Chairman of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) today announced that the Finance Committee, commencing this week, will be holding a series of hearings on school funding.

At the committee meetings scheduled for May 1st, 2nd and 8th, the Finance Committee will receive an initial presentation of the School Funding Basic Information Series, which will be provided by the former State Budget Director and Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria.

“These presentations are designed to promote a shared understanding of the basics of school funding, where we’ve been as a state and the challenges we face as we move forward,” said Chairman Amstutz.

          Part 2 – District Expenditures –Discusses school district spending patterns with a focus on personnel costs, particularly salaries and fringe benefits.
• Wednesday, May 2 at 9 a.m. in room 313
          Part 3 - How School Funding Works –Illustrates how school funding in Ohio works. This section includes a discussion on Foundation Formula Theory and methods for determining base cost.

          Part 4 - How Did We Get Here? –Takes a look back at the Ohio Supreme Court four DeRolph decisions, legislative responses to the suit, as well as recent Ohio funding models: foundation, building blocks, EBM and the current bridge formula.
• Tuesday, May 8 following session in room 313

          Part 5 - Local Revenues –Delves further into how local school district revenues are generated and the revenue “tools” available to local districts.


The presentations are the first phase of the Ohio House of Representatives’ school funding review, which is anticipated to include meetings and hearings around the state this summer.

Also in the planning stages is a web site where the public will be able to view the School Funding Basic Information Series online.