Public Education Supporters Respond to Governor DeWine’s Proposed Biennial Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 31, 2023
Contact:
Neil Bhaerman, OFT Communications Director, 412-266-4899, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org
Katie Olmsted, OEA Media Relations Consultant, 614-560-6299, olmstedk@ohea.org
Maki Somosot, OOC Communications & Narrative Director, 720-487-6632, maki@ohorganizing.org
Ben Stein, PMO Communications Manager, 216-361-9801, bstein@policymattersohio.org
COLUMBUS, OH — Today, leaders from the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), Policy Matters Ohio (PMO), Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), and Ohio Education Association (OEA), responded to Governor DeWine’s proposed biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. OFT, OEA, OOC, and PMO worked together throughout the last budget cycle as the All in For Ohio Kids coalition, which supported fair and equitable school funding. The coalition helped pass the partial implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan within the state budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
OOC Co-Executive Director Molly Shack, PMO Executive Director Hannah Halbert, OFT President Melissa Cropper, and OEA President Scott DiMauro released the following joint statement:
“No matter where they live or what they look like, all of Ohio’s kids deserve a public school that inspires their creativity, unlocks their potential, and nurtures their dreams. But according to the EdWeek Research Center, Ohio is among the least equitable states for education resource distribution in the country. While we recognize Governor DeWine’s commitment to continuing implementation of the Cupp-Patterson school funding formula, also known as the Fair School Funding Plan, we are calling on Ohio’s lawmakers to take bold action and implement full funding for that plan.
Fully and fairly funding Ohio’s public schools will give school districts a permanent, adequate, stable funding stream that will allow them to make necessary investments to meet the needs of students and address education staffing shortages. Legislators should also avoid competing funding obligations, such as an expansion of private school vouchers or charter schools, that would hinder our ability to fully fund the public schools that 90% of Ohio students attend.
For decades, Ohio policymakers had allowed unconstitutional funding guidelines to determine how resources flow to our public schools. The Fair School Funding Plan created a student-centered school funding formula which put us on the path toward finally meeting our constitutional obligation to Ohio’s students. However, without fully phasing in the necessary funding levels we are still falling short of what our children deserve.
Ohio’s students can’t wait any longer for lawmakers to deliver on the promise of world-class opportunities for all. We urge legislative leaders to finish what they started, refine the components of the school funding formula, and finally dedicate the resources needed for each and every Ohio student to succeed.”
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All In For Ohio Kids represents a broad coalition of concerned organizations and individuals who are working together to fully and fairly fund our schools.
