​​How are Ohio K-12 ​public schools funded?
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  Ohio public schools are funded in three ways:
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  1. Federal Government Funds: Federal funds are usually on a grant or mandated system
  2. State Funds: State funds are based on the State Foundation Formula which calculates a district's ability to raise local taxes and the minimum cost of educating a student (this funding system was ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1997)
  3. Local Support Funds: Local funds are derived from local property taxes, based on property appraisals
Taxes & School Funding
  • Funding for schools is derived from local tax sources (like property taxes) and state tax sources (like sales taxes), and a small amount (about 6% of the total budget) comes from the federal government
  • The state does not provide sufficient funding to meet the needs of local district schools, so districts ask residents to approve local levies
  • Funding for public charter schools and voucher programs diverts resource from local districts
  • Homeschooling families receive a small tax credit to offset education costs
  • The Ohio Constitution says the state must fund "a system of common schools", yet Ohio schools have been unconstitutionally funded for more than 25 years
Factors influencing school funding
  1. School Population:  Lesser monies are available to districts with disadvantaged pupils, number of free lunches, etc. The state does provide some extra money dependent on the numbers in special populations recognizing in a small way the additional costs of educating these students.
  2. Tax Collection Rate: The rate of a district’s ability to collect the real property taxes owed is often affected by the larger economy, but to some extent its population. 
  3. Commercial Property: Districts with high-value commercial property are able to raise more funds through property tax levies than districts with higher percentages of residential, agricultural or tax-exempt (government or nonprofit) property.
  4. Transportation: The state requires districts to provide transportation to pupils who meet specified criteria, whether attending district, charter or nonpublic schools. With certain exceptions, state law requires local school district to provide transportation to all students in grades K-8 who live more than two miles from their schools. ​
More at​ CHUH Public Schools