Title
To Call On the Ohio General Assembly and Governor DeWine to Fulfill Their Constitutional Duty to Properly Fund the Schools of Ohio
Body
WHEREAS the 134th General Assembly and the 135th General Assembly of Ohio adopted the Ohio Fair School Funding Plan in 2021 and 2023, providing a rational, transparent, comprehensive, and fair system for funding schools based on the actual cost of providing a basic education for all students in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, while the Ohio Fair School Funding plan was adopted in Governor DeWine’s FY 26 and FY 27 executive budget, the plan fails to increase the “base cost” of inputs to match the increased costs to educate Ohio’s students; and
WHEREAS, this failure would functionally cut over $100 million in funding to Ohio schools, including tens of millions of dollars to Columbus City Schools, over the next two years, compromising the integrity of Ohio’s public school system and the future of Columbus children.; and
WHEREAS, the damage caused from this loss of funding for Ohio’s students would abandon the state’s constitutional duty to properly provide its citizens with adequate education; and
WHEREAS, the residents of Columbus City School District have fulfilled their responsibility by passing a levy in November, 2023 to increase revenues for schools, this state cut in school funding would abdicate Ohio’s model of “shared responsibility” to fund education through state and local government; and
WHEREAS, the city of Columbus believes in the invaluable role of education in fostering the next generation of Americans, and understands the Ohio General Assembly has the opportunity to pass the Ohio Fair School Funding Plan with the appropriate increase in base costs for education students; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council hereby calls on the Ohio General Assembly and Governor DeWine to fulfill their constitutional duty to properly fund the schools of Ohio.