Taxes teach stern lesson: Low tax bases result in under-funded schools.

Byline: Katie Byard

May 16--LAST WEEK, Hudson Voters -- who already have one of the highest property tax rates in the state -- approved additional taxes for their schools.

The community is wealthy, ranking third in the state in median income, and is among the top 100 in per-pupil revenue and spending.

At the other end of the county, the story is different.

Voters in Springfield Township, where the median income is half that of Hudson, defeated an operating levy for the fourth time.

Board members say that forces them to consider more cuts.

Springfield already has eliminated busing for more than 1,000 children and has cut 10 teachers this school year and nine for the next year. It also requires students to pay to participate in extracurricular activities.

The difference between Hudson and Springfield illustrates what the Ohio Supreme Court said a decade ago: The state's over-reliance on property taxes to fund public education creates dramatic disparities. Some school systems, the court said at the time, were unable to generate enough local income to provide …