OHIO EDUCATION School levy losses renew debate about funding

A misperception is that the system is fixed, an education professor said.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Voters defeated half the school tax requests before them, renewing the debate over the best way to pay for education in Ohio.
"The system's broken," Jeffrey Weaver, superintendent of Medina schools in Northeast Ohio, said Wednesday. Voters there rejected for the third time a proposed $8 million annual levy -- this time by just 125 votes.
The 50 percent passage for 286 issues Tuesday night is down from the average passage rate of about 59 percent in the previous five November elections.
Education groups put the issue tally even higher, at 307, the most since 1976. The Ohio Department of Education combined multiple levies at a single district into one vote, resulting in the 286 figure.
Cleveland rejects plan
Levies for big city districts passed in Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. But Cleveland voters rejected a proposal that would have raised $68 million a year.
"We still have 70,000 children to educate, and we will do our absolute best with our strained resources," Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell said.
Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court ended a 12-year-old lawsuit over school funding that helped add billions in state funding for schools but still left the system unconstitutional, favoring rich districts over poor, according to the court.
In wealthy Beachwood schools in suburban Cleveland, for example, the district raises 85 percent of the $18,600 it spends on each student locally.
By contrast, East Clinton schools in southwest Ohio raises just 35 percent of the $7,600 it spends on students from local voters; the rest comes from state funding.
Supreme Court
An alliance of moderate Republicans and Democrats on the state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 three times against the system. But after Tuesday's election Republicans now dominate the court 6-1 and another court challenge is unlikely for now.
Nevertheless, "There will continue to be pressure mounting for another look at school funding," said Tom Sutton, a Baldwin-Wallace College political analyst who studies education funding.
The fact that the court has ended its involvement may be confusing voters about districts' needs, said Scott Sweetland, an Ohio State education professor.
"A lot of publicity has led people to think schools are receiving a lot more school funding and the school-funding system is fixed," Sweetland said. "What people want to believe is if the court isn't maintaining active jurisdiction, therefore the problem must be fixed."
The Republican-controlled House and Senate have been reluctant to make wholesale changes to school funding, though they poured billions of dollars of additional money into the system to try to satisfy the court.
Tuesday, Democrats wrested back three seats from the GOP majority, creating a 59-40 split in the House, a change that could give some additional impetus to addressing school funding.
Also, a committee created by Gov. Bob Taft to study school funding is expected to make recommendations in time for the next two-year budget, to be introduced in January.
But education groups say the changes must be part of a debate over Ohio's tax system, which has been criticized for high rates and numerous corporate giveaways, meaning actual revenue is declining.
"If we are to expect a long-term reliable source of revenue to pay for all the state's obligations for services, this reform must take place," said Barbara Shaner, legislative affairs director for the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.
Investment
The Education Department warned Wednesday that school funding must be considered an investment, not a cost.
"We must continue to provide resources for public education to educate all students and to make all Ohio schools high-performing," department spokesman J.C. Benton said.
Medina has already cut $8.6 million over two years, including 77 positions. It will cut busing for about 3,600 students and lay off 50 to 70 more employees, Weaver said. The district will try again in the spring to pass the levy.
"I just don't think the economy is in a good time right now," he said. "A lot of people told us, 'We have nothing against the schools, we just can't afford it right now.'"