TOLEDO, Ohio — According to the U.S. News & World Report, Ohio ranks No. 29 in the country when it comes to education. That ranking is something Gov. Mike DeWine, as well as superintendents across the state, are very much aware of.
"The school funding formula, for as long as I can remember, has been an issue," DeWine said.
The debate over how schools are funded is one of the areas of focus for the governor in 2024.
DeWine said the 2021 approval of the Cupp Patterson formula, more commonly known as the "Fair School Funding Plan," is what advocates for schools wanted. So, things should be on the mend.
"In the last two budgets, we have funded that formula," he said. "It goes up over a period of time. So, I'm committed to continue to fully fund that formula."
But it's not a perfect formula for everyone.
Ted Haselman, the superintendent of Bowling Green City Schools, said acquiring funding is one of the more difficult parts of his job because the money districts are expecting doesn't always end up there.
"Keeping those dollars that our public pays with the public school, that would definitely help public education," Haselman said.
School vouchers are one of the examples. DeWine said that not every school will benefit evenly from the program and that it's the state's job to look at how to help.
Another focus for DeWine is the state's reading levels.
"The science of reading, which is something that many schools are doing, many schools are not doing," he said. "Getting all schools to be doing that; it truly is a science to read."
Bowling Green is part of this philosophy and the district is seeing positive results.
"The fall test score for our third-grade readers tentatively came back much higher than our fall reading score a year ago," Haselman said.
The superintendent anticipates more positive numbers when spring testing comes around.
For the governor, that increasing trend is what he wants to see in all districts.
"We've got about a third of the kids out there who are not reading at a great level and we've got to change that," DeWine said.
In 2023, The Ohio Department of Education and the State Board of Education became a new cabinet agency, which the governor oversees. He believes this will help improve education levels.