SCHOOL FINANCE 101
School Funding Where does school funding come from? Where does it actually go?
Basics of School Finance in Ohio: School funding in Ohio is a SHARED responsibility between the state and the local community The local share is collected through property taxes and the state share is distributed through the State Foundation Program The wealthier a local district is, the less the state contributes for each student Wealth for a local district is determined by property value (valuation)
Where do Schools Get Money Local Funding Real Estate Levies Tangible Personal Property Tax (eliminated by State) State Funding Foundation Homestead and Rollback Federal Funding Grants, Title I, IDEA 6B
Current: Local Revenue Local revenue is largely from property taxes Pros: Stable base Cons: Unpopular tax by both payers and receivers Not reflective of ability to pay Rules severely limit growth (above 20 mills - HB 920) Outlet for voter discontent Tax effort is variable across state 1 mill (fy13 CUPP data) = Windham 45,500, Warrensville = 405,000, Twinsburg 780,000
Current: State Revenue State revenue is largely from sales, corporate and income taxes; Pros: Generally grows with economic growth Voter impact is indirect More reflective of ability to pay Serves redistributive role Cons: Distribution is complex Subject to Political Climate DeRolph, HB66, SB5, CAT Tax, Lottery
Current: Federal Revenue Federal Revenue is Targeted Assistance Title I Economically Disadvantaged IDEA-6B Special Ed. Assistance Pros: Additional Funds Cons: Strings Attached May not qualify Supplement vs. Supplant Maintenance of Effort Rules limit how funds can be spent. Single Audit
Types of School Levies What are the different types of school levies? And how can they be used? Operating: General Fund - Day-to-day operating expenses These dollars can be used for items such as textbooks, utilities, wages, benefits, transportation and supplies Continuing Emergency Income Tax Bond: Debt Service - New construction and renovations Permanent Improvement: PI - Capital improvements and major purchases that will last a minimum of five years These dollars can be used for items such as buses, long-term technology projects, parking lots, and roofs
State Formula Aid Formula Aid is made up of two main components: 1. Per pupil amount ($5,800) 2. Average Daily Membership - Charge-off + Categorical Aid, Sp. Ed, Transportation, Preschool, etc. Since September 2010 - There have been four State enacted School-Funding Models (SF-3, PASS, Bridge, and SFPR) and four iterations of the TPP Phase out calculations.
School Funding - Conceptual State Basic Aid Formula Amount $5,800 (SF-PR Dec 19, 2014 ) State Share Charge- Off Line Local Share Low Local Wealth Property Values High $24.5 million ($5,800 * 4224 ADM) $4.4 million ($1,045 per student)
What is House Bill 920? How does it impact our schools? What does it mean for homeowners? HB 920 is legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly in 1976, eliminated the amount of annual revenue growth generated by an existing levy due to inflation (property reappraisal).
Impact House Bill 920
Personal Property Taxes Starting in 2004 per HB66 the State TPP Reimbursement to Schools will be eliminated by 2018. (TPP Tangible Personal Property tax on business equipment, furniture and fixtures. Help businesses?? CAT Tax)
$13,227,542 Tangible Personal Property Phase-Out HB66 $14,000,000 $12,000,000 $10,000,000 $8,000,000 Nov. 6, 2012 4.9 mill Levy $3.823,614 $6,000,000 $4,000,000 $2,000,000 $9.8 million TPP CAT $6.2 million $0 TPP is Tangible Personal Property Tax CAT is Commercial Activity Tax
Tangible Personal Property Phase-Out HB66 The chart shows a reduction of $3.6 million on an annual basis. These dollars are redirected to backfill the State s coffers at the expense of Local Governments. The State has eliminated a tax once under local control (TPP), substituted it with a State controlled Commercial Activity Tax (CAT).
School Funding Where does school funding come from? Where does it actually go?
