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Feature Post #2
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Let’s get the facts straight on public school funding
By Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President
As a high school social studies teacher, I was always struck by what the then-future US President John Adams said during the criminal trial following the Boston Massacre: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
The fact is that Ohio’s public schools serve nearly 90 percent of students in our state. And, despite recent claims that attempt to twist the truth around public school funding in Ohio, the evidence is clear: More work must be done to finally fully and fairly fund our public schools, so that every child – regardless of where they live, what they look like, or how much money their parents make – can receive the excellent education they deserve.
The fact is that Ohio’s public schools are funded from the same line item in the state budget as private school vouchers. The last state budget did provide “record funding” for that line item, as indeed, anytime there’s an increase, that would set a new record. As noted in recent news coverage, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce doesn’t yet know how much the state’s new universal voucher program will cost this year. But, with the explosion in the number of wealthier families taking public taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition for students who were already attending private schools in the first place, it is clear the state’s spending on the universal voucher program will far exceed the original budget estimates.
So, the fact is, when it comes time to pass the next state budget in 2025, that leaves less money in that line item for Ohio’s public schools. Exactly how much less and how will that impact public schools? It’s unclear. But, the uncertainty around those questions is causing school districts across the state to hold onto larger reserves to weather future state funding shortfalls, and in some cases, has prevented districts from feeling comfortable spending down the soon-to-expire federal pandemic-relief money that is currently inflating some of the figures. In the end, that uncertainty is hurting our students, as money that should be used to recruit and retain public school educators, address students’ mental health needs, and make up for lost ground remains unspent.
The Fair School Funding Plan, when fully implemented with updated formula components, should remove that uncertainty. Based on years of work and input from stakeholders across the board, the Fair School Funding Plan, which the state began phasing in in the FY 2022-23 budget, is meant to accurately account for how much it costs to educate a child and how much a local community can actually afford to pay toward that. And, it provides a predictable funding model, so school districts can accurately plan ahead. If the Fair School Funding Plan is fully phased in in the next state budget, as it was always intended to be, Ohio would finally have a constitutional school funding formula for the first time since the state supreme court started telling the legislature to stop chronically underfunding our public schools and truly fix the problems back in 1997.
Our lawmakers need to fulfill Ohio’s promise to our kids and commit to fully adopting the Fair School Funding Plan. They need to ensure that public tax dollars spent on private school vouchers come with the same academic and financial accountability as the dollars we spend on our public schools. They need to focus on providing the supports and resources our students need to succeed in a 21st century economy, because in Ohio, public education matters.
Fear and Power: What Really Drives Issue 1
By Julie Holderbaum, Minerva EA/OEA
A teacher tells his students that phones are not allowed in class. One day, a student points out that the teacher is often on his phone. The teacher replies that the rule doesn’t apply to him, only to them.
A student turns in a research paper a day after it is due. The student knows that 10% will be deducted from the final score, which is the teacher’s late work policy established at the beginning of the year. However, the paper is returned with 50% deducted from the grade. When the student questions the teacher, the teacher simply says that she changed the rules.
A teacher decides to allow students to vote on whether to have homework assignments during the school year and 59% of the students vote not to have homework. When the teacher shares the results, a majority of the students rejoice! But then the teacher announces that since the NO votes didn’t reach 60%, homework is going to stay.
Any credibility these teachers had would be damaged at best and quite possibly destroyed by these actions. Not following their own rules? Changing the established, fair policies to much harsher ones? Eliminating majority rule? These teachers would be viewed by their students as hypocritical, manipulative, and untrustworthy…which is exactly how we should view the Ohio legislators who support Issue 1.
Ohio Legislators are failing to follow their own rules
In December 2022, the Ohio General Assembly voted to eliminate August elections in most cases. But now those same lawmakers argue that the rule they enacted doesn’t apply to them; it only applies to small, local elections.
