Liberty-Benton

Local Schools

A Message from the Treasurer

Currently, our state legislators are preparing a state budget that will determine whether to fairly fund Ohio schools by completing implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan.

The Ohio House and Senate took a giant step forward for students and schools by enacting the Fair School Funding Plan in 2021. Phased in over six years, the plan will be fully implemented by fiscal year 2027. The Fair School Funding Plan was developed by school district leaders and expert practitioners. It translates real student needs into concrete resources by accounting for essential education components like appropriate class sizes, student support services, and educational technology. The formula treats all taxpayers fairly based on their community’s ability to raise local funds.

The implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan formula represents a move toward the equitable and adequate funding of Ohio’s schools. However, for the plan to be effective and constitutional, there is still work to be done. For the formula to work and provide an equitable and adequate education for Ohio’s children, full implementation must be included in the budget and current base cost inputs from fiscal year 2022 must be updated to provide the funding necessary in an environment of high inflation.

The Governor’s budget, which is now being considered in the House of Representatives, includes the phase-in of years 5 and 6. However, the Governor’s budget does not include an update to base costs, which means that districts would lose money because the funding formula would not account for inflationary increases in base costs.

Based on current simulations from the Governor’s budget proposal, Liberty-Benton is projected to lose $212,943 in state funding for the 2025-2026 school year and $237,680 for the 2026-2027 school year..

It is often said that what we value, we are willing to fund. As our legislators begin discussions of priorities for the biennium budget, we urge you to personally speak to our State Representatives about the importance and urgency of investing in Ohio's children.