Rep. Sweeney Warns of State Funding Cuts, Property Tax Increases in Governor's Public School Funding Proposal

COLUMBUS – As the Ranking Member of the Ohio House Finance Committee, State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) today issued the following statement on the governor’s biennial budget proposal for K-12 public schools:

“Fully and fairly funding Ohio’s public schools requires accounting for inflation and basing our calculations on the actual cost of educating our kids–the governor’s proposal doesn’t do that. Schools are facing rising costs for everything from classroom supplies to building maintenance, to teacher salaries. Failing to adjust to this reality will result in a reduction of the state’s share of education funding and local communities will be forced to either raise property taxes or make cuts to essential services that directly impact students,” said Rep. Sweeney.

The governor’s proposal reflects a $103 million decrease in formula funding for Ohio’s 609 public school districts over the biennium. 356 of those districts (58%) will receive a combined $500 million less in state aid by FY27 than what they are receiving today despite many of those same districts gaining students. District-level data shows that multiple school districts have gained students every year since 2020 but stand to lose millions in state funds under the governor’s proposal.

Public education funding in Ohio has long been a shared responsibility between the state and local communities. In 1997, when the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that the state’s school funding system was unconstitutional for relying too heavily on local property taxes, the state contributed 44% of the funds for public education on average. The governor’s budget proposal would cut the state’s share to just 32%, creating a funding disparity that is even worse than what was deemed unconstitutional and unfair to property taxpayers more than two decades ago.

“The State is choosing to fail taxpayers and our kids–we have the tax revenues necessary to solve this problem yet we are choosing not to. The Legislature failing to fully fund public schools while increasing funding for less-accountable education alternatives disregards the needs of the vast majority of Ohio students who are served by public schools and is unfair to Ohio homeowners who will be asked to pay more to make up the difference. If the Legislature fails to act, Ohioans will face even higher property taxes, fewer opportunities for students, and long-term damage to Ohio’s economic future,” added Rep. Sweeney.

The governor’s proposal increases funding for private school vouchers by $265 million over the biennium. Statistics from the recent expansion show that 96% of recipients were already enrolled in private schools, and 90% of schools accepting EdChoice vouchers increased tuition by nearly 20% on average. The governor’s proposal also increases funding for charter schools by $222 million over the biennium.

House Bill 96 awaits further consideration in the House Finance Committee.