Is Ohio's funding fair yet? Fair School Funding Plan sponsor says not quite

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- When high school history teacher John Patterson won his first state House race, he wanted to fix Ohio's public school funding. More than a decade later, the state has once again implemented his funding plan, but Patterson said Ohio still has a ways to go.

“It's going to be, again, a commitment to right this ship,” Patterson said. “We didn't get here overnight. We're not going to get out overnight.”

Ohio uses the Cupp-Patterson Fair School Funding Formula to determine how much money each public school district should get from the state. Under Ohio's new biennial budget, which was signed late on June 30 by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, the formula was phased in as the "largest overall school funding investment" in Ohio's history, per DeWine. Public school advocates say the state is still underfunding schools by $2 billion. Patterson said Ohio is not yet fairly funding districts, as the state needs to consider all aspects of the formula, update its financial data more regularly and embrace bipartisan solutions.

Patterson, a Democrat, created the Fair School Funding Plan alongside former Speaker of the Ohio House Robert Cupp, a Republican. The pair spent several years working with legislators, superintendents and school treasurers to develop a formula to fund schools adequately. This formula weighs individual factors for each of Ohio's 611 public school districts to determine which needs more state support.

Patterson said although he's glad the formula was continued, equitable funding requires a better implementation of the formula's categorical inputs. The categorical portion examines transportation demands, economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, special education and other important factors that Patterson said have been largely sidelined in Fair School Funding discussions.

He also asked the state to consider more efficient updates. Under the current funding plan, districts have to update their data inputs with the most recently available data. However, the state will use data from 2022 through the end of Fiscal Year 2027, widening the gap between districts' inputs and the state's annually. Patterson said the cost of running a school, like the cost of groceries, has noticeably increased since 2022, so using outdated data points minimizes how much schools get under the formula.

Public school advocates have long echoed Patterson's worry about the state's use of outdated financial data, encouraging the state to use the most recently available information. Patterson said although the data should be more recent, a slight delay in the state's inputs is needed to properly plan allocations. However, he said districts still need to update their data annually to avoid skewing the formula.

“There's got to be a cushion there to make sure that there's enough money to cover what ought to happen," Patterson said. "Because remember the data inputs there, that's real dollars.”

Patterson said the funding plan blends property and income wealth to better understand a school district’s ability to fund education. Property tax reform was a major issue this budget cycle, but Patterson was grateful DeWine vetoed reform proposals that could have skewed the formula. Patterson was glad to see DeWine created a new work group to tackle property tax instead, saying the problem is too ingrained in local funding systems to fold into the budget.

Patterson said the legislators who were involved in developing and passing the Fair School Funding Plan are being phased out of the legislature, leaving a newer General Assembly without input from the original work group. He encouraged lawmakers to learn as much as possible about the funding plan and public districts' funding needs.

“That's the beauty of the Fair School Funding Plan. It's not a wish list. It's a real depiction of what school districts are spending in a certain amount of time in order to meet their obligations,” Patterson said. 

Patterson said Ohio's school funding -- and adjacent property tax relief concerns -- need bipartisan collaboration like his with Cupp on the formula. He said he spent more time with Cupp than he did with any other lawmaker except for his roommate, another Republican representative who shared an apartment with Patterson.

“It can be done if we want to do what's best for the people, and by doing what's best for the people, both parties are benefited as well,” Patterson said. “Some are more concerned with climbing the ladder or holding on to power. I believe in doing what's right for the people, and that's who Bob Cupp is, too.”