Advancing by Degrees: Equal Time

ALTHOUGH the polls say that education is the public’s top concern, voters in Ohio recently made clear the limits of their generosity: no blank checks for the shakedown known as school “equalization.”

Like courts in 17 other states, the Ohio Supreme Court had struck down the state’s school-finance system and ordered the legislature to equalize funding for public schools. In a 1997 ruling, the court held that the school-finance system, by relying heavily on property taxes, creates inequalities, with students in the more affluent areas generally enjoying better facilities. In response, the Ohio General Assembly placed Issue 2 on the ballot. The measure proposed raising state sales taxes by $1.1 billion and earmarking half the revenue for the mandated “equalization.” On May 5, 80 per cent of the voters rejected the measure.

AP

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Andrew Peyton Thomas

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ALTHOUGH the polls say that education is the public’s top concern, voters in Ohio recently made clear the limits of their generosity: no blank checks for the shakedown known as school “equalization.”

Like courts in 17 other states, the Ohio Supreme Court had struck down the state’s school-finance system and ordered the legislature to equalize funding for public schools. In a 1997 ruling, the court held that the school-finance system, by relying heavily on property taxes, creates inequalities, with students in the more affluent areas generally enjoying better facilities. In response, the Ohio General Assembly placed Issue 2 on the ballot. The measure proposed raising state sales taxes by $1.1 billion and earmarking half the revenue for the mandated “equalization.” On May 5, 80 per cent of the voters rejected the measure.