School Financing in Ohio: Searching for a 'Thorough and Efficient' System of Public Schools

56 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2007

Abstract

School officials, students, and parents sued the State of Ohio in 1991 for failing to provide the "thorough and efficient" system of schools required by the state Constitution. The case, DeRolph v. State, sparked a 13-year battle over the state's school financing system. The Supreme Court issued four DeRolph decisions finding the system unconstitutional; with each decision, the justices issued widely divergent opinions. The case was ultimately dismissed in 2003, without any agreement on the definition of a "thorough and efficient" financing system.

In an attempt to define a "through and efficient" system, this research analyzes the DeRolph opinions and decisions from other states. Yazback proposes that in Ohio, a "thorough and efficient" system is one that provides schools sufficient funding to ensure that state proficiency and testing targets are met. The system need not, however, provide complete equality in funding.

By examining the state's school financing plans from 1991 through Governor Taft's 2006 reforms, Yazback concludes that the system remains unconstitutional. While the DeRolph litigation did result in significant funding level improvements for the state's poorest school districts, substandard scores on state proficiency tests as well as failures to properly account for inflation in the school funding formula remain problems.

Keywords: DeRolph v. State, 677 N.E.2d 733 (Ohio 1997), Ohio Public Schools, School Finance, "thorough and efficient" system, and Constitutional Law (States)

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation

Yazback, Shadya Y., School Financing in Ohio: Searching for a 'Thorough and Efficient' System of Public Schools. Case Western Reserve Law Review, Vol. 57, No. 4, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=979643

Shadya Y. Yazback (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland ( email )

East 6th & Superior
Cleveland, OH 44101-1387
United States

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