Tiffani Young

Grade 8

Jackson Middle School

How my school is affected by Ohio’s school funding system

Knowledge is power. This is an expression that has been around for many years, one that the founding fathers of this country used when building our nation. This tradition still carries on today in President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act.” The Ohio school funding system is contributing to this by trying to provide equity to all students, however, it lack the adequacy that is also needed to create a system that is able to help all of its students. The Ohio school funding system has been voted unconstitutional four times, yet nothing has been done to solve this problem.

Unfortunately my classmates and I have to experience many consequences for a situation that we can do little about. Since we do not pay taxes and do not vote on the operating funds it is up to an older generation to decide our future. I didn’t realize how greatly the poor school funding system effected schools until the schools that I go to were directly affected after a proposed operating fund failed to gain support from local residents. Now the student will lose the luxuries that they once were able to take for granted. Extracurricular activities, which many were dependent, on will be cut because of the shortage of money. Not only were the sports and clubs that students could participate in fun, but they were also keeping a lot of kids out of trouble. The requirements of having passing grades, the commitments, sacrifices and promises that numerous people made just to play these sports will be lost, and so will some of their motivations to do well in school.

Other people were counting on the extracurricular activities to help them get into colleges. Colleges may also look at the level of classes you take. This would be unfair for those students who have the intelligence to take accelerated courses, but are limited by the current Ohio funding system. I am a student that may be affected by any cuts made in AP classes and I know that not having a challenge in lessons not only leaves me bored, but I am not learning or improving myself.

Once again the funding system is found restricting education by the cut of funding for field trips. That can mean productive trips to places such as COSI will be gone. For me, these trips were fun ways to learn with hands-on experiences that were out of the same routine I would go through everyday in school. I found these trips motivating and inspirational because it would remind me that learning can be fun. When we would return back to school the next day I felt encouraged to ask more questions and get involved in the classroom. I found myself actually enjoying time I spent in school getting an education rather than just the social aspect that comes with school. Ohio needs to change its funding system so that no child is deprived of such an opportunity that may affect them in the same way it did me.

Students are not the only people that are affected by Ohio’s funding system. Teachers who have just started out teaching will find their contracts will not be renewed because there isn’t enough money to pay them. Taxpayers must pay the majority of the levy money through property taxes. The money that the voters are deciding on pays the salaries of teachers, supplies, transportation, and utilities. For some, the taxes can come out to be an overwhelming amount of money since over half of the money is coming from local taxes while the other is coming in from the state and government. Older generations who don’t have children in school do not feel they have a cause to vote for the levy. This shows there’s a need for greater awareness that we, the children, determine what happens in the future. We need and deserve a good education.

There is an obvious need for a change in the Ohio school funding program that has been noticeable for a long time. If the change isn’t made now, then when? When will children in Ohio get an education that is equitable and adequate? This doesn’t only affect the lives of people living in Ohio; it can influence the whole country. Children are the future, and need to be given a proper education because knowledge is power.