Money from the state Lottery represents just a small percent of Ohio’s spending on primary and secondary public education, but it still transferred about $1.2 billion to the Lottery Profits Education Fund in fiscal year 2019.
Last year around this time, Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law HB 29, the bill legalizing Ohio sports betting, and gave the Ohio Casino Control Commission a little less than a year to enact its provisions, with a start date of no later than Jan. 1, 2023.
Public Education advocates had been opposed to Casino control of sports betting, with the concern that Lottery profits, which go to public education, would be adversely affected. If Lottery profits ever suffer, it is very unlikely that legislators would make up the difference.
Under Ohio’s new law that puts Casinos in charge, sports betting profits could be used not only to support public schools, but private and parochial education as well.
According to research from Pew Charitable Trust, states have seen their lottery profits suffer with the arrival of competition from new forms of gambling, such as legal sports betting.
If you are now being flooded with sports betting promotions offering a “free $500,’’ don’t be fooled. John and Jane Taxpayer are footing the bill for those promos.
Ohio is the rare state that lets casinos write off every nickel of promotional play, sometimes called “free” play. So if you place a bet through a casino sports book, and you take advantage of any promotion offering free wagers,
the casinos write it off – and taxpayers help pay for casino marketing.
After that lucrative tax break, casinos won another victory: control of legal sports betting in Ohio – which is supposed to go live by January 1st. It was recently revealed that it will ONLY universally go live at casinos — not at Lottery-controlled bars and restaurants that fought for a small piece of sports betting.
One main mission of the Lottery is to maximize lottery profits. What the Lottery has done about sports betting is to encourage unnecessary competition for the Lottery by urging casino oversight, then slow-walking licensing
for vendors who want to participate by offering it to lottery retailers.
This will give casinos a big head start – and a bigger tax break. And it will boost money into a state fund that can be used for non-public schools – just as the GOP is facing growing opposition to its short-sighted voucher expansion.
The Associated Press has an exposé that could explain why Casino interests tend to get their way in Ohio. Among the highlights:
Gambling interests positioning for lucrative business as Ohio remakes its betting landscape donated nearly $1 million to a nonprofit group that helped successfully reelect Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a key decision-maker regarding the market’s future, an Associated Press review found.
During the same period, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) funneled over $2.2 million through its campaign arm, RGA Right Direction PAC, to benefit DeWine’s successful reelection bid against three primary opponents and later Democrat Nan Whaley, records show. Most of that money went to two pro-DeWine committees: Free Ohio PAC and the Delaware-based dark money group Ohioans for Free and Fair Elections, whose public filings so far haven’t disclosed its organizers. The RGA did not respond to repeated AP requests for comment.
In one case the AP turned up, one of the gambling companies, IGT Global Solutions, donated to the RGA, which donated to Right Direction PAC, which donated to Free Ohio PAC — all on the same day. The instance raises questions about whether RGA was used as a pass-through to benefit DeWine.
All told, Right Direction PAC gave $1.05 million to Free Ohio and another $1.15 million to Ohioans for Free and Fair Elections as of September, records show.
Governor DeWine had originally justified sports betting as something that is already occurring, “so it’s time to bring in Ohio, to regulate it, and get a little more money for schools.”
The way that it has been set up though, under the control of the Ohio Casino Control Commission rather than the Ohio Lottery Commission, has been designed as another way to funnel public money to private and religious schools.
Ohioans mustn’t be conned into thinking they are supporting their neighborhood public schools with online sports betting in the Buckeye State.
First of all, it’s ludicrous that this resolution is being promoted as “supporting parents, schools, and districts” with gender identity policies, when in reality, it’s simply a citation of a board member’s personal beliefs and political ideology.
According to the Roles & Responsibilities of the Board in its Policies and Procedures Manual, “The State Board is required to provide accurate, appropriate and timely data on the status, problems and needs of Ohio education to the citizens of Ohio, the governor and General Assembly to enable informed decisions regarding education.”
This resolution does not provide accurate and appropriate information, although in this politically-charged climate, it certainly is timely.