Why the change of heart? Because a grassroots group of Ohio citizens has submitted petitions to get an amendment on the November ballot that would protect reproductive rights in Ohio.1
Many Republicans, who hold a supermajority in Ohio, do not want to see the citizen-based reproductive rights amendment pass in Ohio. Look, reasonable people can have reasonable disagreements on reproductive rights. But changing the rules to rig the democratic process is not what Ohioans want, and that is exactly what corrupt politicians did when, in spite of banning special elections in August less than a year ago, they put Issue 1 on the August Special Election in an effort to preempt the November election and make it more difficult for a citizen-based amendment to pass.
Ohio Legislators are changing well-established, fair policies.
Proponents of Issue 1 say its purpose is to defend the Ohio Constitution against frequent attacks of special interest groups. What legislators are really trying to protect is their own power and take freedoms and rights away from the citizens of our state. When Ohioans made it clear that we are willing to exercise our rights to try to amend the Constitution when legislators fail to represent our values, the legislature put an issue on the ballot that would make it difficult for citizens to ever again affect a change in the Constitution.
It is already extremely difficult for a citizen-led group to get an amendment to the Constitution on the ballot. There are multiple steps that require signature gatherers to obtain certification from the Ohio Attorney General, the Ohio Ballot Board and meet signature thresholds both at the statewide level and in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Since 1913, only 71 citizen-based amendments have made it to the ballot, and of those, only 19 were approved by the voters. This is most certainly not an overused tactic to change the Ohio Constitution.
If Issue 1 passes, instead of meeting the signature requirement in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties to move a proposal to the ballot, the threshold would need to be met in all of Ohio’s 88 counties, giving a single county the ability to thwart the will of the remaining 87. Issue 1 also eliminates the 10-day period petitioners have to gather more signatures if not enough of the original signatures meet the requirements. These harsher demands make getting a citizen-led proposed amendment to the Constitution extraordinarily unlikely and cede all ability to amend the Constitution to deep pocketed special interest groups (some of whom may not even be in Ohio) and the Ohio General Assembly.
Ohio Legislators are ending majority rule.
In the unlikely event that an amendment makes it to the ballot, Issue 1 would require that 60% of Ohioans must approve an amendment in order for it to pass, as opposed to the current standard of a simple majority, 50% + 1. (Ironically, Issue 1 only needs a simple majority to pass). Majority rule has been the default threshold for victory in Ohio elections for more than 100 years, but fearful of losing their power to ordinary (and organized) citizens, the legislature decided to change what determines a winner mid-game, handing the ability to veto the will of the majority of voters to a minority of the vote. Issue 1 is an attack on our voting rights, plain and simple.
It’s crucial to remember, however, that Issue 1 is not about abortion.
Issue 1 is about all citizen-proposed amendments to the constitution, not just one, as Secretary of State Frank LaRose says. He stated (rather disrespectfully, I would argue): “(Issue 1 is) 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November.”2 Jam it through? Is that how he views Ohio citizens who exercise their democratic rights by following the legal (and lengthy) process to make changes to the state constitution?
Let’s be real. The move to protect reproductive rights is simply the catalyst causing our legislators to fear losing their unilateral power.
They’ve managed to largely protect their own power by gerrymandering the state, but citizen-based amendments to the constitution represent a threat that there is no easy way to quell, short of changing both the rules that have been well- established for years, and the rules they set themselves less than a year ago.
Regardless of the outcome of Issue 1 in August, the reproductive rights amendment is heading for the November ballot. I urge you to base your vote in November on your feelings about abortion and reproductive rights.
But I beg you, don’t base your vote in August on your feelings about abortion and reproductive rights. Issue 1 has nothing to do with that. Issue 1 has everything to do with an already powerful legislature trying to further silence their constituents. Their gerrymandered supermajority affords them the ability to pass a myriad of laws with impunity, but that’s not enough for them. They want to take away one of the only guardrails we have left as citizens to determine the future of our state when one party gains a trifecta of dominance in our state government and stops listening to the desires of we, the people of Ohio.
It’s worth noting that the egregious consequences of passing Issue 1 would impact BOTH parties.
