School Funding Study Guides: A Four Part Discussion Series
These materials are designed for use by small groups (10-15 people). They're ideal for study groups in faith congregations, local PTA and PTO organizations, and local civic groups with an interest in public education. They cover a range of issues relating to public school, and how we pay for schools. There are four sessions, and an optional fifth which goes into more detail on the actual calculations for a school district.

If you are planning on using these materials with a group, please call or e-mail. We're glad to help and want to stay in touch. Multiple print copies are available, just let us know how many people are in your group and we can send them to you. Thanks for your interest and leadership on this important issue.

All four guides are in PDF format. Click to download.

Session 1: A System of Well-Funded Public Schools Serves the Public Good (797kb) Written by Jan Ressenger, 2002 This session focuses on the ways that public education benefits everyone, hi-lighting themes of economy, citizenship and learning to live in a diverse society. Session 2: "How Are Schools Currently Funded in Ohio?" (944kb) Written by Debbie Phillips, 2002 This session goes over the basic funding formula, as well as some of the main points of the recent lawsuit about school funding in Ohio. Problems that different kinds of school districts face are hilighted, and many tax terms are defined. Session 3: "The Cost of an Adequate Education" (1.1MB) Written by Maryann Barnes, 2002 In any discussion of what education costs, the conversation must come back to what it is that we are paying for. States have different ways of determining what it is that they will provide to each student and this session covers a number of different approaches, with a focus on the approach currently used in Ohio. Session 4: "What Citizens Can Do" (807kb) Written by Debbie Phillips, 2002 This session covers a number of ways that citizens can choose to communicate their views to lawmakers. Activities range from letter writing to organizing local groups to hold vigils and demonstrations.

How to the Read SF-3 (76kb) If you want to dive deeper into understanding how the funding formula affects your school, this guide shows you how to read the line-by-line breakdown of calculations for the State funding formula. This guide includes an web address for the Ohio Department of Education's website where your district's SF-3 can be found. A sample SF-3 (48K) is also included with this piece and should be used with this guide. Facilitator's Guide: Information and tips for discussion leaders about school funding (744kb)