The "Getting it Right" group has gotten it wrong
A coalition of education insiders including the teachers' unions recently unveiled a constitutional amendment that will transfer budgetary responsibility for K-12 education to the obscure Ohio State Board of Education. The board is a hybrid group of 11 elected, and nine appointed members who meet approximately 10 times a year to discuss and form educational policies.
The proposed amendment will give this board unchecked power to demand a particular funding level from the legislature. They need not worry whether the state can pay the bill or what other services will be cut to fund their request.
The common goal for the groups forwarding this proposal is to get more money for K-12 education without having to be held accountable for results.
However, the poorly thought out amendment has absolutely nothing to do with student learning or outcomes. Still, the proponents are betting they can fool Ohioans into opening up their wallets by furthering major education funding myths.
The best way to dispel myths is with facts.
Myth One: Ohio underfunds K-12 education
Reality: Ohio is a national leader in K-12 funding
In 2005, Ohio taxpayers spent a combined total of $16.1 billion on K-12 operating expenditures and $3.1 billion in capital expenditures[1]. From 1996 to 2005, "Ohio per pupil revenue" has increased 50 percent. During this 10 year period, spending increased a staggering 73 percent, while inflation only increased 23 percent[2].
Ohio is a regional and national leader in funding K-12 education. With an adjusted per pupil expenditure of $8,735, the state’s education spending ranks 16th in the nation and exceeds the national average by nearly $700 more per pupil. In terms of low income citizens, Ohio ranks 8th in the nation in funding based on taxable resources[3]. In addition, Ohio has consistently increased state K-12 funding.
Myth Two: The state does not pay its fair share of school fundingReality: There is no "state" pot of gold -- all taxes come from Ohio citizens.
On average, local taxes contribute less than half, 47 percent, of overall education funding with the state chipping in 45 percent and the federal government 8 percent[4].
In reality, the state funding portion depends on a school district’s wealth and may range from a low of 11 percent to a high of nearly 90 percent. For example, the state’s poorest districts in the rural southern Ohio counties of Vinton, Pike and Meigs receive upwards of 85 percent of their funding from the state. Wealthy districts in Geauga County, for instance, receive less than 25 percent of their funding from the state[5].
The only way the coalition can make good on their promise to further "increase the state share of Ohio’s total investment in education[6]" is with a massive tax increase.
Myth Three: Money will solve whatever ails education.
Reality: If money was the solution the problem would have been already solved.
Mark Tucker, president of the Washington-based National Center on Education and the Economy, recently noted, "We have tried over the last 30 years almost every intervention that anyone could think of, and they have all failed. The only thing that has greatly increased is the amount of money we are spending.[7]" Tucker further notes that over past 30 years overall scores on the NAEP, the nation’s report card, have been virtually flat. However, the cost per pupil has risen 240 percent after adjusting for inflation over that same time period. [8]
Myth Four: The state needs a new independent commission to ensure fiscal accountability
Reality:Accountability means having to answer to those citizens that pick up the tab.
In other words, the education establishment must be accountable to the citizens who pay the salaries of the teachers, principals, cleaning staff, bus drivers, and counselors. Government accountability works best when it is transparent and decisions are kept at a local level.
The proposed amendment includes an "Accountability Provision," in the form of a nine member Education Accountability Commission. The commission would report annually on whether educational services were being efficiently delivered and whether student performance has improved. Ironically, this commission itself is not accountable to taxpayers for its actions. Tax levies keep accountability local.
Historical evidence tells us Ohioans will part with their hard earned dollars when they feel tax investments are wisely spent. From 1994 to 2005, Ohioans passed 85 percent of all renewal or replacement levies[9] and 41 percent of new property and income tax levies were passed.
Myth Five: This about the students
Reality:Education insiders want more money without accountability and the least amount of strings attached.
The amendment coalition's goal is to transfer power from local taxpayers who are often reluctant to raise taxes to an obscure group of policy makers who will raise taxes. The unions and big government advocates who crafted the proposal do not want more accountability, they want less. However, true accountability comes when those that must pay for education, have a say in raising their taxes.
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[1] Executive Master of Science in Information Systems (EMIS) Financial Cost Per Pupil Report 2005
[2] Ohio Department of Education, Presentation to the State Board of Education, June 2006, Center for School Finance
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ohio Department of Education, September 2006, DeMaria Map
[6] “Help Ohio get school funding right, by Gary Motz, managing editor,OSBA Journal , February, page 23
[7] “Tough Choices: Change the System, or Suffer the Consequences Marc Tucker. Education Week, January 12, 2007, page 32., Marc Tucker. Education Week, January 12, 2007, page 32.
[8] Ibid.
[9] SBO Quarterly, January 2007, “Ohio School Operating Levies: Utilization and Passage Rates”, by Dr. Howard Fleeter, page 16
Deborah L. Owens, Ph.D. a former seven year member of the Ohio State Board of Education and a Board member of the Buckeye Institute.
