Local school district officials, along with some of their students, spoke out against proposed changes being considered by the legislature to Ohio's school funding formula.
In an Ohio Senate Education Committee hearing on Wednesday in Columbus, Cavan Bruce, a student at University Heights-Cleveland Heights High School, testified about the impact he said the changes could have at his school.
"This will force our schools to reduce funding for education supports, classroom supplies, extracurricular activities and employing teachers," Bruce said.
In its biennial budget, the Ohio House of Representatives proposed a change in how schools are funded, moving away from the current Fair School Funding Plan. The state is in the fourth of six years of implementing the bipartisan-approved plan that has increased funding gradually for schools based on a district's tax base but also other considers other factors like the number of low-income students and students with disabilities.
The senate is now working on its version of the budget.
Critics say the proposed changes would make school funding more reliant on property taxes.
Elizabeth Kirby, superintendent of University Heights-Cleveland Heights Public Schools outlined the impact of a state funding change at Wednesday's hearing.
"We will have higher class sizes, we will have less support for students around mental health, college readiness and career readiness," Kirby said.
Other education concerns raised
The change approved in the House version of the budget proposal would also cap the amount of money schools can carry over in their operating budgets, requiring districts to return anything over 30% back to taxpayers. Republicans say it will provide immediate property tax relief.
"Capping our balance would strip us of the flexibility to plan ahead", said Kathy Quintiliano, president of the board of education at Midview Schools in Lorain County. "For Midview it would result in a projected loss of 19.4 million in year one. A crisis that could cause us to go into immediate fiscal watch and cause us to go back to the ballot for at least one levy."
Jesse Bowling is a student at University Heights-Cleveland Heights High School. He also expressed concern to state senators about Ohio's new law ending diversity, equity and inclusion in schools.
"The fact that race, gender, disability is still being used to divide people 60 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, that is truly embarrassing", said Bowling.
Another student at University Heights-Cleveland Heights High School, Kennedi Brown, also addressed state senators about DEI.
“With everything going on the state, underfunded schools, rising mental struggles, economic inequality, this is what’s being prioritized," Brown said. "A symbolic bill that doesn’t solve any real problems. I want to say this with respect. This bill feels like a distraction. It doesn’t serve the people who need the most help. It doesn’t fix the things that make life hard for young people like me.”
