4/17/2007 9:37:00 AM Budget numbers can say anything
Senator John Carey
Senator John Carey
As the General Assembly works through the budget process, debating issues and listening to the concerns of interested parties, numbers are often manipulated to illustrate different policy positions.
Advocates urging financial support for their cause frequently make the point that their expenditure would save the state many times over in preventative costs, and many times, that is true.
For instance, supporters of additional funding for early childhood education argue that investing in our children early will prevent additional educational costs later in that child's school career.
What makes the process difficult, however, is that there is a limited amount of money and the state cannot possibly afford to give every group what they want. Not to mention, the budget must be in place by July 1, so legislators have a limited amount of time to listen to these concerns and iron out any kinks in the bill.
Probably the most manipulated issue in the budget as far as numbers are concerned is education. For example, those arguing for more investment in higher education could point out that Ohio ranks low among states in per capita spending on college tuition assistance, but those on the other side of the issue could point out that we are actually eighth in the nation in overall higher education spending.
So, depending on which way you crunch the numbers, these statistics could be used to make an argument on both sides of the educational debate. But, no matter which side of the educational debate you are on, I think we can all agree that Ohio has room to improve.
Today, I am not going to focus on the education budget proposal that the Legislature is now considering. Instead, I want to take a moment to strengthen my argument for continued equity efforts in our schools.
While it is true that Ohio has made significant progress toward reducing inequities between school districts, understandably, there are some who feel more can and should be done.
The "Cost of Doing Business Factor," which has been a major contributor to this inequity, is scheduled to be phased out this year. It was basically used to give more money to urban and suburban districts on the premise that real estate and wages cost more in these areas. For instance, under the "Cost of Doing Business" formula, Hamilton County has the highest wages in the state and, as a result, school districts in this county received an increase of 2.5 percent in the state's base cost formula.
On the other end, Gallia County in the 17th District, was the lowest wage county and received no increase in the base cost formula.
I believe this premise was based on benign ignorance. Teachers in rural districts need the same training as those in urban and suburban districts. The real estate issue does not hold water with me. In some rural areas where utilities are more difficult to locate, real estate can be more costly. Unfortunately, there are some who are advocating for the return of the "Cost of Business Factor."
Gov. Ted Strickland is rightly counting the amount of property tax relief provided by the state as part of his education budget. The governor plans on using a portion of Ohio's tobacco revenue to expand the state's homestead exemption program, which provides property tax relief for seniors and the disabled. By covering these expenses, the state share of education funding will increase to 54 percent by 2009, according to Gov. Strickland.
Many suburban legislators contend that the school districts they represent get little aid from the state. But if you look at the numbers another way and add in the 12.5 percent that the state pays of everyone's residential tax bill, the picture changes significantly.
While Symmes Valley Local School District in Lawrence County receives a majority of their education funding through state aid, they collect only $110,000 in property tax relief. Dublin School District in Franklin County, on the other hand, gets $12 million in property tax relief, while Hilliard School District gets $10 million.
Maybe the realization that Ohio is paying this money to the wealthier districts will take some of the sting away from the fact that the suburbs do not receive a lot of direct financial aid for their schools. While it does help make school funding more equitable, I am sure it does not feel that way paying your taxes.
In addition, many school districts have legitimate funding concerns because of rapidly growing enrollment or a lack of resources to recruit and train quality teachers. These issues should be addressed on a case by case basis instead of the blanket funding system we have had in Ohio before.
As the budget process moves forward, I will continue to work to weed through the numbers and find the truth behind Ohio's educational situation. While we have taken significant steps to reduce inequity in our schools, there is still much more to be done. Every child in Ohio should be given the educational tools necessary to succeed in school, work and life, and we can not let the numbers game stand in the way of this goal.
Sen. John Carey, R-Wellston, represents Ohio's 17th Senate District.
