Miller v. Korns

Miller v. Korns (1923) is one of the first Ohio Supreme Court cases to challenge the Ohio State General Assembly's system of school financing. The General Assembly redistributed excess tax revenues from some counties throughout the state to fund a fair and equal state school system. The plaintiff, however, claimed taking tax revenue from one county to fund another violated the constitutional requirement for a "uniform system of taxation." [1] The claim was rejected by a trial court and later upheld on appeal by The Ohio Supreme Court citing the state's constitutional requirement of a "thorough and efficient system of schools justified the system of taxation".[1] The Miller v. Korns ruling is an historical and important decision because it defined "thorough" and "efficient" as well as authorized the practice of tax revenue redistribution throughout the state.[2]

Background

The General Assembly, according to Article IV of The Ohio State Constitution, is required to provide and fund "a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the State."[3] In 1821 Ohio's General Assembly authorized the voluntary use of property tax revenues to help fund and support schools, however, in 1822 the General Assembly mandated that a portion of property tax revenues would be used to fund the state's school system.[4] During the Constitutional Convention in 1850-1851, the delegates reiterated the importance of education and recognized the state's obligation to both present and future Ohioans. In an effort to provide an educational system that allows all citizens, regardless of race or economic standing, to fully develop their potential and contribute to a flourishing society.[5]

Impacts

The Ohio Supreme Court's decision in Miller v. Korns has been a tool for educational equality in the state of Ohio as it established definitions for the words "thorough" and "efficient" which have been used in later court cases. The Ohio Supreme Court established that: "A thorough system could not mean one in which part or any number of school districts of the state were starved for funds. An efficient system could not mean one in which part or any number of the school districts of the state lacked teachers, buildings, or equipment."[6] Miller v. Korns has since been used in Cincinnati Schools District Board of Education v. Walters (1979) and DeRolph v. State (1997) which expanded on the original decision by adding that a healthy learning environment, including teacher-student ratios, is a part of a "thorough" education system.[6]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Ohio". Institute on Educational Law and Policy. IELP. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Hignett, Christen (2005). "Ohio's Public School Funding System: The Unanswered Questions and the Unresolved Problems of Derolph". Capital University Law Review. 33 (739): 744.
  3. ↑ "Ohio". Access Quality Education: Ohio Litigation. Columbia University. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Taxation in Ohio: History of Major Changes" (PDF). Ohio Department of Taxation. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Alexander, Kern; Alexander, M. (2012). American Public School Law (8th ed.). California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. p. 1068. ISBN 978-0-495-91049-7.
  6. 1 2 "Education Justice: Ohio". Education Law Center. Education Law Center. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
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