Ohioans can help decide what kind of schools they want and how to pay for those schools.
Gov. Ted Strickland
While running for governor, Ted Strickland vowed to resolve the school funding problem, saying "If I become governor and ... fail to address this school-funding issue, I will have been a failed governor."
Gov. Strickland is beginning by addressing education reform, reasoning that we must know what kind of education system we want and need before we figure out how to pay for it. He has pledged to unveil his plan for both reforming and funding education in 2009.
The governor is providing opportunities for the public to be directly engaged in this process, and his focus on school reform and school funding has catalyzed other groups to each out for ideas and input from the public.
Town Hall Meetings
Gov. Strickland began by hosting 12 "Conversation on Education" sessions with citizens throughout Ohio. The conversations focused on the six principles for education reform the governor laid out in his State of the State address as well as specific policy ideas for making sure that Ohio's schools are "among the best in the world and meet the needs of every child."
The second series of meetings to discuss school funding specifically were conducted in November and December.
Learn more about Gov. Strickland's education meetings.
Watch Parties
The governor encouraged citizens to organize watch parties tied to the town hall meetings where people could watch the broadcast/webcast meetings and participate in a facilitated discussion after the broadcast to be shared with governor. Similar watch parties are likely during the school funding sessions and can offer a unique opportunity for you and your neighbors to be heard.
Learn more about watch parties.
School Funding Matters
To ensure that as many Ohioans as possible take part in shaping school funding policy, School Funding Matters is engaging a wide audience in the debate.
Grassroots Meetings
School Funding Matters, an initiative of KnowledgeWorks Foundation, is partnering with The Ohio Public School Dialogue to provide citizens across the state with an interactive, engaging way to develop a deeper understanding of Ohio's school funding system and create community dialogue. Using an interactive learning map that plays like a game, these meetings provide citizens an opportunity to express their opinions about solving school funding locally and to make informed judgments about statewide policy efforts. They also provide tools that allow participants to take information back to their community and communicate critical school funding issues with key constituent groups.
Education Voters of Ohio Listening Tour
KnowledgeWorks has partnered with Education Voters of Ohio as they host a series of listening tours across the state to talk about the governor's six principles and the future of education. The information gathered from these meetings is being provided to the governor as feedback.
Find meeting dates.