Gov. John Kasich of Ohio has released his budget and people in local governments are not happy. Of course, the 7,000 teachers that may lose their jobs aren't going to be happy either.
Dispatch:
Local governments would see a cut of 25 percent per year and state colleges and universities would be limited to 3.5 percent tuition increases under Gov. John Kasich's new two-year budget.
That move would cost counties, municipalities and townships $167.1 million the first year including an estimated $5 million for Columbus and $388.2 million starting in the second year, when the full 50 percent reduction would take effect.
For example, Circleville, which received $687,000 from the state's local government allocation last year, budgeted for $638,000 this year, or about 13 percent of its overall total. The real number under the state budget would total $515,000, with a drop to $343,000 the following year.....
In order to maintain services, local governments will need to raise taxes. Property taxes will increase because there will be less coming in from the state. However, if local governments want to not raise taxes, then they will cut police, fire, road maintenance, and increase class sizes.
According to the Dispatch article, Kasich will increase the number of charter schools. Right now the Brennan family of White Hat Management charter schools, big time contributor to every Republican in the state, are probably celebrating. All that state money to those charter schools will certainly make some people even wealthier, while kids continue to be taught and supervised by unqualified principals, and teachers with no experience making just over the minimum wage.
That is not all the news for education in Ohio. The State Superintendent of Schools also got the boot.
Dispatch:
Empowered by a new presence on the state school board, backers of Gov. John Kasich today forced out Ohio's state superintendent of education.
A tearful Deborah Delisle resigned this morning....
....At its monthly meeting in Columbus, the panel voted 10-9 for Debe Terhar, a Cincinnati Tea Party conservative and two-month member of the board.
Board member Anne Jacobs told colleagues prior to the vote she was called by the governor's office and asked to support Terhar.....
A series of questions and answers from Smart Voter indicates that Terhar is a major proponent of charter schools. Looks like Kasich and his special new superintendent are stacking the deck against public schools and the teachers.
