Ohio spends quite a lot on K-12 education, compared to other states, ranking seventh of all 50 states in the annual survey Quality Counts from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. But the state drops to 17th when it comes to how that money is spent. EPE's Amy Hightower says in Ohio there's a wide disparity between funding of rich and poor districts. In some other states, she says, school district funds are combined, then distributed more equally.
Hightower:" Less affluent districts in more equitable systems would receive a greater amount of money."
Ohio earned an overall grade of B minus in the Quality Counts survey, largely because of the amount of tax money it spends on schools. That contribution cannot help but shrink in the new budget as Governor Ted Strickland tries to reconcile a $7.3 Billion dollar deficit.
But Ohio is not alone in that challenge, Hightower says.
Hightower: "And that's going to continue to have a ripple effect in Ohio, and other states, for years to come."
Governor Strickland is set to unveil his education reform plan at the end of the month as part of his State of the State address.
Kymberli Hagelberg, 90.3