Columbus, Ohio – Responding to a comparative analysis of the new Ohio Evidence-Based Model and the “per-pupil, weighted” student funding model, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today called on those advocating for the per-pupil approach to address several fundamental concerns with that funding proposal. 

 

An analysis of the per-pupil, weighted student funding approach by the Ohio-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation released earlier this week finds that it is “insufficient to be used as a basis for a statewide school funding system.”

 

The governor’s education reform plan is grounded in the Ohio Evidence-Based Model, which directs taxpayer resources to meet the unique needs of individual students by funding what the best-available educational research tells us matters most to individual student success while requiring strict spending accountability from schools.

 

Several concerns with the per-pupil funding approach are still unresolved:

 

 

Per-Pupil Approach is Subjective, Not Rooted in What Will Ensure Successful Student Outcomes

 

A significant concern with the per-pupil approach is that it uses subjective estimates, instead of research, evidence or best-practices, to determine a base cost amount for each student.

 

“We can do better than using an arbitrary figure as the basis of school funding,” Strickland said.  “The per-pupil approach is not rooted in research, evidence or best-practices.  In other words, it is not rooted in what works.  Our students deserve a system that recognizes and directs resources based on individual student needs, not contrived figures.”

 

“Our evidence-based approach will ensure that the needs of each unique Ohio child are met by first identifying what all students need to be successful, then funding those components based on the circumstances of each individual child. Under our plan, for example, Ohio students who are living in poverty or students with special needs will receive additional resources to help them succeed,” Strickland said. 

 

 

Per-Pupil Approach Lacks Strict Spending Accountability that Taxpayers Deserve

 

The evidence-based model makes targeted investments in education and accounts for every critical dollar that is invested in education.  The KnowledgeWorks analysis finds that the per-pupil, weighted funding system lacks a mechanism to ensure money will be spent on what works in the classroom.

 

“The ‘per-pupil’ approach leaves out a fundamental element of our education reform plan: strict spending accountability,” Strickland said.  “With Ohioans struggling through this unprecedented national recession, the importance of accounting for every taxpayer dollar cannot be overstated.”

 

 

Per-Pupil Approach Appears to be More of the Same

 

“I believe that the Ohio Evidence-Based Model meets the state’s constitutional obligation to fund our schools, while addressing the individual needs of each child and preparing them for the jobs of the future,” Strickland said. 

 

“So far, for all the talk about a ‘per-pupil’ approach, the details remain vague, unproven, and, quite frankly, more emblematic of the outdated funding model that has been deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court – the very funding model that we are trying to replace.”