In a statement titled Reforming Ohio’s Education System for the Modern Economy, the governor's office outlined the education and school funding changes adopted as part of the 2010-11 budget as follows:
Establishing a constitutional funding system and reducing the reliance on local taxpayers
Despite an ongoing recession and budget cuts to many other areas,
Governor Strickland and the state legislature have made unprecedented
investments in Ohio’s system of education to ensure our schools are
constitutionally funded and prepare students with the skills and
knowledge they need to succeed in the jobs of the future.
The
Governor’s plan for reforming Ohio’s schools uses a funding mechanism,
the Ohio evidence-based model, which is founded on what components are
proven to be critical for student success and reduces the overreliance
on local property taxpayers to fund Ohio’s public schools.
A new, constitutional system of funding for Ohio schools
The Governor’s plan:
• Raises the state share of education funding to more than 60 percent when fully phased in FY 2018-2019
•
Eliminates “residual budgeting” by implementing an evidence-based model
that uses research to cost out the components of a quality education
•
Begins the phase out of “phantom revenue” by lowering the state
charge-off to 22-mills this biennium and allowing states to use
conversion levies to reach the 20-mill floor
• Creates the Ohio
School Funding Advisory Council to continuously review and update the
funding formula through recommendations to the governor and legislature
A funding increase for districts, even in difficult budget times
•
With resources (Title 1 and IDEA) from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, all school districts receive an increase in FY 10.
Ohio’s public school districts will receive an average of 5.78 percent
increase in FY 10 (over FY 09) and an average 5.54 percent increase in
FY 11 (over FY
09). * With ARRA resources, five districts receive a decrease in FY 11, the greatest reduction is .6 percent.
•
Under the Governor’s plan, poorer districts receive the largest
financial benefit. Without factoring in federal Title 1/IDEA ARRA
resources, 79 percent of Ohio’s 124 poorest school districts will
receive a funding increase in FY 10 and 85 percent will receive an
increase in FY 11.