State School Funding Drops Again

[irishbobcat]

Ohio Schools Depend More on Local Taxes As State Share Continues to Drop

April 24, 2008

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported earlier this month that Ohio School Districts must continue to rely on more local property taxes to operate on as the state share of funding education continues to drop, even under a Democratic Governor.

In the 2005-06 school year, more than half (50.4 percent) of all education revenue in Ohio came from local sources, chiefly property taxes, according to a U.S. Census report released this week. This is the third time in four years the local burden has increased in Ohio, while the state's share has shrunk four consecutive years, to 42.3 percent, the Cincinnati Enquirer said. Nationally, local revenues make up 44.4 percent of school budgets. States contribute an average of 46.6 percent. The Federal Government funds roughly 9% of school costs.

Jim Betts, a spokesman for the Campaign for Ohio's Future, a coalition that wants to change school funding, said it's proof that Ohio's school funding system, repeatedly ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, isn't getting better.

"It's significant when it becomes a trend," Betts said.

Critics of Ohio's school funding system blame education's dependence on local taxes for creating vast inequities among districts.

In addition, last month Governor Strickland announced that the Ohio Department of Education had to cut 50 million dollars out of their budget, most cuts concerning state money going to the County Educational Service Centers. As a board member for the Struthers City Schools, Last month I received the ESC bill for 2009 for ESC services for the Struthers City Schools.... last year the bill was $419,000...next year the bill is $553,000. So because state reps and state senators can't work together to fix state funding for schools, something mandated by the Ohio Supreme Court 10 years ago, the bills get pushed down to the local boards of education...which means we must pay the increase, cut costs in other services, or ask the local taxpayers to ante up with more money for local levies. Your school board is receiving the same fee increase this month as well.

That's why we need independent state representatives to speak for the people and quit playing political football regarding state funding of education. The 2 major parties will not fix this program before the November election. Last moth saw the lowest percentage of school levies passed in the state for the last couple of years.

Let's send a state representative to Columbus who will do what's right for the taxpayers and poor and working class in the valley, not the over 100 lobbyists and PACS who contributed to Bob Hagan's political campaign fund last year.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled over 10 years ago that state funding of education in Ohio was unconstitutional. When will State Representatives like Bob Hagan ever get around to fixing the funding formula?

Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60th District

Campaign site: Http://votespisak.tripod.com