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Vocational-tech schools lose out wth temporary funding plan

Miami Valley CTC lost $500,000 in potential funding because of the ‘evidence-based model.’

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By Doug Page, Staff Writer 10:36 PM Sunday, October 25, 2009

CLAYTON — The state has yet to decide how it will fund vocational/technical schools over the long term, and a temporary patch has left some schools in the hole.

When high school students attended a vo-tech school full time in previous years, the funding — both local and state — went with them. This year, however, the state switched from the per-pupil funding to an “evidence-based model.” That model tries to calculate what the costs are for a district to be successful and attempts to fund it with state and local money.

That won’t work for vo-techs that draw students from various districts. The Miami Valley Career Technology Center, for instance, has students from 27 school districts.

The Legislature believed it needed two years to come up with a formula for the state’s joint vocational schools and career technology centers. So it voted to fund the vo-techs for two years at 2008/2009 levels, plus a 0.75 percent increase.

“At least it makes it simple for the next two years,” said William Stump, treasurer for the Upper Valley JVS in Piqua. “But I have no idea what will happen after 2011.”

Both Stump and Judy Geers, treasurer for the Greene County Career Center, did not see the flat funding as burdensome because their enrollment is stable.

But the Miami Valley CTC lost more than $500,000 in potential funding this school year because of the switch in funding. The school, located in Englewood and Clayton, saw enrollment grow by 100 students.

“We have 100 more students, but no increase in funding,” said Deb Gossett, the school treasurer.

Under House Bill 1, the state’s budget bill, the governor and legislature will appoint a 28-member Ohio school funding advisory council. Besides figuring out a funding formula for vo-techs, the council is to evaluate the state’s funding model on a regular basis with recommendations for changes.

The council’s first report is due next December.

Vo-techs depend for a good part of their money on state “weighted funding.” It’s the state’s acknowledgement that vo-tech classes — welding, auto repair, construction, heavy equipment operations and so forth — require specialized, expensive equipment, plus supplies.

“The state is not quite sure how to do it” under the new system, Geers said. “We could be in more dire straits. But we realize other districts are in worse states. Resources are limited, Geers said.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290

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