Sadly, Mr. Shea’s 3+ page document doesn’t reflect scientific and factual information; it even spreads falsehoods and misstates legal precedent. Not only does this resolution perpetuate harmful practices against LGBTQ+ youth, but it also directs local school districts to ignore federal laws if they don’t agree with them.
Ohioans expect their state school board to protect ALL students from harmful and traumatic discrimination and to help create a safe and welcoming learning environment for EVERYONE.
The upcoming discussion about this lawless resolution will be a frivolous waste of our school board’s precious time, while other more important issues are put aside.
All children in the Buckeye State deserve to be respected and valued for who they are- even those kids who are not what some people may want them to be.
According to the Ohio Capital Journal, individual teachers, teachers’ unions, the Fraternal Order of Police, anti-gun violence activists and others opposed the policy, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in June that could allow teachers to carry firearms in the classroom.
House Bill 99 grants local boards of education authority to decide whether to allow their teachers and school workers to carry firearms. Whether the bill establishes a quantitative legal minimum has been disputed. However, it says local school boards must require up to 24 hours of training from teachers before they can carry. Boards could choose to mandate more but this isn’t required.
Prior law coupled with a recent state Supreme Court ruling required teachers to complete 700 hours of training before carrying, effectively forbidding the practice. The new law takes effect in September of 2022.
“This is a local choice, not mandated by the legislature nor by the government,” DeWine said to reporters. “Each school board will determine what is best for their students, their staff and their community.”
The SAFE OHIO SCHOOLS workshop has been designed to give local school leaders, good government groups, and community members detailed information and resources to help them understand all of the implications surrounding HB 99.
Please consider signing up for the SAFE OHIO SCHOOLS workshop, hosted by Honesty for Ohio Education- the training will be held virtually on Wednesday, July 27, at 6:00 PM.
“Building Safe Schools Without Arming School Personnel”
Learn how to build safe schools that protect students, educators, and staff WITHOUT arming school personnel.
Hear from experts, education leaders, and advocates about best practices and steps your school can take to protect, not “harden” your school.
Workshop includes:
• History of arming school personnel in Ohio
• Best practices for safe schools
• Drafting and passing a Safe Ohio Schools resolution
• Taking the Safe Ohio Schools Pledge
• Sharing your Safe Ohio Schools policy
• Toolkit and Resources
This workshop is hosted by Honesty for Ohio Education in strong partnership with Moms Demand Action, OEA, OFT, Ohio PTA, Children’s Defense Fund Ohio, NAACP, and League of Women Voters Ohio.
Jul 27, 2022 06:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
During its monthly regular meeting in May, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing Ohio House Bill 616. HB 616 is promoted as an intent to amend and enact sections of the Revised Code regarding the so-called promotion and teaching of “divisive” or “inherently racist” concepts in Ohio’s public schools.
Other school districts, higher education institutions, government bodies, students, families, non-profits, businesses, and communities are invited to stand with CH-UH and speak out against this proposed limitation of a foundational principle of democracy — education.
Ask your local school board if it has taken the time to pass a resolution opposing House Bill 616. If the BOE hasn’t done so, please share this easy-to-copy-and-paste text based on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education’s statement, as well as some language from other school districts around Ohio, and encourage board members to personalize and pass a resolution:
A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO OHIO HOUSE BILL 616
WHEREAS, Ohio House Bill 616 has been introduced to amend and enact sections of the Revised Code regarding the promotion and teaching of so-called divisive or racist concepts in Ohio’s public schools; and
WHEREAS, provisions within this bill are contrary to the values of the __________________ Board of Education, which intentionally creates school environments where students and staff can learn, work and live with dignity and respect- free from fear and violence and protected against racism and discrimination; and
WHEREAS, far from eliminating racism and discrimination, House Bill 616 would perpetuate racism and discrimination and would limit the concepts, ideas, and materials that may be taught and used in the classroom to combat racism and other forms of discrimination; and
WHEREAS, House Bill 616 is poorly written, allowing the State Board of Education to define concepts it finds to be “divisive” or not “age and developmentally appropriate.” We remind the legislature that the only licensed educator currently on our State Board of Education opposes HB 616; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Education is concerned that HB 616 seeks to limit candid conversations about race and gender identity in our schools, spaces in which all children should feel safe and welcome. The Board of Education is further concerned that HB 616 embraces fear and would exacerbate a mental health crisis that already exists within our schools and community in the wake of the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the ___________________ Board of Education urges legislators to return to their traditional “home rule” stance by not imposing their cultural agenda onto our community.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ___________________ Board of Education believes that our state licensed professional teachers and administrators are best qualified to make decisions regarding the appropriateness of instructional materials and educational techniques in our classrooms.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the _____________________ Board of Education strongly opposes Ohio House Bill 616 and requests that our state legislators not only vote this bill and others like it down, but to condemn the divisiveness caused to the students and families of Ohio.
