Vermilion leaders involved in event
SHEFFIELD LAKE — Educators from five area school districts will host a public town hall Aug. 11 to explain recent changes to Ohio’s school funding system and discuss what organizers say are their effects on local schools.
The free event will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Joyce E. Hanks Community Center, 4575 E. Lake Road. Area school superintendents and union leaders are expected to speak, and the public is invited to attend.
Vermilion Local Schools Superintendent Wes Weaver said he and Rebecca Dubber, president of the Vermilion Teachers Association, are involved in the event.
Ohio Education Association members from Amherst Exempted Village Schools, Lorain City Schools, Oberlin City Schools, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools and Vermilion Local Schools organized the town hall.
Andrew Smith, president of the Sheffield-Sheffield Lake Teachers Association and the North Eastern Ohio Education Association, will facilitate the event.
Organizers say the two-year state budget adopted in 2025, along with legislative changes affecting districts’ ability to collect local tax revenue, has contributed to funding problems, cuts and layoffs in area schools.
The town hall is being hosted by the Lakeshore Public Educators, a group representing about 1,200 members from seven area unions. Its members include teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, counselors and other school employees.
Smith said the event is intended to explain how Ohio’s school funding system works and why organizers believe the state should direct more funding toward public schools rather than expanding private school voucher programs.
“The state of Ohio has both a constitutional duty and the necessary funds to fairly fund all public schools,” Smith said. “We all just need to hold them accountable to do it.”