Republicans and Democrats alike have the same rights to get a proposed constitutional amendment on future ballots, about any number of issues. Issue 1 makes this more difficult, regardless of the political leanings of the citizens who begin the process.
I wonder if the legislators who support Issue 1 are more afraid of losing power or of the Ohioans who refuse to remain silent and allow the legislature to set the course for our state without our input?
As educators, we must be vigilant in using our voices to advocate for change when laws are manipulated to reflect personal agendas instead of the will of the people. With the recent expansion of universal vouchers, the state will spend billions of dollars, with little oversight, funding private and charter school tuition and homeschooling for families, regardless of how wealthy those families might be. Furthermore, the legislature has stripped power from the elected State School Board and given much of the decision-making authority in education- related issues to an appointed partisan official.
With legislators making moves like this, we can ill afford to lose any of the tools we have as citizens to make changes that better reflect the interests of Ohio’s educators, students, and families.
Ohio legislators who support Issue 1 might well be motivated by a fear of losing power. But there is great power in losing the fear of standing up to those who ignore our interests.
Fear, I predict, will fail. Because just like the teachers in the scenarios above would quickly lose credibility, our legislators are playing games that will cost them the trust of Ohioans.
Join me in voting NO on Issue 1 this August and send the message to politicians and their special interest backers that we, the people of Ohio, will fight for our freedom and right to determine the future of our state.
1 The full text of the proposed amendment can be found here: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/getattachment/cf27c10f-b153-4731-ae9e-e3555a326ed9/The-Right-to-Reproductive-Freedom-with-Protections-for-Health-and-Safety.aspx
2 https://signalcleveland.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-august-vote-on-issue-1/
ALL IN FOR OHIO KIDS: Funding projections highlight need for up-to-date school funding formula now
The Fair School Funding Plan overhauls the state’s long-standing unconstitutional school funding scheme that left many communities behind. The new system was created to ensure our school funding formula reflects how much it actually costs to provide a great education to every child – no exceptions – and how much each community can actually afford to pay toward that cost. When fully implemented and updated as intended, it will be a constitutional funding system for our state.
“No matter where they live or what they look like, all of Ohio’s kids deserve to learn in a public school that inspires their creativity, unlocks their potential, and nurtures their dreams. Our lawmakers must deliver on the full promise of the Fair School Funding Plan this year. That means using up-to-date data in the formula to account for the real cost of education in Ohio,” said Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Hannah Halbert on behalf of the All in For Ohio Kids coalition which also includes the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the Ohio Education Association, and the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “We can’t use FY 2018 numbers to fund schools in FY 2024.”
“It is disappointing to see that HB 33 continues to use 2018 data for the base costs of providing education services, while using updated data for the community finance side of the equation only. As a result, many communities appear—on paper—to be able to pick up more of what should be the state’s share of funding,” Halbert explained. “The reality is that contorting the equation like this will underfund Ohio’s schools in the years to come while overburdening local property taxpayers, something the state supreme court has declared unconstitutional four times.”
“Lawmakers have clearly heard Ohioans’ demands that the state fully and fairly fund our public schools. The passage of the Fair School Funding Plan’s framework in the last state budget was a huge first step. Now, they must listen to the voices of Ohioans who are telling them to use the latest data in the calculations so the Fair School Funding Plan can do what it was always meant to do: Give every child in every public school the world-class resources and opportunities they deserve to reach their full potential,” Halbert said. “We can’t let the General Assembly settle for an Incomplete on this assignment.”
All in for Ohio Kids represents a broad group of concerned organizations and individuals who are working together to fully and fairly fund our schools.
Wellness Wednesday Events
The OEA Wellness Cadre is a member-led group that mobilizes our health and wellness experts around the state and cultivates the individual talents of a diverse group of educators, building on valuable professional skillsets and creating accessible engaging opportunities to continuously improve support services for students and staff in all Ohio schools.
OEA Wellness Cadre Chair – Andrew Smith, School Social Worker, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools
Save the Date for our upcoming Wellness Wednesday events:
- February 22, 2023 – Virtual Paint and Sip
Grab a glass of wine or a mocktail and join us with CEA Art Teacher, Annelise Taggart, for some relaxing painting fun!
