The Columbus Dispatch published this letter to the editor.

The April 13 Dispatch article, “Ohio schools, parents concerned as lawmakers debate voucher and public school funding,” states that “Republican lawmakers” are “proposing cuts to public schools.” That assertion is incorrect.

By the time the article was published, the Ohio House of Representatives had approved its version of the state budget, which increased funding for public schools over what Gov. Mike DeWine proposed. While the school funding formula details are more complex than they should be, the House budget guarantees that no district — even districts with falling student enrollment — would receive less funding than it currently receives.

The “cuts” that districts complain the governor proposed were based mainly on falling student enrollment, which is an obvious approach to funding. If a district loses students, it should get less funding, and growing districts should get more.

Ohio’s school funding should prioritize students, not the system. This means funding should be attached to students, and state taxpayer dollars should be allocated based on where students attend school. Taxpayers cannot be asked to fund empty desks or empty buildings, and school districts that are seeing declining enrollment cannot expect to get funding increases.

Greg R. Lawson, research fellow, The Buckeye Institute