They did provide some big-picture goals of their plan. They said:

– They would provide direct state funding to charter schools. Currently, the state funds charter schools by subtracting funding from the school districts in which charter school students live.

– The formula would include giving schools enough money to buy each student a Chromebook or a similar electronic device.

Cupp and Patterson also said their plan is designed to dovetail with educational proposals Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed in his state budget plan. DeWine wants to give schools $300 million annually in new funding for “wraparound” support services for poor and at-risk students. However, his recent state budget plan didn’t propose changing the state’s basic school funding formula, effectively leaving that work to Patterson and Cupp’s group.

“We talked with the governor’s folks before he introduced his budget,” Cupp said Monday. “Our program hadn’t come quickly enough together yet, but we think they recognize what we’re trying to do, and we look forward to working with the governor.”

But asked if Ohio has room in its budget to pay for the new school funding plan as well as DeWine’s own plans, Patterson said the actual question is whether lawmakers want to do so.

“The question is do we have the will, if we truly believe that every student has to have a chance to succeed and ought to have that chance to succeed for the future. This is an investment in Ohio,” Patterson said.

In a statement, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, a union representing teachers and other public-school employees, called the formula “a step in the right direction because it focuses on what our students need to succeed and excel.”

State lawmakers say their new plan fixes how Ohio funds its public schools