Lauren Morrow

Grade 8

Jackson Middle School

How is my school affected by Ohio’s school funding problem?

“Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.”

President James A. Garfield

Would you like the graduating seniors and graduating next year juniors to graduate without a good education? With the failure of this levy all or almost all Advanced Placement or AP classes will be cut. (AP classes are classes that are much more challenging and help better educate a student.) Many students will not be getting a good preparation for their higher education. Therefore the adults who will be running the country when you are older will not be as educated. Their decision-making will not be as good. To paraphrase President Garfield, without our good education we could lose our freedom and our sense of justice.

Out of 16 school districts in Franklin County, 10 are rated excellent or effective while 5 are rated in the Academic Watch or Academic Emergency categories. South- Western City Schools are making improvements toward effective status but if the levy fails, then that momentum will stop. South-Western will likely continue to be in academic watch, as our best teachers will go to other more stable districts.

Another problem is that over 50% of the students in the South-Western City School district are very upset that they will have no sports due to the levy failure. Some students are expecting a scholarship to college from sports. Without the sports, some will not be able to go to college. Many people like to watch Ohio State football, basketball, and hockey. I know that it is always neat to be able to see someone from your own town play. If there are no sports, then no one from South-Western will be able to play.

One of the main things that people need to pay attention to is that South-Western City Schools have not asked for an operating levy since 1994. In the 10 years since a levy has been voted upon, 3,700 more students have moved into the district and because of this eight new schools have been built. The 9.7 mill levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $25 a month or about $299 a year. 7.7 mills of the levy money will go to general operations of schools such as electricity, water, personnel, and other school needs. The other 2.0 mills will go for permanent improvements in the district, such as buying textbooks or replacing old buses. Another important fact is that South-Western City Schools currently ranks 15^th lowest out of 16 schools in Franklin County for school taxes. With the passage of this 9.7 mill levy, the district will have enough support and money for the next three years or more.

Many other things that are important to students and teachers will be impacted. All extracurricular activities will stop happening. Transportation to and from school will be reduced and anyone living within one mile of an elementary school will have no busing. There could be no busing for high school students at all. If courses are cut or class sizes increased, the newest teachers, the ones who are up on the newer ways of teaching, could be non-renewed.

Only 3,064 people voted no on the levy. That was 20% more than voted yes. Given the total number of possible voters, the actual number of voters who voted no is not very big. I have heard that many people are not voting for the levy because they don’t like how the government funds our schools. My advice is to not take your frustration out on the students. Vote yes for the levy and then go talk to you legislator about your ideas to fix the funding issue. The legislature has not listened to the Ohio Supreme Court in its rulings that the system of funding Ohio’s schools needs to be fixed but if enough people who elect legislators to office start talking, they might listen.

So in conclusion, if the levy fails a lot of students will be harmed. Quality learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom will be lost. The quality of the district will suffer as the best teachers and many students are drained from the district. The long-standing reputation of excellence that many district groups and programs have in the state will be badly affected. The whole community will be affected, as new families will not want to move to a place where their children cannot enjoy all the benefits of a quality education. When the quality of a community goes downhill, no one experiences a benefit. All of us owe each other the right to keep our community a great place to live. Please tell everyone you know to vote for the levy for the South-Western City Schools on May 30, 2005.