member alert Cover

Date: April 22, 2015

To : School board members, superintendents, treasurers/CFOs, business managers and other school business officials

From : Damon Asbury, OSBA — (614) 540-4000 Tom Ash, BASA — (614) 846-4080 Barbara Shaner, OASBO — (614) 325-9562

Re:

House votes on budget bill

The Ohio House of Representatives voted today to approve Substitute House Bill (HB) 64, the biennial budget bill for fiscal years (FY) 2016-2017. It includes a net increase in education funding of more than $900 million. The bill makes positive structural changes to the school-funding formula, as we had requested, and includes a hold-harmless provision to cover Tangible Personal Property (TPP) and Public Utility Tangible Personal Property (PUTPP) tax replacement payments to schools at FY 2015 levels. No district will receive less money than in FY 2015, including TPP and PUTPP replacement payments. The bill would provide 446 districts with a net increase in funding. The total package represents a major improvement to the as- introduced version of HB 64. We urge members to contact House members to thank them for the positive changes for education the House bill makes. We believe the House school-funding plan recognizes the feedback and input provided by education leaders from around the state and it is important to now say “thank you.” Our organizations have shifted focus to begin working with the Senate on HB 64. The Senate Finance Committee is already holding hearings on the budget. Tim Keen, director of the Office of Budget and Management, and others from the governor’s administration have testified this week explaining the governor's original budget proposal. It is crucial that members contact their own Senate members immediately and urge them to adopt the House education budget. Request that the Senate retain the positive improvements to the funding formula and the added investment levels for education the House proposal provides, including the TPP/PUTPP hold-harmless provision. Over the next several weeks, we will be asking members to continue to make regular contacts with various Senate leaders, as well as their own Senate members. We strongly encourage district leaders to come and testify in support of the House-proposed structural changes to the funding formula and the need to hold the line on TPP/PUTPP replacement payments. The Senate could revert back to the governor’s original proposal, or it may work from the House version of the budget. We need to urge them to work from the House version of HB 64.

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