Saturday Stats
Posted August 17, 2024 in eNews
6.6%: Median share, among all racial groups, of Ohio students who were economically secure and chronically absent from school in 2022-23.
26.2%: Median share who were economically insecure and chronically absent. As researcher Tanisha Pruitt, PhD, puts it in her new report, “economic security insulates students of all identity subgroups against absenteeism.” That’s why, among policies to improve attendance and shut down the school-to-prison pipeline, the report includes recommendations to increase family income, stabilize work schedules, and improve access to health care and healthy food.
12%: Amount by which state legislators have cut the state share of instruction (SSI) for higher education since 2006, accounting for inflation. (SSI is the primary method Ohio uses to fund higher education.) With budget choices like that, it’s hard to see how our colleges and universities can provide the kind of world-class education Ohio students deserve. Dr. Pruitt shows how our legislators have opted to defund Ohio’s future by short-changing programs created to expand opportunities for affordable higher ed. In a new blog post, she makes the moral case for doing better in the next state budget.
$5M: Amount to be paid upfront to the City of Cleveland by Bedrock Development, Inc., the main beneficiary of City Council’s decision to approve a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) proposal to develop Cleveland’s waterfront. The amount will be added to the council’s Neighborhood Investment Fund to support projects in Cleveland neighborhoods. Compared to the project’s estimated cost — $3.4B — that’s a very small cut going to Cleveland residents, as research director Zach Schiller points out in his public comment to council.
$200M: Annual funding cuts for public libraries that would be required if income-tax repeal legislation is passed. Researcher Bailey Williams looked at the many other ways such a repeal would gut the state budget, in this report from back in June.
$200M: Annual funding cuts for local governments that would also be required if the legislation is passed. As Zach Schiller points out in this recent report from Public News Service, this would reduce “support for public safety, or everything that cities, villages and townships spend money on,” and would be “wildly irresponsible.”
Watchlist
Our running list of legislation to watch — with brief analysis and relevant links — is on our website. New or moving items are below. Unless otherwise noted, the best action you can take is to call or email your state legislators and tell them to support, oppose, or amend these bills.
HB 386: This bill would phase out Ohio's income tax and eliminate the Commercial Activities Tax. It would force across-the-board cuts to programs and services Ohioans depend on, including $200 million annually from local governments (likely to drive up local taxes) and another $200 million from public libraries. It is a textbook example of how "tax extremism is a gift to the wealthy." We strongly oppose this bill.
Action items
Learn more about a variety of current bills that could help Ohioans afford rising property taxes — including SB 271, which features a version of our circuit breaker proposal. Register here for a Policy Rundown webinar from Enterprise Community Partners. Wed., Aug. 28, 2024, 9:00-10:30 AM
Learn how some Ohio cities are keeping their communities safer by sending trained peers, clinicians, and other unarmed responders on crisis calls. Register here for Community Emergency Response in Ohio, a webinar from PMO, Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change, and Columbus Safety Collective. Tues. Sept. 24, 2024, 6:00 PM.
Friends in NEO: Check out LegalWorks’ free legal clinic series, In the Neighborhood. Catch them in neighborhoods all around Cleveland providing low and no-cost legal services like record sealing, expungements, license reinstatement, traffic violations, and more.