Ohio lawmakers are halfway there in terms of finally fixing the state’s unconstitutional school funding system. A proposal for doing so received broad bipartisan support in passing the House of Representatives Thursday. Now, however, the ball is in the state Senate’s court. If senators are not careful, they could set the process back to square one.

At the end of the year, many who are now supportive of the proposal will leave office because of term limits, and the legislative process will restart next year.

There are state senators who say they have enough questions that the proposal should wait for the next General Assembly.

But the plan already has been in the works for years, led largely by a outgoing Democratic lawmaker Rep. John Patterson, a former teacher from Jefferson. He is urging legislators not to wait and to consider it.

“If this plan is transparent, and it is, if it’s predictable, and it is, and if it’s sustainable, and it is, this is the time,” Patterson said shortly before the plan cleared the GOP-led House with broad bipartisan support.

The proposal, built on several years of discussions with schools and other stakeholders, would take into account a base cost of educating a typical student, as well as a community’s ability to help fund its schools, factoring in not just property values but also local income levels. Among other changes, it would eliminate funding caps and guarantees that affect a majority of Ohio’s 600-plus districts; direct more money for economically disadvantaged students; and route public charter school funding directly from the state rather than through local districts.

The new plan would more accurately determine the base cost of educating a typical Ohio student before added supports such as gifted education, special education and transportation, among others. Ohio’s current formula lacks this input.

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngs-town, who voted in favor of the bill, said she believes it will balance the scale for funding schools.

“For far too long, Ohio’s schools have been denied fair and balanced funding that would enable them to give our children the very best,” Lepore-Hagan said.

The folks we elect to serve us in Columbus have been trying for many years to do what the law says they must do — develop a constitutional school funding system. They haven’t yet worked up a sense of urgency on the matter.

This year’s proposal –which, again, has already passed the House — has the support of groups ranging from teachers unions to those representing school boards and administrators. School finance and operations officials across the state want legislators to support the plan.

While Mahoning Valley school districts face the prospect of yet another fiscal year waiting for the state to adjust its funding formula, lawmakers see no problem with the continued state of limbo.

If senators have questions, they should seek answers quickly. If they believe adjustments should be made, they can do that, too.

Surely, Buckeye state children are worth making a little extra effort.

editorial@tribtoday.com