- TBD – March 2023 – Legislative Round Table Discussion
Join the Wellness Cadre and staff from OEA Government Relations for a legislative roundtable discussion. Legislation, current topics related to social and emotional learning, and advocacy for wraparound services will be discussed. Members will learn about available resources and upcoming Wellness Wednesday events. - TBD – May 2023 – Letting Go!! End of Year Event
Virtual scavenger hunt, Kahoot trivia, dance-off!
OTHER WELLNESS RESOURCES
OEA’s Wellness Grants – Helping Locals Support Member Well-Being by offering grants towards a variety of wellness activities
Wellness Issues and Resources – A roundup of resources to provide OEA members with information and resource offerings to support student and staff mental health
A Teacher’s Brain Following Yet Another School Shooting…and Yet Another Misguided Response by Legislators
By Julie Holderbaum, Minerva EA/OEA
Another school shooting? 19 students killed? And two teachers?
He bought the AR-15s legally, just days after his 18th birthday? And bought another weapon just a few days after buying the first, with a high-magazine clip? Doesn’t anyone besides me see that there should be a red flag in some system somewhere that signals local police to check this person out?
Would it have made a difference in this case? Maybe not…but we will never know, will we?
Is this for real? Is a local group really raffling off an assault rifle as a fundraiser for a youth program? Are they really asking kids to sell tickets for an assault weapon when kids were just slaughtered with the same type of gun, to the point of needing a DNA sample to be identified? I’m not sure if there is ever a right time for that sort of fundraiser, but less than a month after Uvalde?
And now the legislature passed what? A bill to LOWER the number of required training hours to 24 for teachers to carry a weapon in school? Didn’t my daughter need 50 hours of behind-the-wheel training just to get a driver’s license? Why would a teacher, who is not in the field of law enforcement, need so few hours of training to carry a gun in a school?
How would that even work? Would it be a hand gun? Locked and loaded in a drawer somewhere? Is a handgun going to be any deterrent to a person carrying an assault rifle? Would I have time to get to it if I needed it? And how would I know I needed it? A loud noise in the hall? Would I get my gun and peek my head out to see if action is needed? Would eight other teacher heads be peeking out in my hallway, guns drawn?
If nothing was wrong and we grabbed our weapons in error, would the students in our classes be traumatized by seeing their teachers with loaded guns?
Or has this lockdown-drill-school-shooting cycle become so normalized to them that they wouldn’t even be phased at seeing the same people who teach them their ABCs or pre-calc wielding a dangerous weapon? And if so, what does that mean for the future of our country?
And what if the threat wasn’t in the hallway, but in my classroom? One of my students? Even if I could get to my gun, would I have the ability to shoot one of MY kids? Knowing he suffers from depression and can’t use our school resource mental health counselor because of insurance issues? Knowing his past experience with abuse? Knowing that he has not felt seen or heard or loved at home in years?
Could I shoot that kid?
And if I did use my gun, even if I saved lives, could I live with myself? What would the repercussions of pulling that trigger have for my own mental health? Would I ever be able to look at my students the same way again? Would they ever be able to see me in the same way again?
What if I hesitated? What if more were hurt because I struggled to pull the trigger? How could I ever teach again? How could anyone trust me again? How many lawsuits would I face because I didn’t act fast enough?
If trained law enforcement officers hesitated to enter Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, what makes anyone think teachers would be comfortable entering a spray of gunfire and endangering themselves? Especially with only 24 hours of training?
On the other hand, how many lawsuits would there be if I leapt into action, misread a situation, and shot an innocent person?
If we were required to actually carry our guns with us at all times, could I ever concentrate enough to teach effectively? How can I teach my students that words can change the world, that literature can move souls, that the power of a well-turned phrase can penetrate the hardest of hearts… while carrying a gun?
How’s that for a mixed message? Words have power, but guns are faster? Is that what we want to teach?