Salary & Benefits % of Expense FY13 Expenditures Salary and Wages 63% Employees' Retirement/ Insurance Benefits 23% Purchased Services 8% Supplies and Materials 3% Capital Outlay 0% Other Objects 3%
Budgetary - Ohio Revised Code January Budget Hearing April Accept Amounts and Rates July 1 Certificate Amounts Available Sept Certificate of Estimated Resources Permanent Appropriation Resolution Purchase Order Process Expenditures limited by Available Resources
Budgetary - Ohio Revised Code Budget Process Salaries, Wages and Benefits ~ 85% 15% for everything else Curriculum Text books, Work books, Testing Operations Utilities, Maintenance, Transportation Professional Services Legal, Nursing, Sp.Ed. Building Budgets Purchase Order Process
Five Year Forecast http://education.ohio.gov Click Here Citigroup Adjusts Third Quarter 2014 Financial Results Downward Oct. 30, 2014 NEW YORK-BusinessWire Intel Earnings Fall Short of Street Estimates USA TODAY July 17, 2013
Political Climate How does it impact schools? And Then What Homestead and Rollback carve out on new levies Cuts to State Income Tax Rates = reduction of dollars flowing to local governments thus local services are reduced or increases to local taxes and new levies Expansion of Charters (Originally alternative to Failing Schools) Education Choice Funds follow the child Deregulation (ENRON 7 th $70b). 87 percent of Ohio children who attend a charter school attend one that earned a D or an F on the Ohio Dept. of Ed. school report cards. If the original plan was as an alternative to failing schools then how can this be permitted. Over $900 million of school district funds transferred to charter schools this school year. Term Limits Pros and Cons Career Politicians Lost Historical Perspective Learning Curve Lobbyists Republican legislators signed anti-tax promise of anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist, Founder of Americans for Tax Reform. Steve LaTourette has established a Super PAC, Defending Main Street. The PAC was created to curb the influence of the Tea Party anti-tax movement in the Republican Party.
CONCERNS THIRD GRADE READING GUARANTEE STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES NEXT GEN ASSESSMENTS - PARCC NEEDED ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES AP COURSES DUAL CREDIT PSEO OTES TEACHER EVALUATIONS EXTRA RESOURCES SPECIAL ED - SCHOLARSHIPS AND TUITION COMMUNITY SCHOOL DEDUCTIONS NON-CORE OPPORTUNITIES SHRINK
By TERESA SALIZZONI Logan Daily News Reporter tsalizzoni@logandaily.com Posted: Monday, March 3, 2014 9:30 pm LOGAN - Although the Logan-Hocking School District's state grade card surpasses that of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), local tax dollars are being sent out of Hocking County for students attending online schools. While LHSD receives $5,334 per student from the state, $7,173 is deducted when a student chooses an alternate school such as ECOT. That takes the difference ($1,839) out of local tax dollars per student. "The base amount is deducted from the formula for state funding to the local district, and that amount goes to the charter/community school that is educating that student," said Ohio Department of Education Associate Director for Media Relations John Charlton. "We are losing over $712,000 to charter schools," LHSD treasurer Paul Shaw said at a recent school board meeting. "Of that, $185,550 are local property taxes being sent out of the county." Shaw explained that LHSD is spending $163,000 more than forecasted in the first seven months of the school year in part due to the charter schools' enrollment of children living in the district. "These are alarming statistics we can't control," Shaw said. "The school board is working to solve the deficiencies at the local level, but the problem is statewide. This is not just happening to larger schools; it is happening here." Shaw testified in the spring of 2013 in opposition to the expansion of charters/vouchers due to Gov. Kasich's increases to charter school funding by $57 million over the amount allotted in the 2011-2012 year. The LHSD report card obtained from the Ohio Department of Education revealed 93.6 percent of ninth-graders graduated in four years and 97 percent graduated in five years. Both are A grades. But the ECOT report card also showed that 35.3 percent of ninth-graders graduated in four years and 37.8 percent graduated in five years. Both are F grades. When comparing achievement on how many students passed the state test on the performance index the number was 81 percent, a B grade. The second part of the achievement compares how well students did on the state test, which the indicators met, getting a C grade of 75 percent higher for LHSD. ECOT received a performance index grade of 68.1 percent, a D grade, and a 12.5 percent on the indicators met, an F grade.
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