The Impact of Litigation on School Facilities Funding in Ohio.

As a strong local control state, Ohio has historically left the fundin of s hool facilities up to the local districts wit few exceptions. The financing of all aspects of education in Ohio has been modest when compared with that of other states, and by the 1990's the financial limitations on most districts had led to the decline of many school facilities. A 1990 study by the Ohio Department of Education1 found that 15 percent of the schools in the state were 70 years old or older; 50 percent were 50 years old or older, and 68 percent were 30 years old or older. Seventy-five percent of elementary schools were 30 years old or older. Fifty percent of heating systems needed repair and 30 percent needed to be replaced. Thirty percent of the roofs needed repair and 38 percent needed to be replaced. Satisfactory plumbing and fixtures were found in only 25 percent of the buildings. The report estimated that more than $10 billion were "needed to bring the existing schools up to good working condition."2 A series of U.S. General Accounting Office reports issued in the 1990's identified Ohio as among the states with the highest proportion of school buildings needing repair.3