KidsOhio » District Funding

An Independent Guide to Ohio’s $400 Million Race to the Top Application

keisha — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:49:51 +0000

Ohio Grantmakers Forum and KidsOhio.org are nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations working together to improve academic achievement among Ohio’s 1.8 M public school students. Our commitment to helping students improve is the reason we produced the Independent Guide to Ohio’s $400 M Race to the Top Application. This guide describes a unique opportunity for Ohio schools to secure as much as $400 M over the next four years to bolster local efforts for educational improvement in areas ranging from rural Appalachia to urban and suburban communities.

To read the guide, click here.

EducationCounsel Releases Analysis of New Federal Stimulus Guidelines

eric — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:05:48 +0000

On April 1, the U.S. Department of Education released new guidelines on the use of education funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. EducationCounsel has since issued this memo providing an analysis of these new guidelines, focusing specifically on IDEA, Title I, and State Fiscal Stabilization Funds.

EducationCounsel is an innovative law, policy, strategy, and advocacy organization committed to strengthening education systems, closing achievement gaps, and expanding access to educational opportunities. -EducationCounsel

Estimated Federal Stimulus Bill Allocations to Franklin County School Districts

eric — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Franklin County’s 16 school districts will receive an estimated $104 million in one-time increased federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The increases would come as additional Title I funding for economically disadvantaged students and IDEA funding for students with special education needs. Districts are slated to receive all of these stimulus funds by October 2009.

For a complete district-by-district breakdown, click here.

Estimated Federal Stimulus Bill Allocations to Ohio’s Eight Large Urban Districts

eric — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:16:36 +0000

Ohio’s eight large urban school districts (the “Urban 8″) may receive $540 million in new federal funding over two years, according to estimates based on the House Appropriations Committee’s Draft 2009 Stimulus Bill. The increases would come as additional funding for construction and for support for economically disadvantaged students and students with special education needs. Under these estimates, additional funding would range from $14 million in Canton to $174 in Cleveland over the two-year period.

For a complete district-by-district breakdown, click here.

Ballot-Issue Passage Rates: Ohio’s Eight Large Urban Districts

eric — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:29:57 +0000

Between 2000 and 2008, Ohio’s eight large urban districts (the “Urban 8″)-Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown-placed 44 school funding issues on the ballot, 27 of which (61%) passed. This compares with a passage rate of 54% across all school funding ballot issues statewide during the same period. Passage rates for individual districts among the Urban 8 ranged from as low as 25% (one of four) in Canton to as high as 100% (three of three) in Columbus. Among Urban 8 school funding issues 5 mills or less in size, 87% passed.

For more information, including a district-by-district breakdown for the Urban 8, click here.

Columbus, other urban school levies win while only 34% of requests for new operating funds are approved

eric — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:46:43 +0000

Statewide, 62% of school issues on the November ballot passed, but only 34% of requests for new operating monies were approved according to the Buckeye Association for School Administrators.Columbus City Schools’ 8.98-mill combined levy and bond issue passed with a 63% approval rate. Three of the seven other large urban school districts in Ohio had funding issues on the ballot, all of which passed:

-Dayton‘s 4.9-mill levy passed (57% approved). The levy will generate $9.3 million a year for the district. Dayton’s last levy attempt, in 2007, was for 15.17 mills and was defeated 58%-42%.

-Toledo‘s 4.8-mill levy and 0.7-mill bond both passed (57% and 58% approved, respectively). The 10-year levy will generate $15.7 million a year and the 28-year bond will provide $37 million.

-Youngstown‘s four-year, 9.5-mill levy passed (53% approved). The levy had failed in three prior attempts.

The approval of these ballot issues stands in contrast to the fact that only five of 15 operating levies passed among the Urban 8 (Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown) between 2004 and 2007.

In Franklin County, nine districts (including Columbus) had funding issues on the ballot, five passed. For a helpful summary of these ballot issues and how they fared, click here.

A Nonpartisan Summary of Issue 75: Columbus City Schools’ 2008 Combined Levy and Bond Issue

eric — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:34:19 +0000

The polls are now open for the fall 2008 elections, and KidsOhio.org’s nonpartisan, two-page summary of Issue 75–Columbus City Schools’ 2008 combined levy and bond issue–is now available here.

Voting is open from September 30 through November 4th. Polls are open daily at Veterans Memorial. For more information, contact the Franklin County Board of Elections at 614.462.3100 or visit http://www.vote.franklincountyohio.gov/.

A Nonpartisan Guide to Issue 75: Columbus City Schools’ 2008 Combined Levy and Bond Issue

ann — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:55:16 +0000

This nonpartisan guide contains the most up-to-date information about the Columbus City Schools’ November 2008 nine-mill operating levy and bond issue. The guide includes specific information about the cost and purpose of the ballot issue, new performance data from the state report card and details about the district’s accountability pledge.
Read full report.

A Nonpartisan Guide to the Columbus City Schools’ 2008 Levy and Bond Issue

eric — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:59:36 +0000

Columbus City Schools plans to put a joint bond issue and 7.85-mill operating levy on the November 2008 ballot. This guide provides information on what the ballot issue would cost and what it would pay for, as well as a look at the district’s budget forecast, ongoing facilities program and recent trends in enrollment and academics.

Read full report

Click here to read the Board of Education’s August 19 ”Resolution to Use Resources Provided by the Operating Levy and Bond Issue to Accelerate Academic Achievement.” The resolution outlines the district’s academic, financial, and operational pledges for the operating levy and bond issue.

A Nonpartisan Guide to the Columbus City Schools’ 2008 Levy and Bond Issue

eric — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:26:49 +0000

Read full report