“The time has come to fix the system. Let there be no misunderstanding. Ohio’s public school-financing scheme must undergo a complete systematic overhaul,” wrote Ohio Supreme Court Justice Francis Sweeney in a 1997 decision declaring that Ohio’s system of funding schools was unconstitutional.

In Ohio, education funding is still not equal. Districts raise funds through property tax levies combined with funding from state and federal sources. Most funding is not given on a need basis. As a result, schools in districts that lack a substantial tax base or who reject spending levies are funded at lower levels. For example, Orange City Schools spends over $21,000 per pupil, while Avon Local School District spends just over $7,000. Districts with high concentrations of poverty frequently have the least to spend. While some see this disparity as unfair, others argue that this practice is just and in fact encourages efficiency.

In this issue, Beachcomber staff writers consider the issue of whether Ohio should raise income taxes in order to equalize education funding across the state.

Read Anshika Niraj’s argument for the proposition here.

Read Jon Shapiro’s argument against the proposition here.

Cartoon by Jessica Tall.