The Superintendent is directed to forward this resolution to the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Public Education Partners (PEP) supports the proposed rules requiring that charter schools will not be affiliated with for-profit companies and that community impact studies will be required to inform the need, number, and types of charter schools to be created in a given community. The community impact study must describe how the plan for the proposed charter school takes into account the student demographics of the schools from which students would be drawn to attend the charter school. The community impact analysis must also describe the steps the charter school will take to ensure that the proposed charter school would not hamper, delay, or in any manner negatively affect any desegregation efforts in the public school districts from which students are drawn or in which the charter school is located.
The PEP board believes that the proposed rule changes should be absolute priorities. If charter schools must continue to exist as education options in Ohio, they should only operate with community input that’s coordinated with our public school districts.
PEP strongly supports the requirement for impact analysis. When the USDOE and the states decide who should get these grants, they absolutely should know the impact on segregation in the community. They should also know whether the charter school is welcoming a representative share of students with disabilities and students who are English language learners.
PEP strongly agrees with not allowing charters run by for-profit companies to get Charter School Program (CSP) funds. It is a disgrace how big for-profits run charter schools not in the interest of kids, but rather in their own financial interests.
Right now, in Ohio, nearly half of the charter schools are piggy banks for the for-profit corporations that run them. Two of the big for-profit chains, Accel and National Heritage Academies, run charters with sweep contracts. The non-profit schools are facades for the for-profit chains.
PEP wants the USDOE to keep its proposed regulations that ban schools run by for-profits from getting federal start-up and expansion funds. And don’t forget they have related corporations. Let’s close all of the loopholes and protect schools from profiteers.
Use the COMMENT button here to show YOUR approval for the proposed rule changes. If you need help with the message, here is some suggested commentary:
I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed rules for the Federal Charter Schools Program. There has been waste, fraud, and abuse associated with the program for far too long; I wish the proposed rules were even stronger.
As an Ohio resident, I support the proposed rules requiring that charter schools will not be affiliated with for-profit companies and that community impact studies will be required, and I believe those rule changes should be absolute priorities. If charter schools must continue to exist as education options in Ohio, may they only operate with community input that’s coordinated with our public school districts.
The Network for Public Education has a petition for you to sign as well.
Please send your comments and before April 13, 2022.
On Wednesday, March 9, the Honesty for Ohio Education coalition hosted a press conference in the Ladies Gallery of the Ohio Statehouse. The coalition was there to defend Ohio students’ freedom to learn and educators’ freedom to teach a full, honest history of our nation. Public Education Partners fully supports the work of the coalition, which opposes HB 327, a bill that seeks to divide Ohioans, censor teachers and threaten schools’ funding.
Ohio hosts some well-funded “political action committees” that spread propaganda about public schools “indoctrinating” Ohio’s children.
That assertion is simply not the case.
Ohio school districts are not teaching white children they should hate themselves or telling children of color that they are inferior and being held down.
Children are not taught that meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist.
Public schools do not require a student to advocate for or against a specific topic or point of view.
This divisive rhetoric has led to nationwide bills, like House Bill 327, that have been created and promoted by extreme ideological organizations, like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Heritage Foundation, and the Freedom Foundation, and advertised by their supporters in the media like FOX News, One American News (OAN), and other biased news sources.
