Swearingen Cosponsors Bipartisan 'Fair School Funding Plan'

State Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) announces he has cosponsored the newly-introduced “Fair School Funding Plan” filed under House Bill 1 for the 134th General Assembly. The key, bipartisan legislation to modernize K-12 school funding across Ohio is nearly identical to last General Assembly’s House Bill 305, which was a school funding formula reform bill that passed in the House late last year.

Known as the Fair School Funding Plan, the legislation stems from over three years of collaboration between superintendents and treasurers representing Ohio’s school districts. Among them includes urban and rural districts with different capacities of raising local revenue.

“This school funding reform package has been an item to fix for decades here in Ohio and it’s time we move forward with this solution,” said Swearingen. “This collaborative effort provides changes that generations of our students will benefit from within our state for years to come. The comprehensive legislation has bipartisan support and I’m happy to join my colleagues in pushing for the academic needs of our children.”

Under the new bill, similar to H.B. 305, the base cost includes resources for professional development for teachers that address the health, safety, social, and emotional needs of students, academic and athletic co-curricular activities, and technology used in today’s education.

The legislation also adjusts the distribution formula for schools with an emphasis on a more accurate measure school district capacity by using both property and income wealth to determine the local share.

“This particular issue is very important in this bill as we want to ensure fairness and to reduce our state’s reliance on property taxes to fund our schools,” said Swearingen.

In addition to components of the bill, it contains additional categories of aid aimed at creating an equitable system of funding for our schools. These categorical aid components include gifted education, special education, English Language Learners, economically disadvantaged, and transportation. Each component was modified with input from practitioners and children advocates from across Ohio.

The plan also advances funding and initiatives for career technical education and Education Service Centers (ESCs).

Currently, the bill has 62 cosponsors and awaits its first committee action in the House Finance Committee. Swearingen is a member of the House Finance Committee and notes he will play a pivotal role within the legislative process of House Bill 1.