Youngstown Daily Legal News

Mahoning Valley lawmakers push for state funding reform for school buildings

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: November 25, 2014

A new piece of proposed legislation designed to cut local taxes and reduce the costs of funding school construction has been filed into both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly.

Senate Bill 376, led by Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Boardman, and House Bill 650, sponsored by Rep. Ron Gerberry, D-Austintown, would require the state to pay set percentages of school construction costs while decreasing the cost of local school improvement levies by 12.5 percent for local property taxpayers.

In a statement, the lawmakers said the proposed changes would increase the fairness of school construction funding.

The proposal would cap local matching funds at 75 percent of total school improvement costs through the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program and establish a 50-50 cost share between the state and local districts for construction under the Exceptional Needs Program, a funding model that prioritizes single building replacement based on student health and safety.

The current funding system is based on an assessed property valuation per student.

“The state needs to make a greater investment into public education now and into the future,” Schiavoni said. “This legislation will take some of the burden off local taxpayers while ensuring that our young people have more opportunities to succeed.”

If enacted, the measure would reduce the increased cost of local levies for some schools by reinstating the 12.5 percent state cost sharing for local school improvement levies that was eliminated in the last state budget.

“I’m happy to join Sen. Schiavoni in introducing legislation that will decrease local costs for school construction projects in districts like Boardman, Poland and Canfield,” Gerberry said.

“This modification would be a great benefit to those districts.”

The bill would not change the priority list of districts in line for funding, and it could mean schools would face looser requirements in using the ENP for school construction funding.

In the past, schools could not use the program if local levies had failed or if they first did not seek funding through the CFAP.

Gerberry expressed optimism about the proposed legislation being signed into law.

“Sen. Schiavoni and I will do everything possible to move this legislation forward expeditiously,” he said.

Both bills are awaiting committee assignments.

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