These extreme groups have built an elaborate campaign of lies and fear, planning to weaponize the mistrust they’ve created to further diminish and privatize our public school system.
In response to this negative campaign, the American Association of University Professors, the American Historical Association, the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and PEN America published a joint statement of their firm opposition to legislation that would restrict the discussion of “divisive concepts” in public education institutions.
“The clear goal of these efforts is to suppress teaching and learning about the role of racism in the history of the United States,” the letter explains. Education proceeds from exploration, facts, and civil debate. “These legislative efforts,” on the other hand, “seek to substitute political mandates for the considered judgment of professional educators, hindering students’ ability to learn and engage in critical thinking across differences and disagreements. Americans of all ages deserve nothing less than a free and open exchange about history and the forces that shape our world today.”
So far, 155 learned organizations have signed the statement, including the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, ACPA-College Student Educators International, African American Intellectual History Society, African Studies Association, Agricultural History Society, Alcohol and Drugs History Society, American Academy of Religion, American Anthropological Association, American Association for State and Local History, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of Geographers, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, American Catholic Historical Association, American Classical League, American Council of Learned Societies, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, American Counseling Association, American Educational Research Association, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, American Folklore Society, American Humor Studies Association, American Library Association, American Philosophical Association, American Political Science Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, American Society for Environmental History, American Society for Theatre Research, American Society of Criminology Executive Board, American Sociological Association, American Studies Association, Anti-Defamation League, Association for Ancient Historians, Association for Asian American Studies, Association for Asian Studies, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Association for Documentary Editing, Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies, Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Association for the Study of Higher Education, Association for the Study of Literature and Environment, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, Association of African American Museums, Association of College and Research Libraries, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Association of Research Libraries, Association of University Presses, Association of Writers & Writing Programs, The Authors Guild, Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, Business History Conference, Center for Research Libraries, Central European History Society, Chinese Historians in the United States, ClassCrits, Coalition of Urban & Metropolitan Universities, College Art Association, Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender History, Comparative and International Education Society, Conference on Asian History, Conference on Faith and History, Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, Contemporary Freudian Society, Coordinating Council for Women in History, Council on Social Work Education, Czechoslovak Studies Association, Dance Studies Association, Executive Committee of the American Comparative Literature Association, Forum on Early-Modern Empires and Global Interactions, Freedom to Read Foundation, French Colonial Historical Society, German Studies Association, Higher Learning Commission, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Historians for Peace and Democracy, Historical Society of Twentieth Century China, Immigration Ethnic History Society, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, Italian American Studies Association, John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Keats-Shelley Association of America, Labor and Working Class History Association, Middle East Studies Association, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Midwestern History Association, Modern Language Association, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, National Association of Dean and Directors Schools of Social Work, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, National Association of Social Workers, National Coalition for History, National Council for the Social Studies, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council on Public History, National Education Association, National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, National Women’s Studies Association, Network for Public Education, New England Commission of Higher Education, North American Conference on British Studies, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Ohio Academy of History, Organization of American Historians, Pacific Coast Branch-American Historical Association, Peace History Society, Phi Beta Kappa Society, Popular Culture Association, Radical History Review, Rhetoric Society of America, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, Scholars at Risk, Shakespeare Association of America, Society for Austrian and Habsburg History, Society for Classical Studies, Society for Community Research and Action, Society for Ethnomusicology, Society for French Historical Studies, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Society for Historical Archaeology, Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender, Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, Society for the Study of Social Problems, Society for US Intellectual History, Society of American Historians, Society of Architectural Historians, Society of Civil War Historians, Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR Scholars Network), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Southern Historical Association, United Faculty of Florida – University of Florida, NEA/AFT/FEA, AFL-CIO, University Film and Video Association, Urban History Association, WASC Senior College and University Commission, Western History Association, Western Society for French History, and the World History Association.
Yes, the list is lengthy, but please note that these esteemed groups are not extremist groups; rather, many are subject area experts. They are exactly the type of scholarly organizations that legislators should acknowledge, instead of extreme ideological associations carrying out some destructive political strategy.
