THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

9/18/2007

By Robert Vitale

Republican mayoral candidate William M. Todd continued his campaign against Columbus schools yesterday, filing a lawsuit that contends the district is shortchanging some of its students.

The district spends thousands less per student at some of its schools, the suit says, and that violates the Ohio Constitution’s guarantee of “thorough and efficient” funding for public education.

Todd said the action on behalf of five district residents is “an economic issue about the future of our children in Columbus.” School board members, including one of Todd’s fellow Republicans, called the lawsuit a political stunt.

“If he’s a serious man, if he’s a serious politician, he needs to say something about school funding that makes sense,” said board President Terry Boyd, who shares a spot with Todd on the GOP ticket for Nov. 6 elections.

Boyd said per-student spending takes teacher salaries into account, so building-to-building numbers are skewed by transfers of higher-paid, more-experienced teachers to better-performing schools. Board members have discussed an incentive program to keep those teachers in poorer schools, he said.

Todd, a lawyer, filed the suit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against the Columbus school board, the Ohio Department of Education, the state Board of Education and state schools Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman.

“Wide disparities of funding between Ohio pupils in Ohio public schools are as unconstitutional within a particular school district as they are between school districts,” the suit states.

Todd offered an example yesterday. At Winterset Elementary School on the Northwest Side, the district spent $12,507 per student last year, he said. At Liberty Elementary School on the Far East Side, the district spent $7,779 per student.

Winterset was rated “effective” on the latest state report card; Liberty is on academic watch.

“We have to change what’s happening in Columbus Public Schools today,” said Todd, who also has called for a mayoral takeover of the district in his campaign against incumbent Democrat Michael B. Coleman.

Coleman’s campaign ignored Todd’s lawsuit but said the mayor has been a “practical partner” with Columbus schools since taking office in 2000.

His office announced a meeting Thursday with other Ohio mayors that will focus in part on a potential statewide ballot initiative to change the state’s school-funding formula.

In other campaign news yesterday, Coleman began airing his first TV ad of the campaign, a 30-second spot that touts city government’s strong financial rating and initiatives for public safety, housing and jobs.

Also, former GOP council candidate Phil Harmon dropped his challenge to the candidacy of Democrat Hearcel Craig, who was appointed in April and is seeking his first full term.

Harmon had said former Councilwoman Patsy Thomas, now a Franklin County Municipal Court judge, left this year’s council race too late to pick a replacement.