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Study: Funding Gap In Ohio’s Schools Shows Little Change In 20 Years
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A new study done for officials from public schools says the funding gap between Ohio’s poorest and wealthiest districts hasn’t narrowed much in the 20 years since the state’s school funding formula was revised after a lawsuit.
In what’s known as the DeRolph case, Ohio’s Supreme Court declared the state school system favoring rich districts over poor was unconstitutional.
The new study by Ohio Education Policy Institute consultant Howard Fleeter finds that state and local revenue received by the wealthiest school districts has since increased nearly 26 percent, while funding for the poorest districts rose only a little bit more, just over 29 percent. Most growth happened in the decade after the formula was revised.
The study was commissioned by associations for Ohio school boards, administrators and school business officials.