“Public Education Crisis in Ohio”
By CRAIG J. BAILEY, SUPERINTENDENT OF BUCKEYE LOCAL SCHOOLS
The funding crisis facing the public schools in Ohio is a complex issue. Understanding the value of public education, the problems it faces, and what can be done to save our public schools, first requires a few short notes on its history.
A Brief Historical Review of Public Education
The United States’ public education system began with the Puritan and Congregationalist religious schools in the 1600s. Although the most preliminary forms of public education were in existence in the 1600s in the Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire colonies, the Puritans and Congregationalists pursued the education of children primarily for religious purposes. Because of opposition from people belonging to different faiths and nationalities, private education became the norm by the middle of the eighteenth century.
Thomas Jefferson was the first American leader to suggest creating a public school system. His ideas formed the basis of educational systems that developed in the 19th century. It is interesting to note that fourteen states had their own constitutions by 1791 and seven of those states had specific provisions for education. This was the beginning of the states’ individual role in the creation, organization, and oversight of public education in this country. Education as a state responsibility and right in American public education differs from that of many other nations whose educational systems are nationalized under a common system and standard.
The reform efforts of Horace Mann in Massachusetts, Henry Barnard in Connecticut, and others created a common education for all and not just privileged and wealthy children. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Common School Reform movement had led to a free public education at the elementary level for all American children. Compulsory attendance laws were first passed in Massachusetts and New York in the early 1850s. By 1918 all states had passed laws requiring children to attend at least elementary school.
Secondary schools, which replaced the Latin grammar schools of the 1800s, developed dramatically during the 1900s. During this time most states enacted compulsory attendance laws to the age of 16. The Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 provided federal financial support to state universities which led to a dramatic rise in participation in post secondary education during the 20th century. The federal and state government provided increasing financial support for public education at the elementary, secondary and post secondary level during the 1900s and into this century.
The Value of Public Education
As you can see, our country and the state of Ohio have a long and committed history of advancing and financially supporting public education. I believe this commitment to educate all children has been, as one of my colleagues has stated, “the most successful social experiment in the history of our country.” Certainly, I believe public education has played a vital role in the United States becoming a “super power,” a status this country has held for the past 100 years. Although public education in America has frequently been criticized for not keeping up with the educational systems of other industrialized countries of the world, we still manage to attract students from all over the world to attend our public colleges and universities while generating more Nobel Prize winners each and every year than any country in the world. Additionally, across all aspects of our society, we can point to individuals who have benefited from public education to become today’s leaders and innovators.
As superintendent of Buckeye Local Schools in Medina, Ohio, I am a product, believer, and vocal advocate for public education. My father and mother attended and graduated from Akron Public Schools. My father attended Ohio Northern University after World War II through the GI Bill, earned a degree in Pharmacy and opened up his own pharmacy in Copley, Ohio in 1952. I credit my status in life directly to the opportunities provided by public education. I attended Copley Fairlawn Schools and received an excellent education that led me to the University of Akron and Kent State University for my post secondary education. Most of my colleagues followed similar paths. My children have or are attending public universities. I have not taken my education for granted and know it was only made possible by a nation, state and community that valued education enough to provide the financial commitment to educate all children.
Local, State and Federal Roles In Public Education
During my 33 years in public education, I have seen dramatic changes. Some of these have been for the better. Others have made the task of educating all children more difficult.
Early in our state’s history, public education was truly controlled and directed by local boards of education. Community members in individual towns and communities worked together privately to build one-room schoolhouses. As these communities grew and towns were incorporated and townships established, these one-room schoolhouses were abandoned for two or three story brick structures that housed grades Kindergarten through twelve. By the early 1950’s, the state forced some of the smaller township public school districts to consolidate with each other, which reduced the number of districts from well over 1,400 to its present number of approximately 612.
However, in the late 1970s, a publication entitled Nation at Risk condemned the state of public education in our country. It predicted a collapse of American society if the educational system was not changed. With the much publicized Nation at Risk came the call for accountability and annual systematic testing of students across Ohio. The state developed a testing program and a mandated curriculum. The Ohio Department of Education’s development of “standards,” “learning outcomes,” “objectives,” or “strands” resulted in a loss of local control by individual districts and a greater participatory role by the state. The standards changed frequently. The cost for public education grew. Education became a larger part of the state’s budget behind only Medicare and prisons. The Ohio General Assembly legislated to control costs and dictated the nature of public education in this state. The number of unfunded mandates on public schools increased. Local districts had to find the funds to meet and implement the legislative requirements.
With the Bush administration came the federal government’s first real intrusion into the control of public education with the far reaching “No Child Left Behind” legislation. This was recognized and criticized as an intrusion into the states’ rights and historical control over public education. Historically, the federal government’s contribution to fund educational programs had been at a minimal level and only in response to federal legislation such as special education, or Title IX. Again, as was the case with many state educational initiatives, funding was not adequately provided to implement the required legislation. Local districts again had to make up the dollar difference to meet and implement the legislative requirements.
The state and federal intrusion into the regulation and control of public education has been a mixed blessing. In one sense, the increased expectations and accountability have forced public school districts to closely examine classroom instruction, student learning outcomes, teacher performance, time on task, district leadership, spending priorities, etc. On the other hand, the public schools have had to carry the burden of many unfunded mandates. Legislators also expect our schools to intervene in any variety of social ills that plague our society. The rally cry that “the schools should fix that” has resulted in fragmented programs that are under-funded and incomplete, and compete with necessary academic time in the day of our students.
