Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

School Funding Overhaul Could Be More Expensive Than Predicted

Karen Kasler

The school funding formula that’s in the latest version of the two-year state budget now being considered by the Ohio Senate will likely cost more than expected. The formula passed by the House last month seeks to calculate state aid based on 60 percent property values and 40 percent income in each school district. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports.

Republican Senate Education Committee chair Andrew Brenner says the House version of the school funding overhaul would need an extra $1.8 billion to fully fund it over the six-year phase in. But he says that used teacher and school employee salary data from 2018.

“We updated a couple of weeks ago, and the salary data is now from 2020, but that added another $454 million short. So we’re closer to about $2.2, $2.3 billion short over the six year period.”

The House budget puts some money toward the overhaul, but leaves most of the extra funding to future legislators to allocate. It also absorbs more than a billion dollars that Gov. Mike DeWine had set aside for separate tutoring, mental health and other wellness programs for low-income students.

Related Content