educate students, this plan is the first viable solution to the enduring, antiquated, and unconstitutional funding of Ohio's public schools," said Meri Skilliter, Ada school superintendent.
"The fact that it was supported by legislators from both sides of the aisle demonstrates a sincere attempt to take bipartisan politics out of the solution. I have great confidence in Bob Cupp, who has been a supporter of education in all of his positions over the years, to help work through any unanticipated bugs inherent in any new system, until it is fully operational.
"I now hope the Senate will give this measure due consideration, to get us headed in the right direction, for all public schools and the children and families they serve."
Speaker Cupp comments:
Cupp added, “This has been a three and a half year, bipartisan effort working closely with Rep. John Patterson (D-Ashtabula), a work-group of school treasurers, superintendents and school finance experts to improve the way Ohio funds it schools and student learning.”
Under H.B. 305, the base cost includes appropriate student-teacher ratios, resources for professional development for teachers that address the health, safety, social, and emotional needs of students, academic and athletic co-curricular activities, and technology used in today’s education.
The legislation also adjusts the distribution formula for schools with an emphasis on a more accurate measure of school district capacity by using both property and income wealth to determine the local share.
The Ohio Constitution requires the General Assembly to assure each district has sufficient funding from state and local sources to provide district students the opportunity for a quality education, according to the Ohio Supreme Court’s DeRolph decision.
In addition to base cost, H.B. 305 contains additional categories to assist local schools with special need students.
These categorical aid components include:
• Gifted education,
• Special education,
• English language learners,
• Economically disadvantaged, and
• Transportation
Each component was modified with input from practitioners and children advocates from across Ohio.
H.B. 305 serves as a framework for school funding and would be phased-in as revenue becomes available.
The estimated six-year, fully phased in cost of the package is approximately $1.99 billion. Appropriations would be made through the normal biennial budgeting process.
The original version of the bill was introduced in the spring of 2019 after more than 18 months of work led by 16 active Ohio educators under the direction of Cupp and Patterson.
The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.
