VIEWPOINT/ Sheldon Firem, Hambden Township
Fair Funding, Fair Schools
“Waiting for another generation of Ohio students to subsist under an unconstitutional educational system is not an option. Waiting can sometimes be translated into never.”
Ohio’s school funding formula has been declared unconstitutional four times since the 1990s by the Ohio Supreme Court (DeRolph decision). Little realistic, targeted action has been taken in Ohio to seek a remedy to this failure to address the needs of all Ohio elementary, middle school and high school students.
When gambling in Ohio was unconstitutional, it took the Ohio legislature not more than three years to legitimize gambling in the constitution. The educational needs of Ohio’s students continue to be in limbo 20 years later.
Fortunately, and at long last, a bipartisan plan has been proposed by Ohio’s Rep. Cupp (R-Lima) and Rep. Patterson (D-Jefferson). This Fair Funding Plan has been in the process of development for almost two years, involving the admirable energy and time-consuming input from superintendents, treasurers and other educators. Rep. Cupp is a former Ohio Supreme Court Justice and Rep. Patterson is a former high school teacher from Jefferson, Ohio.
Both have recently unfolded their plan and are in the important process of promoting it to Ohio’s educators, voters and parents. It is a worthy plan that at first glance seems to meet the constitutionality standard (fair and equitable) as well the educational needs of Ohio’s students.
The Fair Funding Plan would eliminate Ohio’s current cumbersome funding formula that benefits very few of the 610 school districts in Ohio.
Why should this Fair Funding Plan be seriously considered by parents, voters and legislators? Without ‘diving into the weeds,’ there are several important broad reasons why Ohioans need to support this constitutional amendment.
Ohio’s students have been placed on the constitutional back burner for far too long. A generation of Ohio’s students have graduated without the benefit of an equitable educational system.
Ohio’s students have been asked to become more career oriented and work oriented without being universally supplied with the educational tools to accomplish this task.
Ohio’s students will be benefited if their needs involve safety, poverty in high school, mental health, technology, transportation, career education and school choice.
Ohio students will be attending schools whose administrative leadership will have a consistent, stable funding formula.
Ohio students will be receiving the benefits of the Fair Funding Plan because 95 percent of the funding is aimed at instruction and 5 percent at administration.
Ohio’s students can only be best served if the Ohio legislature acts promptly in supporting the Fair Funding Plan. The legislature has acted promptly on many other issues of less urgent import.
Ohio’s students have the attention of Gov. DeWine, who is promoting the needs of preschool students and wrap-around school services.
Ohio student’s educational needs in typical public schools or community schools are addressed in a more consistent manner.
Ohio students in ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ districts will have a higher likelihood of receiving an equitable education.
Ohio students may not need to become transfer students to other districts as frequently if they have the needed services that they require in their home district.
Ohio students will in the long term become better educated, better citizens, better thinkers and productive employees.
Ohio students deserve the same opportunity that many of their parents and grandparents received when the United States led the world in educational and career opportunities.
How can we ‘gift’ the Fair Funding Plan to Ohio’s students? There will be in the near future several ways to translate Rep. Cupp’s and Rep. Patterson’s Fair Funding Plan into an educational reality.
Look for and attend the many forums and public presentations that will be available to Ohio citizens, access the Ohio legislature’s streaming presentations which have already occurred, urge your school boards of education to support this plan and contact your state legislator and make him/her aware of your commitment to Ohio’s students.
Waiting for another generation of Ohio students to subsist under an unconstitutional educational system is not an option. Waiting can sometimes be translated into never.
I have heard recently a new take on the popular axiom, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ The new version is ‘It takes a child to raise a village.’
Our children will be raising all of our future villages. They deserve this Fair Funding Plan, this constitutional first step for themselves, our future villages and our representative democracy.
