school funding

The budget approved by Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate puts a 40% cap on how much cash K-12 schools can carry over in their budgets before having to give property tax rebates.

The Ohio protestors marched around the city block that surrounds the Statehouse Thursday evening.

The report took a look at the House-passed budget and its effect on schools in Ohio's Appalachian region.

The change involved a small tweak to the plan to give property tax relief to people in Ohio school districts that lawmakers think have too much reserve money in their operating budgets.

There are questions about the provision that allows Ohio's public school districts to hold only 25% of their operating budget in reserve.

The House version of Gov. Mike DeWine's budget doesn't include implementation of the two final years of the bipartisan plan designed to make public K-12 funding in Ohio more fair.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters the current legislature cannot be held to implement something former legislatures have done.

Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters he doubts lawmakers can use the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan that's been used by two previous general assemblies.

A nuance in Ohio’s property tax law means the state’s school districts are on the ballot year after year after year. That can lead to fatigue and make levies hard to pass.

There are some big departures from Gov. Mike DeWine's initial budget, and it passed the committee nearly unanimously.