The Fair School Funding Plan
The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) represents years of work by legislators, local school leaders, and education finance experts. The FSFP provides a predictable, student-centered formula based upon how much it costs to educate a child and how much a local community can afford to contribute toward these costs. This bipartisan funding plan was adopted in Ohio’s last budget bill (HB 110-134th).
The funding plan was intended to be fully implemented over six years, with several important components of the formula being updated over that time. However, when it was adopted in HB 110, the formula was only funded through the end of the current biennium (June 30, 2023).
House Bill 33
The Executive Budget proposal contained in House Bill 33 continues the phase-in (years 3 and 4) of the Fair School Funding Plan. However, it does not provide needed updates to the base cost components. The salary inputs used are from FY 2018, while the property and income values are based on more current data. This results in a disparity in support, with the local share of funding education increasing and the state responsibility decreasing.
Additionally, Senate Bill 310 of the 133rd General Assembly authorized cost studies for students with disabilities, English learners, and gifted students in rural populations. The findings of these studies, released in December 2022, must be included to appropriately fund these categories of students.
OEA recommends that the Ohio Legislature make the necessary updates to the components of the funding model and fully implement the plan for this biennium.
Write to your state representative and urge them to support updating and fully funding the Fair School Funding Plan. Talking points and a sample message are provided. Adapt the sample message to express your views, and the impact funding has on your students and school.
