The legislature still hasn't fixed it. A bipartisan coalition of mayors, superintendents, school boards, and state legislators is demanding action — now.
Districts across the state are entering fiscal emergency — not because of reckless spending, but because of a broken funding system.
Multiple Ohio school districts are in fiscal emergency or on the verge of insolvency based on their five-year forecasts. These aren't just urban districts — suburban and rural communities are being hit hard.
HB 920 freezes school revenue at the dollar amount from the last levy, while costs for salaries, utilities, special education, transportation, and state-mandated programs rise 3-4% every year.
Ohio has had more school levies on the ballot than any other state since HB 920 was enacted. Voters are exhausted, and communities are divided — all because the system forces districts to ask for more money just to stand still.
The expansion of Ohio's voucher and EdChoice programs is siphoning hundreds of millions from the public education budget. Public schools lose per-pupil funding but retain the fixed costs of buildings, buses, and mandated services.
Underfunded districts can't offer competitive salaries. Ohio is losing experienced educators to neighboring states and to other professions, directly impacting the quality of education for our children.
When schools fail, communities fail. Property values drop, businesses leave, and families relocate. School funding isn't just an education issue — it's an economic development issue for every city and village in Ohio.
Passed in 1976, House Bill 920 was meant to protect taxpayers. Instead, it created a structural funding crisis that has starved Ohio's schools for five decades.
When voters approve a school levy, they vote for a specific millage rate — say, 10 mills. That rate generates a certain dollar amount based on property values at the time.
When property values rise during a reappraisal, you'd expect school revenue to rise too. But HB 920 automatically reduces the effective millage rate so the total dollars collected stays roughly the same.
The result? Your property taxes go up, but your schools don't see a single extra penny. The increased tax revenue goes elsewhere — while schools are stuck with funding frozen at the level from years ago.
Meanwhile, costs rise every single year. Special education mandates. Health insurance. Utilities. Transportation. The gap between revenue and costs grows wider with every passing year until the district has no choice but to go back to the ballot — again.