12-09-2020 10:16am

Kings Local School District Supports House Bill 305

Rick Amburgey Neighbor

Kings Mills, Ohio - The Kings Local School District has announced it is joining hundreds of school districts statewide to support the Fair School Funding Plan, as introduced in the Ohio House as Sub. H.B. 305 and the Ohio Senate as S.B. 376, and is urging lawmakers to seize this moment to make history for Ohio's K-12 public schools.

The plan is an improved and comprehensive bipartisan remake of Ohio's current funding formula. It is also the product of three years of concentrated volunteer efforts by a group of active school superintendents and treasurers under the leadership of state representatives Bob Cupp (R-Lima), John Patterson (D-Jefferson), and Gary Scherer (R-Circleville). Senators Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) and Vernon Sykes (D- Akron) introduced Senate Bill 376 as a companion bill to the House version.

Kings is grateful for their leadership. According to Kings Treasurer/CFO, Cary Furniss, the current funding system is broken and unconstitutional; its provisions have no objectively determined relationship to cost or need. "We support having a funding model that is fair to our community."

The Kings Board of Education passed a resolution in support of HB305, as well. Furniss said he believes the plan is fair for students and taxpayers, eliminates arbitrary caps on funding increases, reduces artificial guarantees, and respects local control. In addition to Kings and hundreds of other districts across Ohio, four of Ohio's most influential and prestigious educational organizations also declared their support for the Fair School Funding Plan: Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio Federation of Teachers and Ohio Education Association.

* This story was written by district staff.