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Many districts to lose 1% first year, 2% next
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus bureau
Published on Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
COLUMBUS: School superintendents, local board members — actually, the entire education community — must make a leap of faith to support Gov. Ted Strickland's evidence-based model to reform funding in Ohio.
According to documents prepared by the Legislative Service Commission and obtained by the Beacon Journal, the plan that the governor, House Democrats and Senate Republicans tentatively have agreed upon reduces total formula funding to schools in the next two years.
The decreases are not large compared to the amount of money the state pours into the foundation formula for primary and secondary education, which in the school year that just ended was about $6.54 billion.
Nevertheless, the plan on the table — supposedly held up only by the continuing stalemate over installing slot machines at horse racing tracks — reduces funding in the first year of the budget by $16 million. The amount drops in the second year by a similar amount.
Budget planners capped the reductions at 1 percent in the first year for an individual district and 2 percent in the second.
Everyone involved in the negotiations is abiding by a voluntary gag rule, so the governor's office and lawmakers are not talking about the agreement.
Strickland, however, has emphasized during press meetings that other states are slashing school funding to deal with budget problems and that many Ohio departments are looking at cuts reaching as high as 30 percent.
Unlike groups representing libraries, pensions, mental health and other social services that have been fighting for funding restorations, it will be difficult for superintendents and school board members to complain or mount demonstrations on the Statehouse steps against the new funding formula.
The state also will distribute about $1 billion in federal money in a separate line item to districts, based in large part on their poverty level.
Still, superintendents across the state will make their biennial rush to look at the ''runs,'' which show the amount of money each district would receive in the next biennium.
Many will be disappointed.
In the 2009-10 school year, 408 districts, or about two of every three, would receive less formula funding than last year.
In the second year, the number of districts receiving fewer dollars would drop to 322.
On average, the state's reduction overall amounts to about 0.24 percent each year.
The Legislative Service Commission based its most recent school-year numbers on payments made to districts in May and notes that projections could change based on enrollment and local property tax values.
Of the 17 local school districts in Summit County, only Barberton would see increases in state foundation funding, with modest growth of 0.75 percent each year.
All of the other Summit County districts except Akron face successive 1 and 2 percent cuts. Akron would lose 1.54 percent in the second year.
Finding a compromise
Strickland unveiled his evidence-based model this year to fulfill a promise he made during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign to address the state's unconstitutional school funding formula.
Four times since 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the way the state pays to educate roughly 1.8 million children is unconstitutional, mainly because the formula relies too heavily on local property taxes.
During Ohio House hearings, Strickland's evidence-based model was reworked and improved, primarily by state Rep. Stephen Dyer, D-Green.
Dyer created an ''Educational Challenge Factor'' that steered more money toward poorer districts.
The House retained the governor's plan to reduce funding overall to charter schools, particularly online or e-schools.
When the budget got to the Ohio Senate, where there is strong support for charter schools among Republican members, the evidence-based model was eliminated, as was any semblance of a funding formula.
Senate Republicans restored funding to charter schools and placed all 614 traditional public school districts on a guarantee that they would receive no less in the next two years than they are receiving in the 2008-09 school year.
Although this was not a long-term solution, many superintendents embraced the Senate Republican plan at first glance because their funding was not cut.
On June 19, when Strickland outlined his plan to balance the budget in light of new revenue projections that came in $3.2 billion lower than once estimated, he promised not to make any further cuts in school funding.
Strickland used the education numbers as passed by the Ohio House, including the reductions in funding to charter schools, as the starting point for discussions with the House and Senate to work out a compromise on the school funding plan.
This represented about $180 million less than the Senate-passed budget, because Republicans in that chamber had restored funding to charter schools.
Both sides gave a little to get a little.
Senate Republicans agreed to keep Strickland's evidence-based model as long as the funding was tied to a per-pupil amount.
In return, Strickland and House Democrats have agreed to restore most of the charter school funding, particularly to online or e-schools that faced up to 70 percent cuts under the governor's plan.
Charter schools, like traditional public schools, also would see the 1 percent and 2 percent funding reductions in the next two years, but the compromise means millions of dollars are being restored to the quasi-public schools.
