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UPDATED with legislative response - Strickland to lawmakers: Don’t “play games” with education
Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday, Oct. 12, tried to enlist the help of secondary school administrators from across to Ohio to persuade legislator to act quickly on a plan to fill an $851 million hole in the K-12 education budget.
The time is past to “play games with education or to play politics” with the budget, Strickland told about 275 people attending the fall conference of the Ohio Association of School Administrators at the Renaissance Hotel in Columbus.
“I would ask you to do what you can to encourage them (lawmakers) to participate in the solution,” said Strickland.
Before speaking, Strickland, a Democrat, told reporters that he would like to see the situation “handled within the next couple of weeks if possible.”
Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, reached by phone, did not sound like a man in a hurry.
“I do not think the governor has any more focus on trying to do what’s right for public education that we do in the Senate and our challenge is to …do the research, …to look at all the options before we do anything concerning our recommendations,” said Harris.
He added: “We’re not taking anything off the table.”
Keary McCarthy, spokesman for House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, said:
“House Democrats are united on quickly moving something that will address the budget situation.”
Strickland has proposed postponing the final year of a scheduled personal income tax cut to fill the gap. If lawmakers don’t like that plan, they have an obligation to come up with “realistic, alternative ideas.”
He declared that “there will not be cuts in education for Ohio.” He didn’t specify what he would do to avoid cuts if the legislature doesn’t act but said:
“I am determined to get this legislature to take action that will prevent education cuts.”
Strickland came up with his budget-balancing plan after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the proposal to put video slot machines at Ohio racetracks was subject to a vote of the people in November 2010, delaying the start of that program.
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By Plain Truth
October 12, 2009 8:23 PM | Link to this
Sounds like double talk to me. How about removing the video slot language from the budget that would stop the referendum vote and then vote on removing the last tax cut. Sounds like Teddy wants his cake and eat it too.