Backers of a bipartisan school funding formula overhaul are again trying to get it passed after failing to get their new formula in the state budget.
The backers have made changes and the measure is now a stand-alone bill. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
The bill would set a base amount of funding for each student, allow extra dollars for students needing special services and would lift funding caps that are now in place for high growth school districts. Democratic sponsor John Patterson says 2/3 of the Ohio House has already signed onto it.
“We must do this now, on our watch.”
Co-sponsoring Republican and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bob Cupp says he thinks this plan would finally make school funding constitutional. Most districts don’t get the funding the current formula calculates they should get. A previous version of the Cupp/Patterson formula got criticism for flat-funding of some of the most economically challenged districts while boosting funding to some fast-growing high-wealth districts.
