Don't cut school funds

While state lawmakers debate how to balance the biennial budget, we would ask them to read the Ohio Constitution, and particularly Article 6 which reads in part "The General Assembly ... will secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state..."

Following a protracted legal battle to establish a system of school funding the Ohio Supreme Court could approve as constitutional, the legislature is threatening to cut school funds in order to balance the budget. We are sure the budget contains items not mandated by the constitution and yet have survived the budget ax.

The legislature is currently debating suspending the final year of a phased income tax reduction to help close an $850 million funding gap. We would urge the legislature to take this step, and to cut in other areas of fat and discretional spending.

But to cut school funding would deny students across the state the thorough and efficient system of education guaranteed by the state constitution. We would not be surprised to see the courts rule as unconstitutional a budget that fails to provide adequate funds to the schools.