COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio's public schools had a rough 2025, losing billions in expected school funding while also gaining more responsibilities from the state. Gov. Mike DeWine doesn't see it that way.
Despite there being more than 600 unique public school districts in the state, hundreds have spoken to us, testified at the Statehouse or rallied for more support from the state.
"We continue to lose money and costs to operate the district continue to rise," Parma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott J. Hunt said.
And the schools all have a similar complaint.
"We are not being fully funded at what it costs us to educate children," Elyria City Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss said.
This then leads to stress and burnout.
"We're bleeding our schools dry," Columbus City Schools teacher Joe Decker said.
All year, we’ve told you about the challenges that educators like Decker have faced.
"I've had classrooms from 42 to 26 kids, I think," he said, talking about overcrowding.
Districts tell us they have dozens of new regulations, with fewer resources.
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"Schools have to be more precise in their spending," House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said.
Nonpartisan research group Policy Matters Ohio found that the state slashed the expected public education spending by nearly $3 billion over the next two years.
"Are we doing right by public schools right now?" I asked DeWine in a one-on-one interview.
"I think we are, but look, it's a continuing process," the governor responded. "We have to continue to do right by them, as you say, because these are our kids, and this is our future."
DeWine has split from some members of his party, arguing for better funding of schools. He has also vetoed some legislation that would take even more dollars away. But he still signed massive cuts to expected funding into law, while giving one billion of taxpayer dollars to private schools.
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"We have to give people choices," the governor said. "Some people are in situations where they don't believe the school fits their child or they don't believe the school is doing a very good job."
Schools argue that it's a catch-22 — when districts get less funding, they will perform worse and have less to offer. Lower-performing schools complain they can’t get better without funding.
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"Taking away money from our public schools is demoralizing our public schools, is demoralizing our students and just cutting them 1,000 times over and over," Decker said. "It is heartbreaking to watch day after day."
But DeWine points out his successes, like how literacy has increased statewide.
"There are a lot of good things going on with education in the state, but we just have to do more, and we have to continue that process and then move forward," he said.
Although DeWine has shown that he has attempted to prevent a bad situation from getting worse, he isn't doing enough, Decker said.
"What could having a fully funded classroom change for you?" I asked Decker.
"It is a world of difference when you have an educational safe space the way it was intended to be," the teacher said.
But right now, the Republican supermajority in Columbus shows no sign of changing course on school funding.
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