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Schools Upset About Pupil Transportation Funding Cut

Credit oasbo-ohio.org

The Ohio House and Senate increased the amount the state will spend on its 610 school districts beyond Governor John Kasich’s original budget proposal. 

But  school leaders are concerned about a cut in all three versions of the two-year state budget bill. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.

The Senate budget puts $271 million more into schools than the House budget does, meaning that only about 75 districts will get less money than they got last year. But school leaders say the largest general revenue fund cut to any part of the budget is in student transportation – a cut of $100 million. Barbara Shaner is with the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.

“If you can’t get them there, obviously you can’t have them in the classroom, and we see that as almost as an important as the things that we would put in the classroom.”

Districts say pupil transportation was already underfunded, and Shaner says that money for buses will have to be made up locally – either through levies or cuts to other programs.

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