1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

The House budget proposal does not fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan as promised, negatively impacting Ohio's public schools and students. It strips away the bipartisan commitment made in 2021 to finally fix our unconstitutional school funding system over six years. Instead of following through in years 5 and 6, the plan proposes decreasing funds from the amount in the governor's executive budget. This breaks trust with Ohio families. Additionally concerning is the proposed 25% cap on district carryover funds, forcing refunds to taxpayers for reasonable reserve balances. School leaders warn this could cost districts $5 billion, destabilizing finances and hindering their ability to plan and save for future costs like new textbooks or building maintenance. Essentially punishing districts for prudent budgeting practices will only hurt students in the long run. Ohio's children deserve better than having the goal posts moved yet again on achieving constitutional school funding. We urge you to reject these detrimental provisions that undermine our public schools. Ohio must make good on its commitment to implement the full Fair School Funding Plan without more delays or financial games. Our students' futures depend on sustainable investment in their education, not piecemeal half-measures.