As the new school year begins, the continued discussion on school funding begins as well. In addition, new reports released by Education Week and the Fordham Foundation provide information about the state of education in Ohio. The bottom line is that that Ohio continues to struggle mightily with equity on all levels – funding, opportunities, and outcomes.
School Funding – The Ohio House will soon be debate HB 305 (a.k.a the Cupp-Patterson bill) which incorporates the Ohio Fair School Funding plan. While the bill has many co-sponsors, there are currently no House majority leaders who have co-sponsored the bill. A new report from the Ohio School Policy Institute was released last week evaluating HB305. This report can be viewed at http://www.oepiohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/HB-305-Analysis.pdf. OAGC has the same concerns regarding this bill as previously outline to the Ohio Fair School Funding workgroup:
- Several elements in the gifted formula within the bill need to be adjusted to reflect true costs.
- There is no specific element of funding accountability for gifted funds, without which any formula will fall short.
- There is no provision for specific support of rural districts through ESCs or some other mechanism.
To view OAGC’s concerns in more detail, please read our testimony during the budget deliberations on this topic: http://www.oagc.com/files/SheldonTestimony_Final_4.11.19.pdf
HB305 has been assigned to the House Finance Committee, but no hearings have been scheduled.
Quality Counts – Education Week released its annual Quality Countsreport on education across the country. Ohio is ranked 21stin the country in terms of opportunity and performance with a grade of “C.” This is one ranking better than the previous two years. The Ohio report summary can be found at https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/01/16/highlights-report-ohio.html.
The Mountain Ahead – The Fordham Foundation also released a report last week regarding college and career readiness in Ohio. The report reveals gaps between college and career readiness across the state. For a more in-depth look, please access the report at https://fordhaminstitute.org/ohio/research/mountain-ahead-report-college-and-career-readiness-ohio-students½mc_cid=07c5c93171&mc_eid=3ed57eb87d.
Heads Up! – The state will be releasing report card data soon. Watch this page as OAGC analyzes the data specific to gifted students.