Getting It Right! For Ohio's Future

History of School Funding

1976
House Bill 920 is signed into Ohio law, fixing property tax levies to dollar amounts instead of taxation rates. The law effectively reduces taxation rates as property values increase.

1980
Ohio voters approve amending the state constitution to incorporate House Bill 920's provisions.

2002
The Ohio Supreme Court makes its fourth and final ruling that Ohio's school funding formula is unconstitutional and over-reliant on local property taxes.

The Ohio School Board Association's School Funding Steering Committee is created by the OSBA Board of Trustees. The steering committee is comprised of various education organizations including management and unions. The charge of the committee is to explore the possibility of developing a constitutional amendment.

2003
The state of Ohio forms the Blue Ribbon Task Force, a 35-member group charged with recommending solutions to Ohio's school funding challenges. Although some of the components of the task force's recommendations were implemented, many in the education community felt that they were incomplete and did not overhaul the system.

March 2004
Mayors from Ohio's biggest cities create a forum to discuss education issues and decide to address Ohio's school funding formula. Eventually, mayors from the state's 21 largest cities and school districts become involved in the forum.

May 2005
Educate Ohio begins a petition campaign on a school funding constitutional amendment. The issue does not obtain sufficient signatures for November 2005 ballot placement.

August 2005
Statewide education groups meet with community and state officials including Ohio Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Tave Zelman. From this meeting, a working group begins the planning process for a 2007 school funding ballot initiative.

February 2006
In a groundbreaking collaborative effort, every major education organization in Ohio begins a joint effort to develop a ballot proposal that will address school funding.

January 2007
Getting It Right! For Ohio's Future begins the petition process to place its constitutional amendment on the November 2007 ballot.