It’s important to understand that Ohio school district diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) programs seek to provide students with multiple perspectives around historic events, help them make connections, and provide context around those events. HB 327 would make it much harder for school districts to initiate programs to encourage DEI in school districts.
Legislators who endorse this outrageous policy need to know that they make it harder to set our students up for success when they ignore real issues and fixate on a disinformation campaign for political gain.
For that matter, how could any compassionate adult speak out against promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools?
Ohio children deserve honesty in education- they must be provided an accurate understanding of our nation’s history and governmental institutions. Our students are worthy of a culturally responsive curriculum that reflects their collective ancestry and backgrounds to empower them to value every culture.
The path to equity begins with an unbiased understanding of the past based on factual evidence, and educators need to be able to help students honestly explore American history without being accused by extremists who mislabel their teaching as “divisive.”
The Board of Public Education Partners absolutely rejects the false narrative of HB 327 and encourages all Ohioans to TAKE ACTION now against this dangerous policy!
School vouchers hurt voucher students, district students, school districts, other political subdivisions, public retirement systems, and school district employees.
How Do Vouchers Affect Municipalities?
1. When vouchers extract money from the funds for public schools, the school district must ask residents to pass levies to provide increases in property taxes to make up for the loss. Ohio residents are responsible for 72.5% of property taxes with businesses being responsible for the other 27.5%. Citizens get weary of the many tax increases and, in some cases, refuse to pass new levies. This is one of the big factors families consider when making a change in housing.
2. Inflationary rises for other needed services, such as fire and police protection, infrastructure updates, like sewer and water maintenance and roads, may also require more money and more levies may be issued.
3. Schools still have the same costs for providing staff, maintaining buildings and providing transportation. They must also transport students to private schools adding a significant amount of money to provide that service as additional buses and drivers may be needed.
4. Vouchers often promote segregation and discrimination against students of color, those of a different religion and those with disabilities as private schools can choose which students they admit.
5. The extraction of money from the school district may reduce the extracurricular activities offered by the school and also require a student to pay a significant amount to engage in those activities. This may prohibit many students who would gain skills and knowledge not taught in the regular curriculum. These activities often develop personal and professional skills that truly make a difference in a student’s life.
6. All of these are things families consider when moving into an area or are simply looking for a different home.
I’ve often heard legislators make the statement, “Throwing money at an issue doesn’t solve the problem,” especially when it comes to school funding.
If not, why are they so fast to take it away from the public schools and “throw” it at “choice” families?
~Donna Wilson, former Fairborn, Ohio City Councilwoman
There was nationwide support for the State School Board of Ohio’s Resolution 20 (P. 57-59) to advance equity and condemn racism in our schools, which was passed in 2020. Many agreed that we must all be dedicated to equity and to the thoughtful teaching of our children that racism, bigotry and hatred should have no place in our country, state, and system of schools and that our children are worthy of a culturally responsive curriculum that reflects their collective ancestry and backgrounds- one that empowers them to value every culture.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, “the resolution became a lightning rod in the debate over teaching about race in Ohio classrooms, drawing dozens of protesters and counter-protesters to state board meetings in recent months. Opponents of Resolution 20 said its wording intentionally opened the door for districts to teach ‘disturbing’ and ‘divisive’ material about racism and identity and that lesson plans would go against America’s founding principles and divide kids into oppressors and the oppressed.”
Cheers for the Akron Public Schools Board of Education, which condemned recent action taken by the State BOE of Ohio to repeal its anti-racism resolution! Education advocates look forward to similar actions by other school boards around the Buckeye State.
Though the recommendations for Ohio schools were repealed by Resolution 13, state board member Christina Collins said she thinks a lot of that work will continue. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t prohibit anything,” Collins said. “it isn’t law, and it doesn’t force districts to do anything different.”
