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Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters Wednesday that a "couple of snafus" caused Ohio school districts to receive more money under the state school funding formula than was intended. Huffman estimated the overpayment to be as much as $30 million statewide, but he said he doesn't expect lawmakers to try to claw that amount back. The maximum overpayment was more than $90,000 to Columbus City Schools, he said, adding that it is not much money comparatively to what districts received, even if it is a lot of money overall. He said he would like to address the overpayment in legislation since he said the foundation formula is based on former foundation formulas. "What we would simply do is say, starting with the next biennium, that the foundation formula is based on not what we paid, but [what] we intended to pay," Huffman told reporters. "I'm not in favor of trying to go claw this money back and change the budget.” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) told reporters that she was not aware of the overpayment until Huffman's comments. She said she expects the chamber to address funding of the State Board of Education (SBOE) , possibly as part of the capital budget. Huffman also pointed to funding for the SBOE as an issue he would like to address before the chamber breaks for summer. He said he continues to hope higher education bill SB83 (Cirino) will be passed by the House by the end of the month, saying he believes there are enough votes in the chamber. Huffman also said the process for replacing Sen. Michael Rulli (R-Salem), who was elected to Congress in the 6th District special election Tuesday (see The Hannah Report, 6/11/24), will be more complicated because Rulli was not through the first two years of his four-year term. Whoever wants to be seated for the 33rd Senate District in the 136th General Assembly will have to run in November, Huffman said. Because the primary has already passed, however, the candidates in the race will be chosen by the county parties that make up the districts -- Mahoning, Columbiana, and Carroll counties. "It's likely then that we will need to appoint somebody to fill out the last six and a half months of Sen. Rulli's term," Huffman said. "Who is that going to be? I don't know. We may go through the usual vetting process. And we may do that. But we will also probably take into consideration who the district committee appointed to be on the ballot in November." Story originally published in The Hannah Report on June 12, 2024. Copyright 2024 Hannah News Service, Inc.
Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters Wednesday that a "couple of snafus" caused Ohio school districts to receive more money under the state school funding formula than was intended.
Huffman estimated the overpayment to be as much as $30 million statewide, but he said he doesn't expect lawmakers to try to claw that amount back. The maximum overpayment was more than $90,000 to Columbus City Schools, he said, adding that it is not much money comparatively to what districts received, even if it is a lot of money overall.
He said he would like to address the overpayment in legislation since he said the foundation formula is based on former foundation formulas.
"What we would simply do is say, starting with the next biennium, that the foundation formula is based on not what we paid, but [what] we intended to pay," Huffman told reporters. "I'm not in favor of trying to go claw this money back and change the budget.”
Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) told reporters that she was not aware of the overpayment until Huffman's comments.
She said she expects the chamber to address funding of the State Board of Education (SBOE) , possibly as part of the capital budget. Huffman also pointed to funding for the SBOE as an issue he would like to address before the chamber breaks for summer.
He said he continues to hope higher education bill SB83 (Cirino) will be passed by the House by the end of the month, saying he believes there are enough votes in the chamber.
Huffman also said the process for replacing Sen. Michael Rulli (R-Salem), who was elected to Congress in the 6th District special election Tuesday (see The Hannah Report, 6/11/24), will be more complicated because Rulli was not through the first two years of his four-year term.
Whoever wants to be seated for the 33rd Senate District in the 136th General Assembly will have to run in November, Huffman said. Because the primary has already passed, however, the candidates in the race will be chosen by the county parties that make up the districts -- Mahoning, Columbiana, and Carroll counties.
"It's likely then that we will need to appoint somebody to fill out the last six and a half months of Sen. Rulli's term," Huffman said. "Who is that going to be? I don't know. We may go through the usual vetting process. And we may do that. But we will also probably take into consideration who the district committee appointed to be on the ballot in November."
Story originally published in The Hannah Report on June 12, 2024. Copyright 2024 Hannah News Service, Inc.