Fair School Funding Plan would increase resources for schools in Black & brown communities
Posted September 16, 2021 in Press Releases
New analysis from Policy Matters Ohio shows that the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) included in the most recent two-year state budget would increase state resources sent to all schools and help make up for glaring racial inequality under the old funding system.
The analysis shows that schools where students are mostly white — and have the lowest concentration of Black, Latinx or other students of color — will get a 1.7% increase in funding. For more integrated schools, funding will increase by 2%. Schools that have the highest concentration of Black, Latinx or other students of color will get a boost of 3.7%.
“All Ohio kids, no matter their race or their ZIP code, deserve an excellent education that prepares them to realize their dreams and fulfill their potential,” said Tanisha Pruitt, PhD, the report author. “Ohio’s old system for funding K-12 education was like the Hunger Games: pitting communities against each other and satisfying no one. But there is enough to go around for all our children. We can repair past harms to Black and brown communities and improve life for white Ohioans at the same time.”
Senate leadership originally opposed including the FSFP in the budget, so lawmakers included it for only two years without guaranteeing any funding beyond 2023. Meanwhile, the budget still doesn’t fully fund public schools, and includes tax cuts and loopholes for the wealthy and corporations. Lawmakers changed the past practice of funding private school vouchers and charter schools by deducting the cost from local budgets — but sent even more state resources to privatized education.
“Clearly we can see that the Fair School Funding Plan gives more Ohio students a chance to succeed,” Pruitt said, “but increasing funding for privatized education is troubling. That could send us down the slippery slope of a great education being available only to those who can afford it. Our entire state benefits when all children have the knowledge and skills to thrive. We all have a stake in our kids’ future.”