Education Funding Protection Act ignores a population of students |
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Written by LARRY KEOUGH
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Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:00 |
The old adage not to judge a book by its cover was never more apparent than when the Ohio House of Representatives released its “Education Funding Protection Act” that ignores students in Catholic schools.
The legislation, also known as House Bill 318, provides funding for public education only by delaying a state income tax rate reduction to offset an $850 million budgetary shortfall. The shortfall was created when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that projected revenue from the installation of video slot machines at race tracks could not be earmarked for the state budget unless it were decided by voters.
The Catholic Conference of Ohio, which represents the bishops in matters of public policy, is advocating that an education protection act include restoration of funds for Catholic school students whose academic services and funding were cut $59 million within the past year.
Catholic schools, which are chartered by the State Board of Education and meet Ohio’s operating standards for schools, are reimbursed for complying with certain federal, state and local requirements as defined by law. The 185,000 Catholic and other chartered nonpublic school students receive such services as guidance counseling, nursing, remedial reading, as well as instructional materials, computer software and other technology.
These funds need to be restored. At the heart of the matter is both a fairness and fiscal issue. In the Diocese of Columbus, school-district personnel specializing in special education, remedial instruction, speech and hearing, nursing and guidance counseling are no longer providing their services in eight of the 54 Catholic schools within that diocese. When services are cut, school district personnel who would have provided auxiliary services to chartered nonpublic school students are reassigned or can be laid off.
Restoring these funds would benefit the state of Ohio too. Chartered nonpublic schools save the taxpayers of Ohio $2 billion in educational costs that the state would pay if these students were attending public schools. Moreover, less than 3 percent of Ohio’s education budget is committed to the education of students attending chartered nonpublic schools.
On average, the state spends $6,903 in state and local dollars to educate a student in a public school. For each student attending a chartered nonpublic school, the state realizes a cost savings of more than $6,000.
A principle of “equal treatment” was broken last July following 25 years in which Ohio’s governor and General Assembly approved percentage increases in support for students in chartered nonpublic schools that matched increases in basic aid for students in public schools. In the biennial budget bill, HB 1, state aid to public schools decreased by 0.25 percent, but federal stimulus dollars actually provided an increase to public elementary and secondary education. Public charter schools, known as community schools in Ohio, were treated essentially the same as public schools: for them, the final budget restored $184 million.
Presently, two legislative bills with contrasting funding mechanisms have been introduced in the General Assembly. HB 268, sponsored by Rep. Denise Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) would restore funding for chartered nonpublic school students by redirecting approximately $700 per pupil from funds for community schools that have been placed on Academic Watch or Emergency. SB 177, sponsored by Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Sen. Gary Cates (R-West Chester) would save Ohio $69 million by partially decoupling state income tax from recently enacted federal tax breaks.
The Catholic Conference urges state legislators to restore funds for students in Catholic and other chartered nonpublic schools by identifying a funding mechanism that can be supported in a bi-partisan spirit.
The time is now to restore funds for students in chartered nonpublic schools, while the education protection act is pending.
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Larry Keough is the associate director for education at the Catholic Conference of Ohio and the lobbyist for Ohio’s Catholic schools.
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 August 2010 13:32 |