Ohio’s Failed Funding Model
Clearly, public schools have been able, for the most part, to rise to the increased expectations and accountability. What schools struggle to deal with each and every day of each year is funding. The funding model simply does not work.
Today’s public schools are financially supported for the most part from three funding sources:
federal, state, and local. The specific percentage of revenue support from each of these three levels varies greatly by district and is contingent upon factors such as respective individual income level and wealth of the district, total property valuation, and the financial support of the local community through levies on residential property or income.
In Buckeye’s case, we receive 5 percent of our financial support from the federal level, 33.2 percent from the state level and 61.8 percent from the local level. Federal revenue support often is based on the number of students at or below poverty level, while state support fluctuates with the total valuation of residential property combined the new CAT (Commercial Activity Tax) as a vehicle access tax on businesses and industry.
Under this model, school districts like Buckeye must rely on a greater contribution from the local community to remain solvent. This requires these local districts to regularly ask their registered voters to pass property tax levies to meet the increased costs of operation. The process of frequently going to the ballot is increasingly an exercise in futility and an unimaginable drain of district personnel and resources.
Who Thought Up This Business Model for Schools?
No business could be successful with such a business model. Here is a simplistic description of the failed business model schools have been given. Remember that the schools are dependent on voters to buy into the product.
First, in any given district, only about 25 percent to 35 percent of the community’s population has students who are currently attending school. This means roughly 65 percent to 75 percent of the voting community has no direct need or relationship to the product (student). Yes, surely, they may have an indirect relationship as a grandparent, aunt or second cousin, but they do not directly enter or interact with the buildings, programs, and personnel.
Second, of those 25 percent to 35 percent who indeed do have students in school and a direct need for the school’s services, 50 percent or less are registered to vote, and do not wish to register to vote.
Third, of that 50 percent registered to vote (of those 25 percent to 35 percent of community members who have students in school) only 50 percent or less will show up to the polls on election day to vote.
Therefore, school districts are left with only a small percentage of the electorate that has a direct relationship with the product. Convincing those that do not have a relationship to the product that they should indeed value the product enough to increase their taxes is problematic and frustrating.
Why do property tax levies fail to adequately fund our schools? Throughout years of failed levies, I have developed a list of the reasons people cite for not supporting public schools at the polls.
Buckeye’s Never-Ending Battle For Operating Money
The Buckeye Local School District has been on the ballot 10 times since November, 2003 in an effort to stabilize its finances. The last increase in operating money was thirteen years ago when this district passed a 12.5 mill phase-in levy in 1994. Since then a generation of students have passed through the doors. This year’s graduating class was in kindergarten when that last operating issue was passed. Voters have defeated seven consecutive property tax issues in the last three years which would have financed the operation of the district.
Because of the levy failures, we have drastically cut and reduced programs and personnel in our district. We have closed an elementary school and crowded students and staff into our other two elementary schools. We have instituted state minimum busing with transportation only provided to students in grades K – 8 who live more than two miles from the school. We have eliminated the district’s financial support of all extra-curricular activities including athletics. All of our extra-curricular/athletic programs are supported by pay to participate fees ($365.00 per sport/activity per participant), gate receipts, or fund-raising efforts by our Consolidated Booster Club. These are just some of the cuts.
In May, for the first time, we will place before our voters a 1 percent income tax as an alternative to a tax levy on residential property. The earned income tax is a new vehicle which allows districts to tax individuals who reside in the district on their earned income only (wages, salary, and tips). It does not tax other income including pensions, Social Security benefits, or dividends. Additionally, for the first time in Ohio, Medina County hopes to pass a county-wide 1⁄2 percent sales tax in May to support the capital improvement in public schools across the county.
As you can see, we are exploring every funding avenue available to us under the law to support the operation of the schools. The volunteered time, effort and fund-raising by school personnel required to run a levy campaign is enormous. It takes so many people and so much time away from our primary mission: to provide a quality educational environment with high academic and behavioral expectations. Finally, the never ending requests for money to finance levy campaigns, foundations, and booster organizations take a heavy toll on school and community.
What Must Change in Ohio to Save Public Education?
1. The State of Ohio and its public officials must become vocal advocates for public education.
2. The State of Ohio and its elected officials must admit and recognize that the current funding mechanism does not work and the laws that require school districts to constantly go back to the voters create a divide between the public schools and its communities.
3. The State of Ohio must now bring together all the stake holders including the newly elected Governor, General
Assembly, State Board of Education, Ohio Department of Education, state educational organizations and leaders to broker a better system for funding our schools. Now is the time to act.
4. The State of Ohio must end the siphoning off of public school money to support private education and for profit community schools.
5. The State of Ohio and its public officials need to stop passing unfunded mandates and legislation that make the public schools the cure agent for every social problem and public ill. If not, then the state needs to lengthen the academic calendars and provide the necessary resources to public schools to address the mandates and educate our children.
6. The State of Ohio and its public officials must not portray
the word “TAX” as a dirty word. Rather, taxes are and will remain a necessary evil that support many public services that our communities need, utilize and enjoy including fire and safety services, schools, parks, libraries, and senior citizen facilities.
Final Comment
Now is the time for leadership in this state to address the funding of public education. The last election was a referendum of dissatisfaction with the state’s direction. If our officials fail to act now, it will only hasten our crisis in public education. More and more districts will continue to go on the ballot to unsuccessfully attempt to raise money to operate their schools.
More and more districts will continue to cut their academic
programs and move through the path of “fiscal watch,” “warning” and ultimately “emergency.” The State of Ohio must act now!
