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.
OEA, EGCCEA call for transparency, path forward for Eastern Gateway students, staff
“Eastern Gateway Community College has been an invaluable resource for our community, our students, and their families for nearly 60 years. Despite the challenges stemming from mismanagement and the changing landscape of this institution over the last several years, the 138 members of the Eastern Gateway Community College Education Association have remained steadfast in their commitment to providing all students – on campus and online – with the best education possible to prepare them for their future lives and careers,” said EGCCEA President Jim Corrin. “We want nothing more than to continue providing excellent education in this community, but we need answers from the Board about whether our positions will continue to exist after the spring semester, how long this “pause” in enrollment may last, and whether there will eventually be a college to return to here.”
“The Board’s vote to suspend EGCC operations and initiate another round of staff layoffs is truly a devastating blow to the college’s students and the faculty and staff who have dedicated their lives and careers to serving them. State leaders must rise to the challenge of this moment and provide meaningful support for the 40 EGCC staff who will need immediate job placement assistance, as well as for potentially countless others who have been left in limbo by the Board’s lack of transparency on its decisions and timelines,” OEA President Scott DiMauro added. “The Board’s vote on Wednesday started a countdown clock to the end of the spring semester. EGCC students and staff can’t afford to have leaders wait around or build layers of red tape and bureaucracy. They need a plan and a path forward today.”
OEA & NEA recommend Sen. Brown for re-election to US Senate
“Sen. Brown is a champion for public education and workers’ rights, and we are lucky to have him fighting for what our public schools and public school employees need every day,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro. “The OEA members who serve on the OEA Fund State Council emphatically recommend Sen. Brown for re-election, and we are pleased to give him our full support.”
Among his many priorities during his time in Washington, Sen. Brown has:
- Fought to make sure Ohio educators can retire with dignity by passing the Social Security Fairness Act which would ensure teachers, first responders, and other public sector workers and their families receive the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned.
- Secured millions to expand high-speed internet access for students and families across Ohio.
- Introduced the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act to quadruple the amount educators can deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses.
- Led the fight to help educators become homeowners so education can remain a sustainable career path that can attract the best talent to serve our state’s students.
- Introduced the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act to help students succeed by helping schools and districts implement wraparound supports – including medical, mental, and nutrition health services, mentoring and youth development programs, technical assistance and continuing education courses.
- Spearheaded the passage of the SMART Act to reduce excessive testing that robs students and teachers of valuable instruction time.
- Secured nearly $300,000 to support training programs that prepare Ohio educators to teach life skills.
- Worked to level the playing field between workers and corporations to protect the right to organize and expand overtime pay for workers.
- Taken on Ohio’s private for-profit schools that take funds away from public schools and fought for charter school accountability.
“Ohio educators support our kids in and out of the classroom – we need to make sure their hard work pays off and they have the resources they need to create the best outcomes for students,” Sen. Brown said. “I’m honored to have OEA’s endorsement in my reelection and I look forward to working with them to make sure every Ohio student gets a high-quality education by protecting our educators’ right to unionize, lowering their out-of-pocket costs, and ensuring every educator can retire with dignity.”
OEA celebrates Public Education Matters Day with educators across the state
“Ohio’s public school educators have dedicated their lives and their careers to delivering the excellent public education that every child deserves – no exceptions. The Ohio Education Association was thrilled to be able to celebrate the passion and professionalism of our members at these regional rallies while strengthening our collective resolve to tackle the real issues facing our schools,” Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said. “We must continue to use our united voice to demand the supports and resources our students, educators, and public school communities need to thrive, and we must ensure our educators are treated with the respect and dignity they’ve earned so education can be a sustainable profession that continues to attract high-quality professionals to serve our students.”
OEA launched the Public Education Matters initiative in spring 2023 as a galvanizing internal and public-facing campaign in its ongoing advocacy work to continuously improve Ohio’s public schools. “Together as one, Ohio’s educators, parents, and community leaders can achieve our vision for the excellent public schools Ohio’s students deserve,” DiMauro said. “Our strength is in our unity, and we will continue to speak in one strong, united voice because in Ohio, public education matters.”
