An amended spending plan introduced in the Ohio House would increase education per-pupil funding for every student in the Buckeye State.
Under a substitute version of House Bill 96, the state’s biennial budget, Republicans said every Ohio public school will receive more state financial aid than in fiscal 2025.
“This proposed budget tackles the issues that matter most to Ohioans,” Speaker of the Ohio House Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said in a statement. “From supporting our schools and strengthening our workforce, to providing property tax relief and revitalizing Ohio communities, this budget delivers real solutions for our state.”
As initially proposed, HB 96 called for more than $102.2 billion in fiscal 2026 and more than $104.6 billion in fiscal 2027. The substitute version lowers the budget to over $100.1 billion in fiscal 2026 and more than $102.1 billion in fiscal 2027.
On the education front, the original spending plan called for nearly $14.9 billion from all funds in fiscal 2026 for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and more than $15 billion in fiscal 2027. The House’s version would increase the allocation to more than $14.9 billion in fiscal 2026 and nearly $15.3 billion in fiscal 2027.
Similarly, as introduced, the budget called for nearly $3.2 billion in fiscal 2026 for the Ohio Department of Higher Education and more than $3 billion in fiscal 2027. The House’s version would increase the amount allocated by $30 million in fiscal 2026 and by $44 million in fiscal 2027.
Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, told the Ohio House Finance Committee in prepared testimony that the budget is “a mixed bag of belt-tightening, policy improvements, and missed opportunities to make the budget even better.” Lawson added that Ohio should not guarantee that districts will not receive less state aid than they did in fiscal 2025 and should allow state funds to follow students.
“Ohio’s education funding formula remains complex,” Lawson said. “Public district school enrollment is broadly declining across the state as families enroll students elsewhere.”
The House kept Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposals to increase charter schools’ per-student allocation for capital costs from $1,000 to $1,500. Lawson noted that charter schools receive less per-student funding than district schools and don’t receive local property taxes.
“The House also proposes reasonable increases in the Jon Peterson and Autism scholarships, but it should allow recipients of all scholarships, including EdChoice, to receive the Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) for lower-income and disadvantaged students,” Lawson said.
“Scholarship recipients do not receive the DPIA funds available to public district and public charter school students,” Lawson added. “Extending the DPIA to non-public school scholarship recipients will help the non-public schools reach and educate more lower-income students.”
The proposed spending plan creates an option for parents of children attending non-chartered, non-public schools to use an education savings account to help with the cost of their education.
House Bill 96 also retains DeWine’s proposals mandating public district schools to repurpose or sell their under and unused buildings to public charter schools with growing enrollment. Lawson said it also maintains a college, career, workforce and military readiness element to state report cards.
“In addition to these positive steps, the House should expand the pilot program that authorizes two educational service centers to provide transportation for participating charter and private school students, reducing the transportation burden on school districts,” Lawson said.
Separately, DeWine has signed a nearly $11.5 billion two-year transportation budget, asserting it displays the state’s commitment to building the best transportation system possible. Additionally, the Ohio House has signed off on House Bill 80 and House Bill 81, the two-year spending plans for the Industrial Commission and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
