Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP), reintroduced as House Bill (HB) 1 in the 134th General Assembly. The FSFP Work Group recently completed testimony in the Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. Following their testimony, superintendents and treasurers from five regions around the state testified in support of HB 1 on behalf of over 1,000 school district leaders representing over 500 school districts in Ohio. Due to these efforts, we expect that HB 1 will be passed by the House of Representatives in March. In addition, we expect that HB 1 will be included in the House version of the budget bill, HB 110.
In anticipation of the Fair School Funding Plan’s consideration in the Senate, meetings are being organized by Senate district to provide the opportunity for all school district leaders to meet with your Senator to discuss the need for a fair, transparent and understandable school funding formula. Leadership teams comprised of superintendents, treasurers, and board members in your Senate District are working together to organize the virtual meeting with your Senator and to reach out to their colleagues to encourage them to attend the meeting.
In the next week, you will be contacted by a school district official in your Senate district with details for the virtual meeting with your Senator. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the opportunity for your Senator to ask questions and for the educational leaders of your Senate district to offer yourselves as a resource to the Senator in understanding how the FSFP impacts the school districts his or her district. Most importantly, this is an opportunity for school district leaders across the state to ask their Senators to support the Fair School Funding Plan with their “yes” votes so that we finally have a constitutionally sound school funding plan in Ohio.
Members of the leadership team will lead the discussion with the Senator. In preparation for the meeting, reference materials will be provided by your Senate district leadership team to address frequently asked questions, as well as an outline for the solution for “how to pay” for the Fair School Funding Plan.
The meeting with your Senator is a crucial step in building support and positive momentum that is needed for successful passage of the FSFP in the Senate. It is essential that every superintendent, treasurer and board member in your Senator’s district is in attendance.
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