OHIO SCHOOLS Caravan calls for funding changes

Fourteen caravans and 5,000 supporters were to meet in Columbus today.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CAMPBELL -- Seventy percent of Ohio's schools will be in deficit by 2008 to the sum of some $5 billion, according to the Equal Education and Fair Taxation Task Force.
In March, 228 school districts had levies on the ballot, the most on any ballot since 1992 and the third highest number since 1970.
Voters approved less than half.
Grim statistics, considering the impact failing to adequately fund schools will have on the future of education, said Steven Puck, a member of the Equal Education task force from Medina County.
Paid a visit
Puck visited Campbell Elementary/Middle School on Tuesday morning as part of a caravan to Columbus in support of Project Chalkboard, a grassroots effort to educate legislators about the plight of Ohio's schools and persuade them to change the way schools are funded.
On his way to Columbus, Puck was to stop at eight or nine schools hosting rallies in support of the effort.
Fourteen caravans and 5,000 supporters were to converge on the state capitol today to draw attention to the cause, Puck said. This week, those caravans stopped at more than 70 schools, gathering information about their districts and how funding issues have affected them.
Pupils in the Bristol and Lakeview school districts in Trumbull County had the day off today as their teachers participated in the statewide rally in Columbus.
Children in Campbell sent signs that they had painted along with the caravan. The signs proclaimed "We Love Campbell Schools," "Good Schools Today, Better Schools Tomorrow," "Save Our Education," and "Save Our Schools."
Funding problem
One of the problems with the current system of funding schools, Puck said, is that it is unstable -- residents are least likely to approve levies that would fund schools when the economy is weak. Poorer districts, where residents have lower incomes, are also less likely to approve new taxes, resulting in unequal funding among districts.
Another problem is that property owners shoulder the bulk of the burden. Residents who don't own property don't pay school taxes, and property owners whose properties have higher valuations pay more than those whose real estate valuations are lower.
"The system is broken," Puck said. "We want our legislators to fix it."
Billboards resembling school blackboards with bright yellow lettering carried in the bed of pickup trucks lead each of the caravans.
The billboards read: "Fix School Funding Now!
"Quality Education for All Students.
"Financial Stability for All School Districts.
"Tax Relief for All Property Owners."
A better way
Puck suggests that schools across Ohio be funded by sales taxes or income taxes, or a combination of the two, and that all funding be pooled and distributed among all school districts, evening out and stabilizing funding across the state.
The caravan visited Campbell because the president of the teachers' union recognized that it is a district "greatly affected" by the current system, said Kathleen Yeloushan, principal of kindergarten through eighth grade.
Pupils attending the rally, Yeloushan said, "understand that funding for all schools should be equitable. We have a very diverse community. We have 28 nationalities in this building. We value equality. That's what we're about."
kubik@vindy.com