Parents United for Public Schools hosted a town hall and information session Tuesday night at the Athens Public Library to inform residents about school funding challenges and begin organizing a local chapter.
Parents United for Public Schools is a grassroots organization focused on advocating for fully funded public schools across Ohio. The group also works with families facing challenges related to school costs, transportation and Individualized Education Programs.
Amy Brinck, an Athens City Schools parent and a Parents United parent volunteer, organized the event alongside Nick Tuell, the education campaign director for Parents United for Public Schools.
“I hope tonight people will be able to connect their local concerns that they have in the district and with their public school systems with the greater issue of not having adequate state and federal funding,” Brinck said.
Attendees and speakers repeatedly identified funding as a central concern.
“Ultimately, I think the elephant in the room is funding,” Erin Shultz, a parent and intervention specialist at Alexander Elementary School, said. “Everyone has to do more with less in schools, and that’s an ongoing challenge.”
Katelyn Jackson, an organizer for Parents United for Public Schools, outlined how public schools are funded at the federal, state and local levels and discussed changes to Ohio’s school funding system, including the Fair School Funding Plan.
The plan, implemented in 2021, was cut in 2025. Schools have since returned to a performance-based funding model, which Jackson said can widen disparities between districts because better-funded schools will typically perform better than less-funded schools.
Tuell said the changes will result in a $2.75 billion reduction in school funding across the state. Locally, Athens City Schools are projected to lose $8 million annually, with additional losses of $2.7 million in Alexander, $3.1 million in Federal Hocking and $4.9 million in Nelsonville.
Brinck said she is working to establish an Athens County chapter, with the goal of eventually creating district-level chapters to address more localized concerns.
The event also addressed special education. Daria DeNoia, an education policy and practice consultant with the Ohio Education Association, spoke about state and federal policies, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
DeNoia emphasized the law’s role in guaranteeing students with disabilities access to public education and necessary services.
A panel discussion followed, featuring DeNoia; Athens City Schools Superintendent Chad Springer; Treasurer Jared Bunting; Plains Intermediate School teacher Gabe Miller; Ohio University professor emeritus Pam Beam; and Lucy Schwallie, senior staff attorney at the Athens office of Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio.
“We want to get varied perspectives from multiple people that have interest in public schools and work within the system, but also have the parent perspective as well,” Brinck said.
Moderated by Tuell, the panel included a Q&A session where community members asked about promoting public education, increasing broader support and research related to education, particularly special education.
Panelists emphasized the importance of community involvement and encouraged attendees to contact state representatives.
The meeting concluded with a call to action. Tuell introduced three petitions, and Brinck announced a strategy meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, to begin forming a local chapter.