In honor of the importance of public education in Ohio, the Ohio House issued a special commendation to OEA in recognition of its unfaltering commitment to continuously improving public education in our state. Additionally, the Ohio House Democratic Caucus approved a resolution recognizing September 30, 2023, as Public Education Matters Day in Ohio.
Images of OEA’s Public Education Matters Day rallies and member celebration events at the Columbus Zoo, Cleveland Zoo, Toledo Zoo, and Newport Aquarium are available on the Ohio Education Association Facebook page. A video with more information about the aims of the Public Education Matters initiative is available here.
OEA stands with the United Auto Workers
“The Ohio Education Association Board of Directors recognizes the critical role that the UAW plays, along with the commitment of its’ members who have shaped the auto industry and set standards for worker’s rights across the state. We express deep support and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the United Auto Workers as they work for fair contracts with the American car manufacturers,” OEA President Scott DiMauro stated.
The Ohio Education Association passionately believes that a fair and equitable workplace is the foundation for a thriving economy and better communities. We encourage everyone to show their support for the United Auto Workers and join the fight to make things right at the Big Three.
Finally, the OEA Board of Directors urges the automotive industry stakeholders to engage in productive and fair negotiations that lead to a mutually beneficial resolution. “It is our hope that an agreement can be reached soon, and UAW members can return to their jobs with fair treatment and improved working conditions,” states Mr. DiMauro
OEA celebrates Student Opportunity Profile metrics in state report cards
“We know our students are much more than just their scores on high-stakes standardized tests, and the quality of teaching and learning in our classrooms is much more than what an overall star-rating can reflect. The new Student Opportunity Profile information in the state report cards goes a very long way toward providing a fuller, more useful picture of what is actually happening in Ohio’s public schools,” said Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro. “Especially as our schools and students continue to make up for pandemic-related disrupted learning, the Student Opportunity Profile reports can also be important tools to direct specific supports and resources to specific schools that need them, so every child can receive the excellent public education they deserve – no exceptions.”
The Student Opportunity Profile reports include metrics like the student-to-teacher, student-to-counselor, and student-to-librarian ratios; percentage of early career educators and principals in the workforce; percentage of students participating in advanced placement or honors courses; the percentage of students enrolled in career technical education courses; and much more. OEA members voted unanimously at the OEA Representative Assembly in December 2019, to call on the General Assembly to overhaul the state report card system and include a Student Opportunity Profile in the new version. OEA’s advocacy helped lead to the adoption of the state report card changes, beginning with last year’s release. The Student Opportunity Profile section was included for the first time this year as part of the phase-in process.
“This is the information that’s most helpful to parents and caregivers who are trying to determine whether a school is a good fit for their child. Class sizes and the availability of learning opportunities to meet their child’s individual needs carries far more weight in parents’ decisions than a dissection of standardized test scores,” DiMauro said. “It is unfortunate, though, that parents still can’t make apples-to-apples comparisons with these report cards, because private schools taking public tax dollars through the state’s near-universal voucher expansion scheme still aren’t held to the same academic or financial transparency standards as public schools. It’s time for Ohio’s lawmakers to fix that.”
OEA congratulates 2024 Ohio Teacher of the Year Mark Lowrie
“Mr. Lowrie demonstrates clearly why public education matters so much in Ohio,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro, who attended Thursday’s event at Gahanna Lincoln High School to surprise Lowrie with the news of his award. “Great public schools open a world of opportunities for students from all walks of life, and exceptional educators like Mr. Lowrie make that possible.”
“His dedication to building outstanding broadcast journalism programs for his students – in both his current role at Gahanna Lincoln High School and previously at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst – exemplifies the incredible work Ohio’s public educators do every day to help their students learn valuable life skills so they can follow their dreams,” DiMauro added. “Mr. Lowrie’s students over the past two decades are so lucky that he followed his own dream and found his calling in the classroom.”
