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.