COLUMBUS, Ohio — After hours of debate on the chamber floor, the 4,000-page omnibus bill passed 60-39, with five Republicans voting against it.
Among the many provisions inside House Bill 96, there is a slash in public education funding.
To be fully funded based on statistics from the Fair School Funding Plan from 2021, schools would need $666 million. The proposed budget gives them about $226 million.
Based on 2025 numbers and inflation, the amount of money to fund K-12 would be closer to $800 million, new data from public school advocates like former lawmaker John Patterson explained.
Stewart explained that the $226 million is an increase from the amount that schools got in 2025. That is misleading, Democrats argue.
"What is being produced is likely one of the lowest state shares in our state's history... meaning that it's even less state money going into our schools than when this was deemed unconstitutional," Finance Ranking Member Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) said.
In January, Huffman had threatened to cut public education spending, saying the state doesn’t have the budget for it and the amount for schools they were promised this year is "unsustainable." Instead, they cut $351 million.
"I think it is a sustained effort to take public money and shift it away from our public schools into private schools, charter schools," House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) stated.
RELATED: Ohio House GOP budget proposal slashes public school funding
For a further in-depth recap of education funding, click here.
In addition, the lawmakers made a cap on carry-over dollars — meaning that districts can only carry over 30% of their previous budget.
The House's budget also gives private schools double that of public — $500 million.
"Today is a very dark day in school funding history," the Ohio Federation of Teachers Vice President Melissa Cropper explained. "We heard proponents of the House budget talk about providing districts with more funds, but what they did not disclose is that we're still underfunding our public education system. This House budget is an abdication of the state's constitutional responsibility to provide for a thorough and efficient system of schools."
RELATED: Vouchers for Ohio private schools score double funding over public schools
Lawmakers agreed to put $600 million in bonds toward a new Browns stadium, the centerpiece of a 176-acre mixed-use project proposed by the Haslam family, which owns the team.
The Browns are asking the state to borrow $600 million for the new stadium by issuing bonds — debt the state would then repay, with interest, using increased sales-tax revenues, income-tax revenues and commercial activity-tax revenues from the entire Brook Park project.
It would cost the state about $1 billion to pay off that debt over 25 years.
The franchise wants to leave Cleveland for an enclosed suburban stadium flanked by apartments, offices, hotels, restaurants, retail and parking.
The stadium would cost $2.4 billion. The team says half of that will come from private sources, and Haslam Sports Group will cover any cost overruns.
The public would foot the rest of the bill, with $600 million coming from local governments such as a reluctant Cuyahoga County and the remaining $600 million from the state.
The proposal would require a change to a state law that caps Ohio’s contribution to stadiums and other sports venues at 15% of total construction costs.
In March, the Browns offered to put $38.5 million in an escrow account at the start of the project as a cushion in case tax revenues from the entire mixed-use district aren't enough to cover the state's debt payments.
On Wednesday, Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) amended the House budget to increase that up-front payment to $50 million. The Browns will get that money back at the end of the day if the state doesn't need to tap the account to pay the principal and interest on the bonds.
"I think one thing that came up was just an understandable desire to make sure that we have as much security for the taxpayers as possible," Stewart added. "We don't think there's going to be a shortfall, but I think it was just about respecting our members and listening to their concerns and trying to do what we could to make people as comfortable as possible with the proposal."
Clickhere to learn more about what the new stadium district would encompass.
Also in the budget are changes in Medicaid and child care, which will be focused on in future stories. WEWS media partner Ohio Capital Journal has an overview of the entire budget:
RELATED: Ohio House advances its two-year budget proposal
The budget isn't final — but it likely won't change dramatically when it's in the Senate, according to Stewart.
News 5 reporter Michelle Jarboe contributed to this report.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