Beyond sending mixed messages, could I ever teach without constantly worrying about my weapon? About who is looking at it oddly today, about turning my back on anyone, about helping one student at her desk while my gun is about 2 feet away from the hands of the student in the desk next to hers? Would I have to keep one hand on my weapon at all times? As a TEACHER?
Surely I wouldn’t be required to carry a gun, though, right? I already check my classroom door multiple times a day to be sure it’s still locked; I already weigh the options of teaching with my door shut and locked for safety from shooters to teaching with it open to allow for more airflow and safety from COVID; I already jump at every odd sound or unannounced lockdown; how much worse would it be if I knew multiple people in our building were carrying guns?
This legislation won’t just affect the mental health of our students, will it?
I’m so tired of hearing that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”; if that’s true, why were weapons not allowed at the recent NRA convention in Texas? How could a room full of good guys with guns be a threat? Shouldn’t that be the safest place in the world? Why aren’t more responsible gun owners fighting for universal background checks, for a raise to the age limit to buy certain guns, for red flag laws, for a required waiting period before possessing a gun after purchase?
With so many Americans in favor of at least some reform to gun laws, are legislators who refuse to advocate for safer gun laws just afraid of losing their jobs? Afraid that without the money of the NRA and other pro-gun lobbyists they won’t be able to fund a successful campaign? That they would lose their power, their position, their ability to provide for their families? But don’t those same legislators force educators to live with those fears every day, knowing that if we teach about racism or other sensitive topics in the wrong way, we could lose our jobs thanks to their laws?
If they think we can’t be trusted to discuss elements of America’s troubled past or the current events of the day in a responsible manner, why would they deem us responsible enough to carry a gun in school?
When will our politicians put people over power? When will they set aside pride to work with the other side? When will the safety of our communities take precedence over an election?
If the politicians currently in office aren’t willing to make changes, is the blood of the victims of the next shooting on their hands….or on ours?
If this isn’t the time to persist in our efforts to persuade responsible gun owners to join the cause, when is?
If this isn’t the time to promise our children that we will do more than pause to remember the victims and pray that this never happens again, when is?
If this isn’t the time to preserve the sanctity of our classrooms as places of learning, belonging, and growing, when is?
If this isn’t the time to pursue real action by promoting politicians who run on a platform of actual changes to the law, when is?
If this isn’t the time to protest, when is? Aren’t the protest signs true? “The power of the people is greater than the people in power?”
Isn’t the truest form of political protest voting out those who have made empty promises but not practical efforts at positive change?
How many days until November?
OEA Congratulates 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell
Russell, a 25-year veteran of the classroom, believes education can transform students’ lives and emphasizes cultural relevance and diverse representation in his curriculum. He teaches a number of highly popular courses, including African American history and Race, Gender, and Oppression to students in grades 9-12.
“The Ohio Education Association extends our warmest congratulations to Kurt Russell on this very well-deserved honor,” OEA President Scott DiMauro said. “Kurt exemplifies the leadership and courage of Ohio educators who deliver age-appropriate lessons on the tough topics to empower their students to become the best versions of themselves as strong critical thinkers and future leaders. To have CCSSO recognize Kurt Russell as the 2022 National Teacher of the Year is to recognize the importance of honesty in education for all students across Ohio and the United States.”
Kurt Russell decided to become an educator when he was in middle school. He was inspired by his math teacher, who was the first Black male teacher he had ever had in his classroom. Russell is the first Black male to be named Ohio Teacher of the Year in the nearly 60-year history of that program. As National Teacher of the Year, Russell will spend the next year shining a light on the vital role of educators, speaking at hundreds of events, sharing his wisdom, and advocating for students to elevate the issues teachers face and inspire others to join the profession.
To learn more about OEA Member Kurt Russell, read Empowering Students in the October/November 2021 issue of Ohio Schools and listen to the October 28, 2021, episode of the Education Matters podcast. Russell was also featured as a National Teacher of the Year finalist in the April/May 2022 edition of Ohio Schools.
