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By Jim Uphoff, Ed. D.
Financing of our Ohio Public Schools continues to be a very major and complicated problem. Theoretically, such financing is to be a “partnership” between the state government and local school districts. In reality, the state sets almost all of the rules, requirements, and procedures providing much less than half of the costs of them all leaving the other “partner”—local taxpayers to find ways to cover all of the additional costs. Oakwood’s budget includes only 25% paid for by the State, but it includes ALL of the requirements made by the State!
Unconstitutional Funding System
At least three times over the past decade, the Ohio Supreme Court has declared the Ohio system of public school funding to be UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
While the General Assembly has tinkered with the system over that decade it has refused to address in any significant way the major problems cited by the Court.
The system continues to establish the amount of dollar per pupil on the basis of political will rather than on any type of determination of the actual cost of providing a quality education.
The system continues to be strongly based on local tax wealth (property evaluations per pupil) which enables one district to raise $20,000 for 1 mill of tax while another raises $350,000 for the same 1 mill.
The legislative system eliminates various types of local taxes, which have in the past been major funders of local schools, BUT does not replace these “lost” funds with other state dollars.
The funding formula uses FALSE data that shows a local district to be receiving many dollars in local taxes (voted millage) but which due to roll back provisions of HB 920 are NOT being received, i.e. PHANTOM REVENUE (PR). The formula then assumes that this PR is actually being received by the local district, thus it does not need as much state money!
Unfunded Mandates
The latest example of this problem of new mandates being imposed upon the schools without a penny of finances being provided to pay for them is the new Core Curriculum law just passed. It will require every college bound high school graduate as of 2014 to have had 4 years of math including Algebra II, etc. etc. or they will not be eligible to admitted to any state college or university.
Most Oakwood students already meet this but for many districts, this will mean adding a number of new teachers, providing many additional textbooks and supplies, and incurring other related costs. As of this writing all of those new costs will have to paid for by local tax sources. For those districts unable to pass new operating levies including Oakwood if ours should fail next November, other parts of the curriculum and school program will have to be reduced or cut out.
The example above is at the State of Ohio level. The Federal level is equally guilty of the same “Require but do pay for” method of operating for schools. The No Child Left Behind law is already under funded by over $30 billion from what Congress “authorized” when the law was passed five years ago. The special education law has been under funded by over $38 billion over the last three decades. (Congress says, when passing it, this law will cost $XXX to implement, but then appropriates many fewer dollars than its own analysis said were needed.
The new mandates were very costly, but Congress has refused to pay for what they have mandated. In a very real sense, unfunded mandates become a hidden TAX INCREASE, which the higher level legislators (state and federal) force the local school districts to impose when voters make it possible.
I ask all Oakwood voters to be alert to these problems and to give our local officials the opportunity to answer questions that folks may have. I also ask our citizens to let our legislators, senators, and congressman know how we feel about their under funded mandates which end up imposing more local taxes on us.
The Rotary Club of Dayton is now accepting applications for the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. The scholarship is for foreign study during academic year 2008-2009. Up to $25,000 will be provided for round-trip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, some education supplies, and language training (if necessary). Scholars act as “ambassadors of goodwill” as they study abroad in one of more than 160 countries where Rotary Clubs are located.
Students with permanent addresses in the Dayton area, or studying in the area, who have completed two years of college or two years of recognized vocational work by the time the scholarship period begins are eligible to apply. Graduate students may apply as well. The application deadline is March 2, 2007.
Since 1947 more than 30,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad under the auspices of Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today it is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarships program. More than 1,100 scholarships were awarded for study in 2005-06.
Contact Diane Welborn at (937) 223-4613, to request an application form.
Click on above entry form to enlarge!
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