Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) is a non-profit regional law firm that provides high quality legal assistance in civil matters to help eligible low-income individuals and groups in western Ohio achieve self reliance, and equal justice and economic opportunity.
Make Your Voice Heard: Support Full Funding for Ohio's Public Schools
It is Ohio state budget time. You can and should have a voice in school funding!
Budgets show what we value. They show whether we put our money where our mouth is. The state’s share of public school funding is a key part of the budget.
Public schools are our collective promise to educate all children. No matter their zip code, whether rural or urban. No matter how much money their family has or their race, health, or needs. We promise all children that we will give them an education so they can shape the future.
Funding public schools thoroughly is the only way for all children to get the opportunities in life they deserve. And it’s a promise in our Ohio Constitution. It says our lawmakers must fund a “thorough and efficient system of common schools.”
For too long, Ohio has not done that. And the current Ohio Budget Bill leaves a better plan unfinished.
The Fair School Funding Plan is the better plan. Legislators from both parties and school leaders from big and small schools around Ohio worked for years on it. They figured out the real costs of educating kids. They made a formula to ensure school districts with less local property wealth get greater state funding to give all kids the same chances. Studies established the real costs of educating kids with specific needs: children like students with disabilities, learning English, in career-tech, or low-income.
The Fair School Funding Plan was part-way funded in the last two Ohio budgets. The expectation was that base child costs would get fully funded this year. Added funding for children with specific needs should have started. Sadly, the Ohio House of Representatives did not do that in their version of the budget. That shortchanges children.
The Ohio Senate can change that. Our Senators can instead move the Fair School Funding Plan forward. They are holding public comment hearings over the next several weeks.
Your voice matters now! Anyone who cares can call State Senators and tell them their opinion. People can email Senators. Their offices track and log all of this. People can go in person to hearings or submit written comments online.
See how the Fair School Funding Plan would help your local district: https://www.allinforohiokids.com/fsfp-explorer
See how the House’s version of the Budget would change from the Plan: Click to find your district: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zyg_xkHNJDq7uj0YcCe-nyVQ-uHjcfk6
Use an email starter from All in for Ohio Kids: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-rep-to-protect-education-for-all-our-kids/
Explore the All in for Ohio Kids Toolkits and Fact Sheets that anyone can use: https://www.allinforohiokids.com/our-values
League of Women Voters of Ohio has more: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTe59D6qWVrvW1jVSlKyqDrWhjoVBZzVzYSrzgTII--Dwo16pj-N8ny7OjSDJVPPQ/pub
And the League of Women Voters of Ohio is doing Education Budget Sessions:
“Join us on Zoom to first learn the best messaging to connect with the Senate Finance and Education Committees and then write a personal message supporting Ohio's public schools to send that same night. We're doing these Zooms twice: first to talk about the Ohio House budget bill that already passed that the Ohio Senate Finance Committee will be voting on, and second to talk about the budget bill the Senate is writing themselves.”
May 14 @ 7pm: Register here
May 21 @ 7pm: Register here
ABLE can also help people with the process. Email Renee Murphy at rmurphy@ablelaw.org.