Ohio House Advances School Funding Overhaul in $61B Budget

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 96 on April 9, 2025, in a mostly party-line vote, advancing changes to K-12 public school funding within a $61 billion two-year operating budget. The bill maintains the bipartisan Cupp-Patterson Fair School Funding Plan from 2021 but modifies it for FY26 and FY27 to ensure every district receives more than in FY25, adding $226 million statewide in state foundation aid. It includes a base funding supplement of $20 per student in FY26 and $30 in FY27, plus growth incentives: $150-$200 per pupil for 3-5% enrollment growth districts, scaling down for larger gains.[3][4] Lawmakers structured payments as the sum of Fair School Funding Plan amounts, transitional aid guarantees, and targeted supplements to prevent cuts, while requiring districts to maintain FY25 spending levels in special education, disadvantaged pupil impact aid (DPIA), English learners, gifted programs, career-tech, and student wellness. The House plan scraps some guarantees like supplemental targeted assistance, costing $50 million annually, and adjusts DPIA using a composite economically disadvantaged enrollment—75% meals-based and 25% direct certification in FY26, shifting to 65-35% in FY27—for more accurate poverty measures.[3][5] Critics, including Policy Matters Ohio, slam the budget for underfunding schools by $2.86 billion versus full Fair School Funding Plan needs, providing just 5.7% of required state increases while boosting private vouchers and $35 million in education savings accounts. Potential Senate overrides of Gov. Mike DeWine's vetoes on property tax measures could strip $203 million in local revenue from over 200 districts through 2027, plus $126.7 million in 2028, affecting urban hubs like Cleveland and rural areas alike. Meanwhile, the Senate considers Senate Bill 93 to create a new system with statewide per-pupil payments funded by property and sales taxes.[2][4][6] Ohio's funding saga stems from DeRolph court rulings demanding equity and adequacy, with the Cupp-Patterson plan—initially HB 305 in 2020—praised for inputs-based per-pupil costs but criticized for phase-in delays and outdated data. House changes aim to fully phase in base funding without updating costly inputs, aligning partially with DeWine's proposal using 2022 figures.[1][5]