The Allen County Democrats held a "Donuts with Dems" gathering in Lima centered on public education, with John Patterson — described as a former Ohio House representative and a co-founder of the Fair School Funding Plan — and Jeff Givan, a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives.
Givan told the audience he had planned to concentrate on civil rights and health care, but changed course after hearing that education should be his focus. He said that after examining the issue he concluded it demanded attention, and it became his leading priority. He also said the voucher system is harming public schools.
Patterson likened school funding to household budgeting. He noted that families typically plan for retirement, college costs or a mortgage across five or ten years, and asked whether districts could function knowing their money only two years out. He said Ohio schools never know what the General Assembly will do.
He argued public schools are essential to American society, preparing students for the workforce and offering choices, and said an educated population is needed to fill jobs.
Patterson presented his Fair School Funding Plan, which he said lays out how budgeting could work in every Ohio district, mainly through direct school instruction and building leadership. He listed three charges: base state funding on what students actually need in a changing world; assess each community's capacity to pay its fair share transparently; and treat all districts and taxpayers as fairly as possible. After he walked through the formula, audience members asked practical questions.
Patterson also framed public education as a democratic matter, saying schools may be a rare setting where children of differing values and backgrounds spend time together, building understanding and empathy.