Resource Links

• Ohio Department of Education State Funding for Schools
• Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Bill Tracker
• Ohio Senate
• Ohio House of Representatives

State funding for Olentangy Schools equals tax relief for our residents. Over the next few months, Ohio’s lawmakers are crafting the state budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.  The budget bill will contain the state statutes that define how the school funding formula works—the statutes create the formula/algorithm that is used to determine how much funding each Ohio school district receives. It is imperative that our lawmakers hear from Olentangy residents on what is needed to provide tax relief for our residents.

We have an urgent ask of all Olentangy constituents to both call and download, fill in, and mail/email the below letters to our legislators to ensure decision makers hear from you in advocating for fair school funding for Olentangy schools. 

Legislator Call Script

Phone numbers for the decision makers are listed below.

Hello, my name is [Your Full Name], and I am a constituent calling on behalf of Olentangy Schools. I am reaching out to express my deep concern about the current state of public-school funding in our community. 

I have seen firsthand how insufficient funding affects our classrooms, teachers, and students. Over the last two school years, the State’s share of the base cost per pupil has fallen by around $561 per pupil. It will drop by an additional $686 per Olentangy student, hitting the state minimum share of $800 per pupil.  

Ohio legislature's attempt to limits a district's operating carry-over cash balance to only 30%, will cost Olentangy Schools almost $100 million just in the 2025-26 school year. This loss of property tax revenue will have a drastically negative impact on our district—potentially sending Olentangy into fiscal emergency. 

I urge [Senator/Representative Last Name] to take action. Specifically, I ask you to: 

• Do not decrease the state’s share of our funding in the next Ohio Biennium Budget. 
• Use current data to determine the actual cost to educate, not data from 2022. 
• Increase the minimum state share of the base cost from 10% to 20%. 
• Fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan with the changes above. 
• Remove the provision restricting school cash balances to 30% or 90 days. 

Olentangy Schools—and public schools across Ohio—need your leadership and commitment. Our students deserve access to a well-funded, high-quality education that prepares them for success. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. 

Download Legislator LetterS

Mailing information is included on the letters; email addresses for the decision makers are listed below.

• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Governor Mike DeWine
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Senator Andrew Brenner
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Senator Louis W. Blessing, III
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Senator Catherine Ingram
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Senator Rob McColley
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Speaker Matt Huffman
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Representative Beth Lear
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Representative Brian Lorenz
• Olentangy Schools Advocacy Letter to Representative Brian Stewart

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Legislator Contact List

School funding 101 masterclass

The District held a School Funding 101 masterclass on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 to educate the community about the funding Olentangy Schools receives from the state, how we spend our funds compared to other districts, what that means for Olentangy resident taxes, and actions to take that can make an impact.

School Funding Panel:

Mark T. Raiff, Olentangy Schools Superintendent
Timothy Ryan Jenkins, Olentangy Schools Treasurer
Kevin Daberkow, Olentangy Schools Board of Education
Julie Wagner Feasel, School Advocacy Committee

• View the event Presentation
• Read the School Funding 101 Handout
• Read the School Funding Q&A

Ohio Fair School Funding Summit

Olentangy Schools hosted the inaugural Ohio Fair School Funding Summit at Olentangy High School on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Leadership from school districts across the state came together with state representatives and influential policy makers to celebrate the success of legislators’ recent work in this area and increase awareness among similarly-situated Ohio public school districts to advocate for fair funding. The summit opened with a welcome from District Superintendent Mark T. Raiff and former U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi, and was followed by keynotes from Speaker of the House Robert R. Cupp, and former State Representatives Rick Carfagna and John Patterson. Attendees engaged in a panel discussion and participated in targeted breakout sessions.

Olentangy Board member Dr. Kevin Daberkow described the importance of the summit and fair school funding by suggesting that, “The Ohio Fair School Funding Summit is a powerful example of how stakeholders can work together to meet the challenges of financing Ohio's schools and making Ohio the premier state in the nation for educating our children and raising a family. For Olentangy Schools, the stakes could not be higher. We appreciate the hard work of all summit attendees to work together to accomplish our common school funding goals." With exponential student enrollment growth within the Olentangy school district and Delaware County, funding caps in the previous funding formula made levy campaigns a cyclical conversation for the district. The current Fair School Funding Plan was voted into the biennium budget for the next two years. Olentangy Schools will continue the conversation advocating for the Fair School Funding Plan to be fully funded by the end of the next two budget cycles. When presenting the District’s five-year forecast, Treasurer Emily Hatfield stated, “The Fair School Funding plan becoming fully phased-in over six years would dramatically impact Olentangy because it allocates funding to the school district where students are enrolled. Olentangy Schools has the potential to receive $50 million annually in state funding once the Fair School Funding plan is fully phased-in, which is $40 million more than we currently receive.”

View the event video.

Delaware County General Assembly Candidate Forum

Olentangy Schools hosted the Delaware County General Assembly Candidate Forum at Liberty High School on April 7, 2022.