According to the Legislative Service Commission documents, the payout to charter schools would drop from the current year's $637.6 million to $636.3 million in the 2009-10 school year and $634.8 million the next year.
Both sides agreed to give the Ohio Department of Education oversight over charter school sponsors, and to close elementary and middle school charters that are in academic watch or emergency for two of three years, and three of four years for charter high schools.
Flawed plan
The new funding plan, if implemented, far from settles the overall issue of paying for schools.
Republicans continue to accuse Strickland of residual budgeting, which means giving schools the leftover money after other budget priorities are funded.
And Strickland does not hide the fact that the $933 million from slots, which would be lottery profits and must be spent on education, would not increase state funding for schools by a like amount.
Rather, the new profits from an expansion of the lottery would free up money in other parts of the budget, which is an extension of the same shell game governors and lawmakers have always played with lottery profits for schools.
Democrats point to the evidence-based model as the first time the state has identified the cost of an education. Of course, the problem is lawmakers have put a price tag on a child's schooling, and then admitted they could not pay for it.
Still, it is clear from examining the Legislative Service Commission runs that Dyer's education factor continues to drive more state dollars toward poorer districts.
In Year Two, the increases to some poor districts exceed 3 percent, including a 4.15 percent increase to Switzerland of Ohio, the lone school district for Monroe County.
Don't be fooled by the name and think snowy mountains, rich chocolate and bankers. Switzerland of Ohio has been the poster child for school district poverty for almost two decades.
The superintendent there would be able to see tangible results from the evidence-based model.
For the rest of the state, it is going to take time and money — much more money — before Strickland converts the skeptics and doubters to true believers.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
COLUMBUS: School superintendents, local board members — actually, the entire education community — must make a leap of faith to support Gov. Ted Strickland's evidence-based model to reform funding in Ohio.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Tallmadge, OH
Posted 09:48 AM, 07/05/2009
No new taxes for schools. It's time for the state to allocate equal funding by the student instead of funding by the district for education only. The Cleveland's, Akron's, Youngstown's etc. need to get the same amount as the Tallmadge's, Hudson's, Stow's etc per student. It's time for city school not to be treated like a welfare program for the poor with free breakfast, lunch, and snacks. That funding needs to come from the state welfare budget, not school funding budget.
I am sick and tired of supporting failing schools that have graduation rates in the teens for those from Freshman to Senior graduates.
No new funding for schools till the state gets it's act together on funding and I don't mean more real estate taxes!
Posted 03:24 PM, 07/05/2009
It simply does not cost the same to educate an urban student compared to a rural or suburban student, nor are basic costs the same in every area of the state -- for example, NE Ohio in general tends to be far more expensive than SW Ohio; accordingly, the state previously had a "cost of doing business" factor which increased basic payments to districts needing them due to local circumstance. One-size-fits-all SOUNDS fair, but most assuredly is NOT when looking at public education. As H.L. Mencken is credited with saying: "For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple -- and wrong." This is just one such complex problem among many.
Posted 10:01 PM, 07/05/2009
Grumpyoldman. I invite you to spend time in my classroom. You are truly uniformed about schools and students.
tallmadge, oh
Posted 02:56 AM, 07/06/2009
I have to agree with OldManGrump on this one they need to start treating all school systems the same. Why do some school systems have to feed kids breakfeast thats what there parents/caregivers are for get up with your kids then go out and get a job.
Posted 11:41 PM, 07/24/2009
Oldmangrump. You say the same old thing everytime you blog. Tiresome already. Children come from various types of homes. Some encourage education, some not. It doesn't matter where you live. I could stand on my head and some kids simply do not have to ambition nor the instilled values the desire to learn. I have had students who have come from low income but very nurturing. THEY LEARN. Then there are those who get little at home. A teacher can only do the best for the students, but if the student doesn't want to learn ,he won't. Some parents do not care. Give me a student from a home whose parents encourage education, and they will learn. You really don't understand the learning process and what goes on in schools, rich or poor schools. Come and follow lme around for a week or two and then maybe, just maybe, you'll get it. Comment on what you know about.
