To declare the General Assembly's intent to establish a new school financing system that provides a statewide per-pupil funding payment to public and chartered nonpublic schools based on a single statewide property tax and increased state sales tax.
Summary
SB93 is a statement of legislative intent to redesign Ohio’s school funding system. The bill says the General Assembly intends to replace the current local school finance structure with a statewide per-pupil funding model that would send money to the public or chartered nonpublic school a student attends, rather than relying primarily on district-based funding. It also contemplates financing that system through a single statewide property tax and an increased state sales tax.
The bill further states an intent to eliminate school district authority to levy property and income taxes and to end state scholarship programs for primary and secondary students. In practical terms, SB93 does not itself enact the new funding system in the text provided; instead, it declares policy goals that would require substantial follow-up legislation and constitutional or statutory changes to implement.
Impact
If enacted into a broader school-finance package, SB93 would significantly alter Ohio law governing how schools are funded and how local districts raise revenue. It would reduce or eliminate local taxing authority for school districts, centralize school funding at the state level, and shift funding to a statewide per-pupil allocation model for public and chartered nonpublic schools. It would also affect existing scholarship programs and could change the fiscal relationship among the state, school districts, taxpayers, and families choosing nonpublic education.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the limited available context, the measure appears to be framed as a major structural reform rather than a narrow technical change. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented debate or recorded support/opposition in the materials supplied. The bill’s introduction in the Senate Finance Committee suggests it is being considered as a fiscal and policy overhaul.
Contention
The main points of contention likely involve the proposed elimination of district property and income taxes, the creation of a single statewide property tax, and the increase in state sales tax needed to fund the system. Another likely flashpoint is the shift to per-pupil payments for both public and chartered nonpublic schools, along with the proposed elimination of scholarship programs for K-12 students. These changes would affect school districts, taxpayers, public school advocates, charter and private school interests, and families relying on existing scholarship options.
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