Ohio school districts can even copy/paste and personalize this template to pass their own anti-racism resolutions:
_________________________ Board of Education Resolution (Language adopted from the Ohio State Board of Education’s Preamble and Resolution of July 14, 2020)
RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN RACISM AND TO ADVANCE EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR BLACK STUDENTS, INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND STUDENTS OF COLOR
The _____________________ Board of Education hereby ADOPTS the following Resolution:
Whereas the Ohio State Board of Education passed a Resolution to Condemn Racism and Advance Equity and Opportunity for Black Students, Indigenous Students and Students of Color in 2020; and
Whereas the Ohio Educator Standards Board voted unanimously in June 2021 to support the Ohio State Board of Education’s Resolution to Condemn Racism and Advance Equity and Opportunity for BIPOC students; and
Whereas the Ohio Strategic Plan for Education: 2019-2024 Each Child, Our Future, adopted by a resolution of the State Board of Education in June, 2018 begins with the vision that in Ohio each child is challenged to discover and learn, prepared to pursue a fulfilling post-high school path and empowered to become a resilient, lifelong learner who contributes to society; and
Whereas a culturally responsive curriculum reflects the history and background of all students, and empowers students to value all cultures, not just their own; and
Whereas research has shown that a culturally responsive curriculum can motivate students of color to a higher level of academic achievement and in many cases increase the graduation rate of previously disengaged students; and
Whereas the ____________ Board of Education believes that public schools are fundamental to a democratic society, and we must be dedicated to equity and thoughtful teaching of future citizens that racism, bigotry and hatred have no place; and
Whereas, the path to equity begins with a deep understanding of the history of inequalities and inhumanity and how they have come to impact current society; and
Whereas the State Board of Education strongly recommended in 2020 that all Ohio school districts begin a reflection and internal examination of their own involving all members of their school community to examine all facets of the school’s operations; with a special emphasis on curriculum, hiring practices, staff development practices, and student discipline e.g., suspension/expulsion; therefore, be it
Resolved that the __________ Board of Education condemns, in the strongest possible terms, white supremacy culture, hate speech, hate crimes and violence in the service of hatred. These immoral ideologies and actions deserve no place in our country, state and school system. And be it
Further resolved, that the ___________ Board of Education will be led by our guiding mission and vision as we develop policy and advocate to serve our students from a perspective of equity, anti-racism, and anti-bias.
Public school districts are fundamental to our democratic society, so our children deserve a proper and accurate understanding of our nation’s history and governmental institutions.
The path to equity begins with a deep understanding of the history of inequalities and inhumanity and how they have come to impact society.
The PEP Board agrees that our public-school districts are fundamental to our democratic society. We must all be dedicated to equity and to the thoughtful teaching of our children that racism, bigotry and hatred should have no place in our country, state, and system of schools.
Our children deserve a proper and accurate understanding of our nation’s history and governmental institutions. Students are worthy of a culturally responsive curriculum that reflects their collective ancestry and backgrounds- one that empowers them to value every culture.
Since the path to equity begins with a deep understanding of the history of inequalities and inhumanity and how they have come to impact society, PEP strongly agrees with the State BOE’s recommendation that Ohio schools must begin to examine all facets of district operations, with a special emphasis on curriculum, hiring practices, staff development practices, and student discipline.
The PEP Board would like to thank the members of the State School Board of Ohio for considering the needs of ALL children in the development of this groundbreaking “Resolution to Condemn Racism and to Advance Equity and Opportunity for Black Students, Indigenous Students and Students of Color.”
In making the endorsement, board members passed a resolution stating Ohio’s current school funding system “lacks a rational basis for determining both the cost of educating students, and how the funding of education is shared between the state and local taxpayers.”
