February 2005
When Governor Bob Taft convened the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Financing Student Success in 2003, he directed the members to develop an improved system of funding public elementary and secondary education in Ohio.
As a 35-member group with diverse opinions, interests and experiences, we came together with a strong commitment to recommend solid solutions to Ohio's school funding challenges. To be most effective in our deliberations, we formed three committees to examine key elements of the funding and education system:
- Spending priorities;
- Generating revenue and the role of state and local taxes in funding Ohio schools; and,
- Improving efficiency within our schools.
Over the past 18 months we reviewed and evaluated substantive information about school funding, particularly as it relates to creating opportunities for each student to succeed. We listened, learned, discovered, talked and debated.
The Task Force believes that the recommendations contained in this report represent fundamental reforms in Ohio's overall system of school funding that, taken together, would generate more stable and predictable revenues, make more efficient and effective use of resources and enhance accountability to the public. We strongly urge policy makers to view them as a package, not as a menu of choices for selective implementation.
While the recommendations do not represent unanimity, they do offer a structure for a new approach that continues the state and local partnership and creates building blocks of funding that provide districts with the flexibility to address their individual needs. This approach is based on the study of educational practices that are proving effective in parts of Ohio. At the same time, the Task Force recognizes that not all of the data exist that are necessary to determine appropriate school funding levels. Fortunately efforts are underway - in Ohio and nationwide - to test, monitor and gather those data. These efforts include the study currently underway by the University of Washington and the value-added measurement system being developed by Battelle for Kids. Information gathered from these efforts will be extremely helpful in guiding future decisions about school funding.
The accomplishments of the Task Force, while significant, are only part of Ohio's ongoing effort to improve the state's school funding structure. The recommendations contained in this report are an excellent framework on which the Governor and the General Assembly can build. It is imperative that this work continue so that Ohio schools, teachers and - most importantly - students can succeed in our state.
-William W. Wilkins, Chair
Read the full report:
Building a Better School Funding System (PDF*, 1 MB)
* To view PDF files, download Adobe's free Acrobat Reader.
