Stephen Dyer, former legislator in Ohio, casts a critical eye at Governor John Kasich’s budget.
The governor says the dumistricts willing to tax themselves more will get more, and those who don’t, won’t. Dyer points out that the state courts have ruled four times that the state has the constitutional obligation to fund education.
He says even if funding is equitable, it is not sufficient to be adequate. And that’s not fair.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Desperate But Equal …
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Here’s a handy little tool to determine if you’re a “winner” or a “loser” district in Ohio.
About half of us lost.
We have a real conundrum in my county, because 1 district “won” and every other district lost. Am I rooting for neighboring public schools to lose so I win? That’s not my definition of winning. I think we all lose.
What is this based on? I’m wondering why the lowest income district in my county lost. Are we punishing them for some alleged infraction? How did I “win” from taking state tax money from children just like mine who are 10 miles away?
Kasich and his merry band of privatizers managed to find still more funding for the charter sector, yet half of the unfashionable public sector schools that educate 90% of Ohio kids lose funding. Are ed reformers just lousy advocates for public schools or is this deliberate?
If you’re in a loser district, be sure and ask your state representative why they don’t act as advocates for public schools in their districts. Ask them why they’re setting this up as some ridiculous Hunger Games competition, where people in the same county are competing for the money they all just sent to Columbus.
http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2015/02/ohio_school_district_winners_l.html?appSession=464491018147388&cbSearchAgain=true&AppKey=95d310001a032ba0a02a42139806
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I bet we find out this was designed by national ed reformers, because it has nothing to do with the reality of public schools in Ohio:
“What this new formula demonstrates pretty clearly is this: without adequate resources, it is impossible to only take from the state’s wealthiest districts and give only to the poorest. In order to provide for the state’s poorest districts, you have to take from its middle class and even some poor districts as well.
There is no better demonstration of inadequacy than the two districts that get the most equivalent mills removed and added to their bottom lines. Scioto Valley residents, who make $25,162 have to raise more than 5 mills to replace their cut — the state’s largest loss. Western Local residents, who make a bit less at $24,223 will see the equivalent of 24.8 mills in new state money coming to their district.
What’s significant about these two outcomes?
The districts are in the same county and actually share a border. Yet one loses the largest equivalent millage and the other gains the largest equivalent millage.”
This was designed for a state with only two kinds of schools-wealthy and poor. That isn’t the reality of the vast majority of Ohio public schools. I wonder which national ed reform lobbying group or think tank came up with it. It tracks their ridiculously narrow, compartmentalized thinking and NATIONAL view.
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Kasich is on a crusade to eliminate the income tax. To do this, he is tax shifting onto the backs of the middle class by raising the sales tax. This is under the guise of “choice” because people can decide not to buy goods and services. Hmmm. Wonder, then, if the Republicans would favor a choice-oriented luxury tax to restore progressive taxation and fairness? We do not have a supply side problem in Ohio, we have a demand problem. Companies are sitting on piles of cash home and abroad. They do not invest because there are no customers. By penalizing consumption in favor of wealth, Kasich is suppressing Ohio’s ability to grow and as such denying opportunity. So much for the recent GOP interest in the middle class.
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Utah is usually given recognition for being one of the most equitable states in school funding. But that doesn’t mean anything when you realize that Utah spends only about $6100 per student per year, and is looking to cut 2% from the education budget this year. All while sitting on a budget surplus of $638 million and bragging that the economy rebounded in Utah faster than anywhere else. Students and teachers don’t get to share in that success, I guess. http://www.sltrib.com/news/2140447-155/committee-approves-60m-cut-to-utah
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