Jackson holds town hall meeting

By Sean Barron

Bus service and the county’s 911 centers were among the topics discussed.

NORTH JACKSON — What should be done to create a more equitable state school funding formula that’s also in compliance with several Ohio Supreme Court rulings?

That was on the minds of several people who attended a two-hour town hall meeting Thursday at the Jackson Township government center.

More than 100 people attended the session, put together by the Mahoning County Township Association, which represents the county’s 14 townships.

The gathering gave residents and others an opportunity to address their concerns to elected officials representing a variety of levels of state government.

School-related matters seemed to weigh heavily on many people’s minds, as several residents inquired about why many districts continue to be funded via the formula, which three state Supreme Court rulings have declared unconstitutional.

State Sen. John Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd, blamed in large part the state Legislature, saying that the formula causes many of Ohio’s 611 districts to have to operate in the red by taking funds arbitrarily.

In addition, the state has placed too much money into charter schools, many of which, he said, have little accountability and do not show higher test scores than their public counterparts.

“We should not have two public school systems in Ohio, one that’s accountable and one that’s not,” Boccieri said.

“The General Assembly must address this,” added state Rep. Ron Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th.

Dr. Jeffrey Tharpe, a member of the Jackson-Milton Board of Education, asked Boccieri what he felt would be a fairer formula.

In the past, the state paid about 60 percent of education costs, with the rest coming from local districts. More recently, though, it was about 48 percent and 52 percent from the state and districts, respectively. Gov. Ted Strickland’s budget calls for the state to pay around 55 percent, he noted.

In a related matter, a few people asked why more money through the Ohio Lottery doesn’t go directly into education.

Boccieri noted that the state spends about $18 billion on public education every two years. Of that, roughly $600 million to $900 million, or 6 percent, comes from the lottery system, he pointed out.

A Jackson Township man expressed concerns about what could happen if an old sewer interceptor line near Meander Reservoir breaks.

The interceptor, which was installed in the late 1960s or early ’70s, is inspected annually, and the amount of material that flows through won’t harm the reservoir, explained Joseph Warino, Mahoning County sanitary engineer.

Other topics discussed included the county’s 911 system, whether bus service should be available in more rural areas, and a statute allowing the Mill Creek Park board of directors to expand from three members to five.

Judge Mark Belinky of Mahoning County Probate Court, who was at the meeting, recently put forth such a proposal he said would make the body more representative of those who live in the county. All three members are from Boardman.