State Representative Jim Buchy

A School Funding Plan that is Fair to Rural Schools

The Ohio House of Representatives made some significant changes to the governor’s original school funding plan, which in many ways will benefit the schools in the 84th House District. While I commend the governor for his ideas and leadership, the original version was not as friendly as it could have been—or should have been—to area schools.

But that is why the legislative procedure is so important. Discussion with constituents in my district made many of these changes possible.

A closer look at the governor’s plan showed that, had the formula not been changed, 80 percent of the schools in the 84th District would have been on the guarantee. The guarantee would keep schools at the current funding level for the next two fiscal years, but after that all bets are off. This would have caused uncertainty in our schools’ budgets and put their economic outlook on shaky ground.

In talking with the people of the 84th District, I know that we share the same goals when it comes to funding our schools. We want a formula that is fair and makes sure that the high-performing schools are compensated accordingly. In west central Ohio, we have the highest amount of farm receipts and our land is high valued. The high valued land incorrectly made our per-capita wealth appear higher than suburban and urban areas.

We have the best schools in Ohio, and they will continue to be the best, but we should be rewarding the high performance as opposed to funding our tax dollars to the suburban and urban districts. As a result of the work done on the Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee, the funding formula was re-crafted to include a measurement of agriculture which increased funding to rural schools and dramatically reduced the number of schools on the guarantee across the state.

Communication with school leaders, such as superintendents and treasurers, is a critical part of the process. Those meetings and conversations help us to understand how education is going in Mercer, Auglaize, Darke and Shelby counties. The input from local school administrators was helpful in crafting the final funding plan.

The budget is now being considered by the Ohio Senate. Your input is helpful at all times. You can answer a question about this topic by completing a monthly online survey.  Please let me know your thoughts by going to TinyURL.com/BuchyMay.