By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
I had never heard of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, but what was sent to me was very revealing and caused me to “pull back the curtain” on Ohio’s public school funding. This is a recap of an email that I sent to Lake County Auditor Chris Galloway, and State Representative David Thomas (District 65).
Auditor Galloway and Representative Thomas:
I was sent the attached report that appears on the Ohio Department of Education website.
The report gives the 2024 Reading Scores for Grade 4 in Ohio public schools: (National Assessment of Educational Progress)…It also provides reports on math proficiency, but the reading scores were bad enough for me to be very concerned, and take action. It states:
“The percentage of students in Ohio who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 32 percent in 2024. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2022 (35 percent) and in 2002 (34 percent). The percentage of students in Ohio who performed at or above the NAEP Basic level was 62 percent in 2024. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2022 (65 percent) and was smaller than that in 2002 (68 percent). ”
I asked myself if the Ohio taxpayers are getting good value for the money we are spending on public schools? I did some research on the Cupp Reports analyzing FY 2024 versus FY 2020 to see if the numbers could answer the question. There are three pages: (1) School Revenue, (2) School Expenditures, (3) Property Values and Taxes.
What I see:
Page 1….Enrollment went down 254,657 (15.0%), while revenue went up over $1 Billion per year (4.2%)
Page 2….Expenditures per pupil went up $3,619.02 (28.5%), while taxpayers’ median annual income went up 22.9%…At $43,371 median income or a $75,823 average federal income does not indicate the average taxpayers are prospering in this economy.
Page 3…The assessed property values per pupil went up $100,664 (59.2%)…no doubt because of the immoral 20 mill floor. (Treating outside millage as inside millage is a deception and betrayal played on the average citizen by the State legislators, in my opinion.)
Page 3…The increase in property values show that residential and agricultural property share of taxes increased 4.32% to 75.76% while the industrial and commercial property decreased by the same 4.32% to 24.24%. That tells me that there has been a shift in the cost burden from business to the homeowners and farmers.
Page 3…The overall property tax per pupil has gone up $1,236.59 (19%). This is not sustainable.
My overall assessment is that the Ohio taxpayers are getting fleeced. It makes absolutely no sense to continue on our current path. Continuing to dumb down the children, and taxing citizens out of their homes will bring societal disaster. Please let me know if the numbers are telling you a different story.
Unfortunately, I am not sure public schools can be saved without a drastic restructuring. Public schools need to compete for the children, and the state legislators need to honor their commitment to follow the Ohio constitution and pay for the schools. They need to get back to the expenditure levels that they had five years ago. It is not a revenue generation problem in this state, we have a spending problem.
Auditor Galloway, I appreciate your stance on reducing the number of school districts from 611 to 94. I assume that you would have a school district in each county with the larger counties having multiple districts.
I wanted both of you to know that the grassroots movement to abolish Ohio property taxes is continuing to gain momentum, and we have established a network of commanders and captains throughout the State to provide organization to our efforts. We are having a rally in Columbus this weekend to bring more awareness of the movement throughout the State.
It is unfortunate that Senate President Rob McColley and Speaker Matt Huffman are ignoring the citizens of Ohio. It is obvious that they have lost touch with the average citizens, and focus primarily on their donor base. They shall reap what they have sown.
Thank you,
Brian Massie
A Watchman on the Wall
Here is Auditor Galloway’s response to my email:
Brian:
These are damning figures. I agree. The system is no longer working correctly – neither financially or academically. You are correct. My proposal, which I believe would reduce costs by at least $500m annually, is a first step. The 94 districts would be 88 counties and the 6 major urban districts.
Chris
Most State Senators and Representatives have turned their backs to their constituents, and ignored the warning signs of citizens being taxed out of their homes. Here are the “Heroes of Ohio” that signed the petition:
To all that may read this article, here is the ONLY solution if you want to stop being merely a renter from the government, give freedom and liberty to future generations, and to provide a quality education to Ohio’s children.
Sign the petition
Categories: Education, Real Estate Taxes, State of Ohio, Uncategorized