Betrayed by Our Own Party: How Ohio’s Republican Tax Cuts Crushed School Funding and Homeowners
By John Marra
As a longtime Republican, it pains me to say this—but the truth can no longer be ignored: our own party has systematically dismantled Ohio’s school funding system and shifted the burden onto homeowners, in direct violation of the Ohio Constitution.
In 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled—clearly and unequivocally—that relying on property taxes to fund public schools was unconstitutional. The DeRolph v. State decision ordered the state to fix it. Instead, Republican leaders did the opposite. They slashed the state income tax—the very tool best suited to fund education equitably—and forced school districts to rely even more heavily on local property taxes.
Back in 2001, Ohio’s top income tax rate was 7.5%. By 2024, that rate had been slashed to just 3.5%. At the same time, school districts received no meaningful replacement in state funding. The result? Homeowners like you and me have been forced to pick up the tab.
Let’s be clear: these income tax cuts weren’t about fairness or efficiency. They were about political posturing and appeasing a wealthy donor class. The legislature didn’t cut spending—they simply shifted the cost from progressive income taxes to regressive property taxes that punish working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and anyone trying to live the American dream in their own home.
And here’s the economic truth too many politicians ignore: money is money—and all taxes are paid from income. Property doesn’t generate income unless it’s producing rent or sold. You can’t extract dollars from a roof or foundation. Yet the state has rigged a system where you’re expected to pay more and more taxes simply for owning the place you live. For seniors and retirees, this is an unpayable debt that grows year after year—unless they sell their home or lose it.
We were promised conservative fiscal responsibility. What we got was a backdoor tax hike through property reassessments, millage manipulation, and school levies—many of which voters never even approved. Property tax bills are soaring, and two-thirds of them go directly to schools, even though that funding structure was ruled unconstitutional nearly three decades ago.
To make matters worse, the latest biennial budget—crafted and passed by Republicans – includes a $600 million giveaway to fund a new football stadium, while locking in a flat 2.75% income tax that disproportionately benefits high earners and corporations. Meanwhile, working families are being squeezed by hidden increases in property valuations and levy collections.
This isn’t conservative governance—it’s betrayal.
The Republican Party used to stand for local control, fiscal transparency, and respect for the rule of law. But where is that principle now? The state has openly ignored a direct order from its own Supreme Court. It has undermined local governments by crowding out their millage with bloated school levies. And it has prioritized stadium deals and income tax breaks for the wealthy over its constitutional obligation to our children.
This isn’t what I signed up for. And it’s not what Ohioans deserve.
If state leaders had simply preserved the income tax base and funded schools as the Constitution requires, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Instead, Republicans in Columbus chose to defund education through the back door, pushing the cost onto homeowners—and calling it “relief.”
It’s time for accountability. We need to end the unconstitutional practice of funding public schools through property taxes. We must restore state-level responsibility, and stop forcing people to rent their homes from the government just to keep their children educated. Ohio needs a constitutional amendment that guarantees equity in school funding and finally fulfills the promise made in DeRolph.
Until then, this isn’t a “tax cut” win. It’s a redistribution of burden—a silent tax hike on property owners, disguised as reform. And it’s time we call it what it is: a moral and constitutional failure.
Editorial opinion by Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
“ANY TAX CAUSING A CITIZEN TO BECOME HOMELESS IS IMMORAL!”
Categories: Community Activism, Lake, Ohio Counties, Real Estate Taxes, State of Ohio, Uncategorized