The DeRolph decisions
In 1991, the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, an alliance of more than 500 school districts, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nathan DeRolph, a student at Sheridan High School in the Northern Local School District in Perry County. The lawsuit claimed that by relying so heavily on local property taxes to fund schools the state failed to provide a "thorough and efficient" educational system, as dictated by the Ohio Constitution.
In 1997, and in several other rulings since, the Ohio Supreme Court declared Ohio's school funding system inequitable and ruled it unconstitutional, directing the legislature to enact a "complete, systemic overhaul."
Follow the timeline of Ohio's school funding issue.
The legislative response
In the years since the Supreme Court ruling, the Ohio General Assembly has enacted several pieces of legislation aimed at correcting problems identified by the court.
To address infrastructure... the Ohio School Facilities Commission was created in 1997, providing more than $2.3 billion, primarily in tobacco settlement money, to fund a statewide effort to rebuild schools rated as the worst in the nation. (GAO study, 1996)
To address adequacy... The consulting firm Augenblick and Meyers completed a "costing out" study in 1997 to determine what would be adequate funding to educate a student in Ohio. While this study produced an increase in funding, rising 37.5% from 1997 to 2002, the model used has been deemed flawed by some, who argue that it does not accurately capture the costs of adequately educating a student.
To address equity... Parity aid, which provides additional funding to districts with low property values, was introduced in 2001 to help close the gap between rich and poor districts. Additionally, the legislature responded to the court decisions by favoring low wealth districts with equity aid.
To address funding... In 1999, House Bill 282 marked the first time the state created an education budget separate from its main operating budget, a move aimed at keeping education spending from being overlooked in the larger general fund budget.
Ballot initiatives
In addition to legislation, ballot initiatives proposing solutions have been introduced.
Sales tax. In 1998, Ohio voters rejected 1 cent sales tax increase to raise $1.1 billion a year, half for schools and half for property-tax relief.
Getting It Right Campaign. After four failed attempts to revamp the school funding system through the courts, the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding shifted its energies to placing a constitutional measure on the ballot. The group sought an amendment that would address the concerns of the DeRolph cases, a campaign called Getting It Right For Ohio's Future. The coalition has not been successful in obtaining the signatures needed to put it on the ballot.
Learn more about the current condition of school funding.
Make a difference
With political attention now closely focused on the issue of school funding, Ohio citizens have a unique opportunity to decide what kind of schools they want and how to pay for those schools.
Find out how you can make a difference.