RubberBuzz || Akron Unleashed: Educate Ohio: A Real Solution?

5.10.2005

Educate Ohio: A Real Solution?

I've never understood school funding. It seems to me that the education of future generations should be the highest priority of both the federal and state government. But, unfortunately, this isn't the case.

Ohio is an extreme example of this. Our constitution requires the state to provide public education but it's doesn't require them to fund it. So for years, school districts have had to beg, borrow & threaten to get the money they need through property and other taxes. It's become impossible to get school issues passed. Schools are going so far as to program kids to go home and sell a levy to their parents. Have you ever tried to explain to an 8 year-old child why you just can't afford another tax increase? People have gotten fed up and who can blame them?

Educate Ohio may be the solution. It's a proposed constitutional amendment that will force the state to provide adequate public school funding. According to the website, Educate Ohio will:

Establish that every school-age child has the fundamental right to high quality educational opportunities
Establish the Ohio Educational Opportunities Commission, which would identify on a biennial basis, the components of high quality educational opportunities for all students
Require the State Board of Education to conduct expert studies to determine the cost of the high quality educational opportunities components identified by the Commission and certify such to the General Assembly
Require the General Assembly to fund the total actual cost minus 15 mills of local property tax
Eliminate all real property tax millage for school district current expenses exceeding 15 mills
Allow districts to increase millage for programming beyond state defined high quality
Hold school districts harmless in state and local revenue at their current level

This plan has already been endorsed by quite a few school districts, organizations, and city governments. RubberBuzz doesn't know enough about it yet to officially endorse it but we'll certainly be keeping an eye on it. Something needs to be done to get the attention of Columbus. Educate Ohio needs 350,000 signatures by August to be included on the November ballot. Check it out and decide for yourself.

Medina Gazette :: School funding amendment makes sense

(Mia :: Educate Ohio: A Real Solution?)

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