The budget approved by Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate would put a 40% cap on how much cash K-12 schools can carry over in their budgets before having to give property tax rebates. And while K-12 spending in the budget is based on the Fair School Funding Plan, the data used for it was not current, meaning fewer dollars for schools.
As Ohio lawmakers debated the budget inside the Statehouse, a group of teachers and public school employees rallied outside.
“This legislature is choosing to underfund public schools by nearly $2 billion, continue to expand vouchers that go to unaccountable private schools, cut taxes for wealthy people and spend $600 million for billionaire owners of the Cleveland Browns," said Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro.
DiMauro said he expects districts all over the state will be forced to cut programs and increase class sizes because they won't be getting the funds they need to keep up with costs.
Many districts testified they will be in fiscal emergency under this budget, particularly since it only allows a limited carryover of collected property tax year to year. The House budget capped the carryover at 30% of a district's operating budget; the Senate budget went to 50%. The compromise budget landed on a 40% cap. Anything above that would have to be given back to property taxpayers.
DiMauro said his group will be fighting against the Republican lawmakers who passed this budget. And he thinks many Ohioans will remember is responsible for this budget next November.
"I think Ohioans are waking up and you are going to see people across the state really stand up to the majority," DiMauro said.
Republicans defend ed changes in budget
Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) called the complaints of the teachers "hyperbole." He said Ohioans are fed up with high property taxes.
"We see school districts carrying over, in some cases 70, 80, 90%, sometimes well over 100% of their annual expenditures year to year," McColley said. "It stands to reason that there should be an explanation for why they need to carry over that much money while they're charging very high property taxes. So this will deliver needed relief."
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said lawmakers heard testimony from Ohioans who had to take out mortgages on their home to pay their property taxes because they have gotten so high in recent years.
"What we are really trying to do is make sure all of these things are addressed and that there's actually real property tax relief," Huffman said. "For the first time in really decades we are doing that."
Democrats see it differently
Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said schools are being unfairly blamed for property tax increases. She said those hikes have come from out-of-control property value inflation caused by real estate speculators buying up large amounts of property all over the country. And she said Republicans came into the process with their minds made up that they wouldn't fund the final two years of the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, which passed in 2021 and had been used in the previous two budgets.
"The Republican majority came into the budget saying it's not sustainable," Antonio said. "But then they found $600 million for a sports franchise. I mean, that shows me that it's just misplaced priorities."
Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland), who was on the conference committee for this budget cycle, said Republicans shirked their constitutional obligation for Ohio lawmakers to fund public schools, but kept a billion dollars in the budget for the EdChoice program to provide taxpayer-paid vouchers for private schools.
"It does not say in the Constitution that we should spend hard-earned Ohioans' tax money on private schools to individuals who are clearly already paying for it. You can see the values that they are doing this budget when you look at the increases," Sweeney said. "More than 80% of our school students go to public schools. Private students got more than them in this budget."
Budget includes other changes to education
The budget also allows for educational savings accounts for students in non-chartered schools—most of which are religious— so they can use vouchers too. The budget also essentially completes an overhaul of the State Board of Education by eliminating all elected members and reducing the panel to five appointees of the governor. And local school board candidates would have to run for those seats under partisan labels.
The budget now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature. The deadline is June 30.