February 2022 OEA Retirement Systems Update
OEA Endorses McFee, Rhodes and Walters for STRTS Board
The OEA Board of Directors has endorsed three candidates for the STRS Board. Robert McFee and Jeffrey Rhodes are seeking re-election to the STRS Board as representatives of active members. Rita Walters is seeking re-election to the Board as a retiree representative.
As Board members, these candidates and OEA members have been dedicated to improving the funding status of the pension plan to make pension benefits more secure for all members. Over the past four years, the funding ratio of the pension plan has improved significantly. The STRS Board is now able act on resumption of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees coupled with improvements for active teachers.
Robert McFee and Jeffrey Rhodes (active seats)
Robert McFee is a math teacher in the Willoughby Eastlake City Schools. Jeffrey Rhodes is an Industrial Education teacher in North Royalton City Schools. Both have served on the Board since 2018.
Rita Walters (retiree seat)
Rita Walters retired with 35 years of experience as a classroom teacher with Switzerland of Ohio Schools. As an active teacher, she served as president of her local association and on the OEA Board of Directors for 12 years. Walters was elected to the STRS Board in 2017.
- Improving Funding
After the Great Recession, STRS was projected to run out of money. Since McFee, Rhodes, and Walters have been on the Board, STRS funding has greatly improved making our future pensions benefits more secure and reliable. - Restoring Benefits
Improved funding means that STRS is now able to begin restoring benefits. McFee, Rhodes, and Walters believe this must benefit all STRS members—active and retired. In addition to bringing back a COLA for retirees, active teachers should benefit from an earlier retirement age (removing the age 60 requirement). - Securing Health Care
Once projected to run out of money, the STRS Health Care program is now fully funded, and retirees have received premium rebates for the past two years. - Protecting Our Pension
Recently, two STRS Board members proposed investing up to $65 billion (2/3 of STRS assets) in a firm with no clients and no track record of success. Our endorsed candidates will fight against unproven investment schemes targeting our pension dollars.
In early April, ballots will be sent to all STRS members. Active employees, those currently paying into STRS are eligible to vote in the election for the active member seat. STRS retirees, are eligible to vote in the election for the retiree seats.
OEA’s endorsed candidates for the STRS Board are proven leaders who are looking out for the best interests of their fellow educators. These three candidates are dedicated to improving benefits for active and retired teachers while ensuring that the pension plan is sustainable into the future.
We need to do everything we can to re-elect Robert McFee, Jeffrey Rhodes, and Rita Walters to the STRS Board
OEA Urges COLA Payment, Removal of Age 60 Requirement at STRS
At the February meeting of the STRS Board, OEA Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hill addressed the Board to advocate for restoration of cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) payments for retirees coupled with changes benefiting active teachers. Specifically, he voiced OEA’s support for options that would pay a 2% COLA for eligible retirees coupled with removal of the age 60 requirement for retirement eligibility. This would allow unreduced benefits with 35 years of service at any age from August 2023 and beyond. A second supported option would include those two items and a 1% decrease in the employee contribution rate from 14% to 13%. A copy of the statement is attached.
The improved funding level of the pension plan make these recommended benefit improvements possible. In 2017, the STRS pension plan did not meet the requirement in Ohio law that period needed to pay off the unfunded liabilities of the system cannot exceed 30 years. The STRS Board voted to suspend COLA payments to shore up the long-term funding of the pension plan. The Board stated that they would review the change within five years and subsequently adopted a funding policy to consider changes that do not impair the fiscal integrity of the pension plan once the plan was 85% funded.
Given the strong investment returns of last fiscal year (over 28%) and due to the shared sacrifice of both active and retired members, STRS is now over 85% funded on a market basis. OEA believes that both active and retired teachers should benefit from this improved funding status. The proposed changes can be afforded without putting the long-term solvency of the system in jeopardy.
The STRS is expected to vote on possible changes at its March meeting. The Board will examine the proposals outlined above as well as the possibility of a multi-year COLA or a COLA of 3%–
Click here to download a copy of this February 2022 Report to the OEA Board of Directors. Previous Retirement Systems Updates can be viewed under the Affiliate Resources tab on the OEA website.