Global Cleveland is proud to see the Fair School Funding Plan included in the final draft version of HB110, the state budget for FY 2022-2023. The Fair School Funding Plan includes important provisions that will provide key funding to support English as a learning language Students here in Cleveland and throughout Ohio. These provisions include changes that make additional funding for English Learners proportional to the average cost to educate a student in Ohio. Previously, funding for English Learners was locked to set numbers provided in earlier spending bills. By making funding proportional to the rising cost of education, state lawmakers are ensuring that English Learners are not left behind. However, the most important change from these provisions is that the additional funding provided for English Learners must now be used to support English Learners’ education and cannot be redirected for other uses. This ensures that the funding is used for its intended purposes and the needs of our English Learners are not neglected.
Learning to understand and use English proficiently is key for Ohio’s immigrants and their children to obtain higher education, pursue successful careers, and participate fully in our communities. The above provisions more adequately provide for this important education, helping to ensure greater educational equity. We believe that these provisions will help lead to a better future for all Ohioans as it will help create a better prepared and better educated population. We are thankful that our state legislators see the value of our English Learners and hope to see more legislation beneficial to immigrant and international communities in the future.
