Glen Este High School, Cincinnati, OH

The formula by which the State of Ohio funds its local schools has been declared unconstitutional four times within the last ten years. Schools receive most of their funding from local property taxes, creating an unequal distribution of resources. Increasingly, the resources are not just unequal, but inadequate: for '05, 164 Ohio school districts project an aggregate deficit of almost a half billion dollars. Seeking to add their voices to the statewide debate, student researchers at Glen Este High School studied how other states fund their schools to understand what a better and more equitable system would comprise, as well as studying Ohio's own system in detail.

Armed with this information, they began a public awareness campaign in and outside their school. They created a workshop on school funding for classmates. They put flyers and display boards in all of the school buildings, held an information session at a local library, and spoke before the local school board. They spoke with parents at every chance. They met with state legislative officials in Columbus and spoke with the executive directors of the Ohio School Board Association and the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding. They intend to continue their campaign this coming school year.

Final Products Correspondence with state senators (PDF) PowerPoint presentation for informing the public (558 KB) Flyer urging citizens to take action Cincinnati Enquirer article about our project

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