Ohio public schools are waiting to see how the state will fund K-12 schools over the next two years, as the legislature in Columbus mulls over different versions of the next biennial budget, which needs to be finalized, passed and signed by the end of June.

The Senate version of the fiscal budget would allocate $634 million to public schools, increasing the amount of money going to public schools compared to the House's proposal by $100 million.

Senate President Rob McColley said, "We have invested more in this budget than any other budget before in public education."

The Senate plan ties some of that new funding to districts that are high-performing and fast-growing.

School choice advocates, who support some of these changes, say it levels the playing field by funding students more than individual districts, especially those with declining enrollment.

Public school advocates, who oppose some of these changes, say tying funding to academic performance is unfair and could widen equity gaps. And they argue that the proposals underfund schools and are a far cry from the full implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan which, will make it harder for districts to pass levies necessary to fill in the gaps.

A new analysis from the Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer that suburban school districts with low poverty and high enrollment would fare better in the state budget than urban districts with high poverty and enrollment.

On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we're having a conversation about school funding. We've invited a group of experts with a range of perspectives, some in favor and some who oppose the proposed changes, including a public school district that would be directly affected.

Guests:
-Malia Lewis, Board President, Cleveland Heights University Heights School District
-Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Rachel Coyle, Policy Lead, Honesty for Ohio Education
-Greg Lawson, Research Fellow, The Buckeye Institute