Lowrie worked for 12 years in the broadcast television industry before returning to school to earn his master’s degree in education to become a teacher. He then spent 18 years in Amherst schools before coming to Gahanna Lincoln High School four years ago. The live newscasts he produces with his broadcast journalism students have earned many prestigious honors, including three National Student Production Awards, better known as the ‘Student Emmys’, in 2022 alone.
“The award-winning broadcast journalism programs that Mr. Lowrie has built over the years are a testament to his expertise in the field – not only from his valuable experience in his first career, but even more importantly from his commitment to embracing opportunities for professional growth and innovation in his career as an educator. Mr. Lowrie’s passion for education and for serving his students should be applauded,” DiMauro said. “Being named 2024 Ohio Teacher of the Year is a very well-deserved recognition for Mark Lowrie.”
OEA, Summit County reveal new historical marker
“The Ohio Education Association is so proud of its 175 year history as the voice for Ohio’s public school educators and students, and OEA is grateful for this partnership with Summit County that allows us to share our history with the community as we continue to fight for the excellent public schools every child deserves now and into the future,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro, who took part in Thursday’s unveiling ceremony alongside former OEA presidents Becky Higgins and Patricia Frost-Brooks, as well as educators from around the region.
“The legacy of public education in Ohio lives in accomplishments of our students, who become inventors, actors, scientists, athletes, engineers, public servants, firefighters, astronauts, and, of course, teachers,” said Summit County Executive Chief of Staff Brian Nelsen, “Congratulations to OEA on celebrating 175 years serving our teachers and students and we are proud to recognize the start of your story right here in the heart of Summit County.”
The full text of the new Ohio Historical Marker erected in Summit County is as follows:
“On December 30, 1847, six educators met at the Summit County Courthouse to organize the first convention of the Ohio State Teachers’ Association, now known as the Ohio Education Association (OEA). The organizers Josiah Hurty (Richland County), Thomas W. Harvey (Geauga County), M.D. Leggett (Summit County), Lorin Andrews (Ashland County), William Bowen (Stark County), and Marcellus F. Cowdery (Lake County) hoped to “elevate the profession of teaching” and “to promote the interests of schools in Ohio.” In 1853, the General Assembly enacted the new association’s entire slate of proposals into law, thus ensuring free, universal, public education in Ohio. For 175 years, the Ohio Education Association has advocated for fair terms and conditions of employment for Ohio educators and for the betterment and improvement of public education for all students.”
Photos of the new historical marker and the ceremony unveiling it outside the Summit County Courthouse are available on the Ohio Education Association’s Facebook page.
OEA thanks Ohioans who defeated Issue 1
“This all started last November with a bad idea from some special interests and politicians in Columbus, but something great came out of it. More than 200 organizations brought together tens of thousands of volunteers and over a million voters to say NO WAY are we letting Issue 1 pass,” Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said during a gathering with other member organizations in the One Person One Vote coalition Tuesday night. “You did it. We did it. Ohio did it. And now we will continue to stand together because we’re only getting started.”
The Ohio Education Association was proud to take an active and leading role in the One Person One Vote campaign to ensure that critical public education issues can continue to be addressed through the citizen-led constitutional amendment process when necessary to ensure every student can receive the great public education they deserve – no exceptions.
“As we experience continuing legislative attacks, ongoing battles to secure constitutional public-school funding, teacher recruitment and retention challenges, local school board takeovers, the expansion of unaccountable private school vouchers, and difficult learning and working conditions, OEA is fighting for the respect and dignity of its members, and for supports and resources for all public schools, because Public Education Matters,” DiMauro said. “With a united voice, we will continue to stand up to the attacks from extremist politicians and their well-funded out-of-state backers who are using fear to divide our communities based on race, place, and gender identities and are working to break the public’s trust in Ohio’s public schools. Issue 1 would have made our work much harder to do.”
“OEA applauds the tireless work of the educators across the state who did what they do best over the last few months: educating their friends and neighbors about Issue 1 so they could make an informed decision to defeat it at the ballot box,” DiMauro added.
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/