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Nov 05

Must be a better way to pay for schools

Published Wednesday, November 05, 2008 4:22 PM by Andy Benson

In Milford, a suburban school district outside Cincinnati, levy supporters were anxious about their 5.5 mill operating levy defeat Tuesday. The loss by only 54 votes is attributed to a poor economy that is forcing voters to make tough choices based on their personal financial situations. Given that Milford has not passed an operating levy in five years, this loss means the school district will likely remain in the state's Fiscal Caution category and will likely not be able to reinstate cuts made earlier. Going forward, they will also have some tough choices to face regarding future levies and spending.

"We need to hear more from the community about their expectations for Milford schools," said Milford Superintendent Bob Farrell. More about Milford.

That's an awful thing to happen to a school district that is perennially rated Excellent on academics.

This is the way it is in Ohio school funding. School districts that find ways to ensure the academic success of their students - thereby earning top ratings for that effort - are nonetheless unable to find stable sources of funding to continue to pay for those successes.

In all, Ohio school districts placed 237 issues on the ballot Tuesday - more levies than the last two general elections combined. Preliminary numbers show that 58% of those levies passed yesterday; 36% failed (and another 5% were not yet decided.) If it holds, that passage rate is higher than last year (54%) and higher than results for last six general elections. You have to go back to 2002, when 59% of the levies passed, to find that kind of success. More election results.

Success came Tuesday to school districts not normally used to it. Levies passed in urban districts like Toledo, Columbus, Youngstown, Dayton, and Lima. Yet, suburban and rural school districts had mixed results. School districts like Bedford and Richmond Heights in Cuyahoga County saw their operating levies fail, while nearby Euclid and Mayfield saw success. More on Mayfield.

But even those who had success yesterday are not convinced we have the right funding system in Ohio. The celebration in Mayfield of the passage of its 6.9 mill operating levy was not even over when district officials concluded: We need to use the same energy and efforts that passed the levy on a much larger goal - changing the school funding system in Ohio.

We agree that there has to be a better way to fund public schools in Ohio.

We are launching this blog today with the fervent hope that Ohio can find a way to remake its public school funding system so that teachers and parents and students have a stable source of revenue to pay for resources that are adequate to reach the standards the state wants them to reach.

Over the coming months, the School Funding Matters initiative wants to explore what the problems really are with this system, debate what the best approach might be to fix those problems, and figure out how to get it done. Ohio won't snap out of its economic doldrums without putting into place a fair and reasonable funding system for its public schools.

That sentiment may or may not win at the ballot box, but it is the right thing to do. Stay tuned.

Comments

formerteacher said:

I used to teach in Milford and I was very disappointed to see that the levy failed. I think it's so interesting that a lot of the schools impacted by the school funding crisis are rated Excellent or Excellent with Distinction.  In talking to people, many average citizens just think that it's the big urban schools or small rural schools who have a problem with school funding. We have to get the word out that the current system impacts all types of schools - even the "excellent" ones. But, I wonder if districts like Milford will be able to keep supplying the same quality educational program and remain "excellent" if they have to keep making big cuts.

November 6, 2008 9:55 AM

Paul Lambert said:

We need to look for a better way organize schools. This notion of community schools is the center of the problem. It has enabled the re-segregation of our metro areas, on both racial and economic dimensions. It has also segregated commercial funding sources from residential suburban school districts. A great read on this subject is "Getting Around Brown" by Gregory Jacobs, available in full text online at the Ohio State University Press.

I am an advocate of a pure voucher-based system much like that described by Milton Friedman in his book "Freedom to Choose."  Let us determine state-wide what a reasonable per-student funding level is (with adjustments for special needs kids), and simply give each kid a voucher for that much money. The mechanism for raising taxes is less important than how it gets redistributed. I say give the same amount to every kid.

That voucher can be submitted to the State for reimbursement only by an accredited school. To be accredited, a school would have to follow state-mandated curriculae and employee appropriate licensed teachers. The school would have to be not-for-profit, with no investors expecting a return. And here's the key - an accredited school would have to accept the State voucher as 100% of the tuition, and any living anywhere in Ohio could attend any accredited school. Transportation would be provided within reasonable distances, including the use of the public transportation network.

Beyond that, let's let competition and innovation decide what our schools look like. Some might have a STEM emphasis, like Metro High School in Columbus. Another might be performing arts. Another athletics. The performing arts schools wouldn't bother building a football stadium, but might have a comprehensive set of musical instruments to loan to its students. The athletics school might have great sports facilities, but no performing arts.

Some school buildings might band together into a 'system,' allowing them to benefit from the economies of scale. Other schools might only have a couple hundred students, like Metro. If we find the local equivalent of Metro is turning away too many students, it creates the opportunity for another group to start a competitive school.

All this stuff works at the collegiate level, why not primary and secondary as well?

And as is the case with the collegiate level, if folks want to donate money above and beyond the voucher income to a school - that's great. But you still have to accept the state voucher as 100% tuition, and be non-discriminatory in your admission policy.

Professional educators hate this idea because it threatens their job security. A school that doesn't deliver will lose students, and therefore funding. The teachers, administrators and staff of that school will lose their jobs.

But those teachers who help make their school successful will be in demand, and will be able to demand salaries commensurate with their individual constributions, not just seniority or credentials.

If we want to prepare our kids for the 21st century, it's less important that we equip them with Algebra II than it is we instill a drive to compete and an understanding of basic economics. The kids with the motivation and brainpower will still take AP classes and go to prestigious universities. We crank out all the engineers and scientists we need. Our country needs more middle-class jobs, not more engineers (and certainly not more lawyers).

Isn't it interesting that the teachers who we entrust to prepare our kids for the 21st century are: a) in a non-competitive profession; and, b) don't know how to manage their own investments (e.g. the STRS).

All this noise about school funding comes from those who simply want the rest of us to keep supporting the same old system. It's time for a radical change. Let's quit talking about raising taxes to prop up the old system and start talking about a new system altogether.

PL

November 6, 2008 2:56 PM

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January 18, 2012 2:03 AM
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Benson

About the Author

Andy Benson has served as an expert commentator and consultant on school funding cases in Ohio. He is currently director of policy for KnowledgeWorks Foundation, where he leads the education philanthropy's efforts to increase learning opportunities in the state and improve the education system. The foundation spearheads the School Funding Matters initiative and has provided support for improvements in high schools, increased adult workforce training opportunities, creation of P-16 collaboratives, and the encouragement of community engagement in the state.

A decade ago, he was founding president of the New Ohio Institute, a statewide public policy think tank that conducted in-depth studies on education, statewide polls and publications that served as a resource to advocates and policymakers across the state. He holds master's degrees from Harvard University and Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree from Ohio University.

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