Public school groups push for fair funding plan
By Mackenzi Klemann - mklemann@limanews.com
LIMA — Educators and policy groups are continuing to urge Ohio lawmakers to adopt the Fair School Funding Plan, which would increase state funding for public schools and revise the funding formula so aid is based on the cost of educating the average student, rather than fluctuating based on what’s happening in other districts.
Lawmakers have debated alternative funding mechanisms since the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state’s school funding model was unconstitutional in 1997.
The latest proposal, first drafted by House Speaker Bob Cupp and Rep. John Patterson, would determine how much a school district can raise on its own by looking at local property taxes and incomes. And the plan would create a separate fund for charter and private school vouchers, so funding is not diverted from public schools.