Taft's new plan to increase education spending

by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Gov. Bob Taft yesterday proposed $808 million in new spending to address a court order to fix the way Ohio funds schools.

"Enabling every child to succeed is my No. 1 priority," Taft said in his third State of the State speech. "It drives our agenda and fuels my enthusiasm."

Taft's plan would increase base yearly per-pupil spending to $5,484 at the end of five years, up from the current level of about $4,200.

The governor would boost state spending on special education and increase the state's share of transportation costs by 60 percent over two years.

Taft's plan would reduce the amount of money schools have to borrow from the state and offset the impact of the state's property tax rollback.

The plan would provide almost $80 million for teacher training and offer state funding for all-day kindergarten to more than 50 school districts serving 12,000 children. Written documents released with the speech put the two-year total cost of his education initiatives at $808 million.

The noon speech midway through Taft's first term was pivotal because a court mandate is forcing more spending on education just as the slowing economy forces the governor to sell across-the-board cuts in the rest of the budget. He talked about spending cuts only in general terms.

"The budget I will submit next week will be challenging," Taft told lawmakers. "Many agencies will receive less in the coming fiscal year than in the current one. A tight budget requires tough decisions."

Ohio has until June 15 to respond to an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that the state's school-funding system is unconstitutional because its reliance on local property taxes leaves poor districts at a disadvantage.

Taft proposed a five-point plan to improve academic standards and assessment, early childhood education, school facilities, teacher training and student-funding levels.

Taft also proposed using surplus welfare funds from the state's pool of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money to help poor and low-income Ohioans facing high-heating bills. A shortage of natural gas combined with increased demand and an unusually cold weather have caused a spike in heating bills.

Taft told state agencies last month to cut their budgets 2 percent to 4 percent for the next six months because of a slowing economy and a $249 million Medicaid bailout. But in an animated, upbeat speech in a House chamber packed with friendly faces the governor declared the state of Ohio to be strong.

"In fact, it's stronger than when I first took office," Taft said.

He said his $50 million OhioReads program surpassed its goal of recruiting 20,000 volunteers.

"More than 27,000 Ohioans are making a difference by tutoring a child," he said.

Taft promised that his budget's priority on public schools would not shortchange higher education, but would "guarantee" money for two-year colleges to freeze tuition for two years.

Taft's fellow Republicans who control the Legislature agreed to wait until the day after his speech to introduce a spate of bills dealing with changes to the state's proficiency testing and school-funding systems.

Besides education, other issues Taft addressed were:

- A promise to find ways the state can help LTV Steel Co., which had to go to bankruptcy court to avoid a shutdown and the loss of 4,500 Cleveland-area jobs.

- A plan to spend $52 million on programs to attract high-paying technology jobs to Ohio.

- The need to crack down on the spread of illegal drug laboratories producing methamphetamines.