Ask your local school board if it has passed a resolution supporting HB 1- the Cupp-Patterson Fair School Funding Plan. If the BOE hasn’t done so, please share this easy-to-copy-and-paste text based on the Wilmington City School District’s statement:
A RESOLUTION TO ENDORSE THE FAIR SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN, AS CONTAINED IN HOUSE BILL 1, AND TO ENCOURAGE THE 134TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO EXPEDITE ITS PASSAGE
WHEREAS, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in DeRolph v. State of Ohio (1997) that Ohio’s method for funding schools through the state’s school foundation program was unconstitutional under Article VI, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution; and
WHEREAS, in DeRolph, the Ohio Supreme Court declared that Ohio’s school funding system was over-reliant on local property taxes, and as such, was inherently discriminatory to children based on where they reside for disparities exist between communities of affluence and impoverishment; and
WHEREAS, since the DeRolph decision, the Ohio General Assembly has failed to create a funding system that meets Ohio’s constitutional standard of securing “… a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state”; and
WHEREAS, Ohio’s solution to satisfy the Ohio Supreme Court’s order has been to pass a series of biennial budgets containing politically expedient remedies that have not eliminated the over-reliance on local property tax or mitigated the discriminatory nature inherent in the series of “funding fixes” legislated over the last 23 years; and
WHEREAS, Ohio’s previous biennial budget crafted by the 132nd Ohio General Assembly, and effective July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, created a funding system with “capped” districts, and districts receiving a minimum level of funding referred to as the “guarantee”; and
WHEREAS, the previous biennial budget identified 503 school districts out of 610, or 82%, either “capped” in their funding, or on the “guarantee,” which is a testament that Ohio’s funding model is not effective; and
WHEREAS, Ohio’s current biennial budget crafted by the 133rd General Assembly, froze foundation funding for Ohio schools at 2019 fiscal year levels (effectively placing all districts on “the guarantee”), which funding levels have subsequently been cut due to the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the current school funding system in Ohio lacks a rational basis for determining both the cost of educating students and how the funding of education is shared between the state and local taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, Representative Robert Cupp (R) and Representative John Patterson (D) convened a statewide workgroup, made up of eight practicing school district CFO/Treasurers and eight practicing Superintendents (the “Cupp-Patterson Workgroup”), to devise a new formula, and recognizing that Ohio needs an overhaul to its school funding system, have spent the last three years determining the inputs necessary to fund a “thorough and efficient system of common schools” that reduces the over-reliance on local property tax and creates equity in the state foundation system; and
WHEREAS, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup carefully analyzed national research, best practices, actual Ohio school district spending data, and drew on their own extensive experience in educating students and operating school districts to make recommendations for a school funding system that meets the needs of all Ohio’s students in the 21st century; and
WHEREAS, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup developed recommendations that laid out a rational, transparent, comprehensive and – most of all – fair system for funding schools based on the actual cost of providing a basic education for all students in Ohio (the “Base Cost”); and
WHEREAS, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup developed a method of sharing the funding of the Base Cost between the state and local taxpayers that is easy to understand and based on a fair, defensible measure of the capacity to generate funds locally; and
WHEREAS, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup identified and provided a framework for providing additional resources to meet needs beyond those of basic education, including the areas of the social, emotional, safety, and mental health of students, the additional challenges driven by students living in poverty, with special needs, with limited English proficiency, and who are academically gifted; and
WHEREAS, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup developed recommendations for properly funding Career Technology Centers, Educational Service Centers, and Charter and Community schools; and
WHEREAS, based on the research and work outlined above, the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup produced and recommended the Fair School Funding Plan, which was introduced in House Bill 1; and
WHEREAS, the Ohio General Assembly and the Governor of Ohio have an opportunity to devise a funding formula, as outlined in the Fair School Funding Plan, that is an investment in Ohio’s children and Ohio’s future.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Education of_________________________ that:
It is necessary to formally endorse the Fair School Funding Plan, as introduced in House Bill 1 of the 134th General Assembly, to ensure that K-12 schools in Ohio are funded using a rational school funding system that meets the needs of all Ohio’s students in the 21st century. The school district treasurer should be authorized to deliver or cause to be delivered a certified copy of this Resolution to community leaders; to members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, including Reps. Jamie Callender and Bride Rose Sweeney; and to the office of Governor Michael DeWine.
Passing a resolution is important in educating citizens about the Fair School Funding plan, communicating the values of the community, and showing solidarity with the hundreds of other school districts that also expect this funding plan to pass. It also serves as a formal demand for Ohio legislators to get busy and pass HB 1, a rational, transparent, comprehensive and fair system for funding schools based on the actual cost of providing a basic education for all students in Ohio.
#OhioKidsCantWait
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