Someone has apparently given Dennis Willard at the Akron Beacon Journal a peek (and accompanying funding simulations) at the education budget provisions of the not yet finalized HB1. While libraries and other programs are absorbing cuts of more than 30%, school districts would see reductions of 1% and 2% over the biennium.
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.
When the budget is finalized, Ohio schools may see an interesting mix of competing visions for K-12 education.
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.
Read the entire article here.
Ohio's State Board of Education is scheduled to meet this month in Columbus July 12-14 for their annual retreat. Making every effort to limit routine business matters, the Board will focus their time and attention on brainstorming as well as setting priorities and goals for Ohio's K-12 education system.
