Tagged: School Funding

The state says Ohio schools are getting nearly $38 million in the first chunk of casino-tax revenue.

This is the first distribution to schools since casinos opened last year. The money is distributed on a per-pupil basis twice per year to more than 1,000 school districts and charter schools across Ohio. It works out to $20.93 for each of the roughly 1.8 million students.

The breakdown was announced Tuesday but the Ohio Department of Taxation. Schools receive 34 percent of the revenue, with 51 percent going to county government.

Legislative analysts say Ohio could replace all the property tax money that's going to school districts through a hike in the state sales tax.

But to raise the more than $9.9 billion that's needed, policymakers would need to more than double the sales tax rate - from 5.5 cents on the dollar to 13.2 cents.  That's in part because the higher the tax goes the less consumers like to spend.

The Ohio Legislative Service Commission provided the estimate Wednesday to an Ohio House subcommittee that's studying school funding ideas.

Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler joins Emily McCord for this week's PoliticsOhio. She details the House plan to get rid of the estate tax and what impact that will have on local governments, and their changes to school funding.