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Lieutenant governor to address school funding
(by Sue Hoffman - March 18, 2009)
Lieutenant governor to address school funding
By SUE HOFFMAN
Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has announced that he will attend a discussion on school funding at 7 p.m. April 27 at the Solon High School lecture hall. The meeting, hosted by the Solon School Board, is open to the public.
School Superintendent Joseph V. Regano will provide an overview, and there will be an opportunity for the board and public to comment and ask Mr. Fisher questions.
The discussion will follow the regular school board meeting at the board office, board President Margo Morrow said Monday. The board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. that evening, instead of 7 p.m., because of the special program.
Mrs. Morrow thanked board member Marilyn Thomas for representing the board in inviting Mr. Fisher to Solon.
Mrs. Thomas said she attended a recent forum on school funding which brought together legislators, superintendents and school consultants. With the many issues and concerns that were discussed, "I thought it would be good to have someone like Lee Fisher who knows Northeast Ohio," she said. "With a president who's concerned about education and a governor who will hopefully be the 'education governor,'" she said, it's important that state leaders hear the district's concerns.
"Our district has been accountable, and at least he'll understand a little more about our school district and how we have watched our pennies. I hope he hears us and can get the governor's ear and the legislature's ear. It is time to promote and fund education and to respond to school districts," Mrs. Thomas said.
Mr. Fisher, a Democrat, has served under Gov. Ted Strickland since 2007. Previously, he served as attorney general of Ohio from 1991 to 1995 and lost a bid for governor to Republican Robert Taft in 1998. He recently announced that he will run next year to replace Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who is retiring.
Among the topics school officials would like to see discussed are unfunded mandates, said Tamara Strom, coordinator of communication services. They include several proposals that Gov. Strickland made recently, including universal all-day kindergarten, a class ratio of 15 students to one teacher in kindergarten through third grade and 20 additional school days a year, she said.
The sharing of best teaching practices has contributed to excellent performance of Solon students, Ms. Strom said. "It's not necessarily class size."
Mr. Regano said the district would have to add 9 1/2 classrooms to accommodate the additional full-day kindergartners and lower teacher-student ratio at Arthur Road Elementary School, for example. "That's just one building," he said.
The phase-out of tangible personal property tax is a significant issue, Mrs. Thomas said. "We understand we have to be competitive, but at what loss to the city?"
Ms. Strom said the problem is that, with the phase-out of the tax, "we've lost local tax dollars."
Mr. Regano said state reimbursement to districts for the lost taxes will be phased out over six years. During the years, the district will lose several million dollars that it will need to add to its budget, he said. At one time, the district received $11.5 million annually from tangible personal property taxes.
With state reimbursement for the lost tax also being phased out, there will be a "huge gap" that would take a 2-mill levy a year to fill, Ms. Strom said.
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