“It’s nice to know that we’re not going to get cut anymore, but it doesn’t give us back all those millions that were cut in the last two years. There was no mention of making up the cuts we suffered. Also, (Kasich) mentioned making school funding constitutional, but he didn’t say how he would go about solving the real core of the problem of how schools are funded in Ohio.”
-- Jim Schoenlein, Kettering City Schools superintendent

“The governor was clear that this was Ohio’s education improvement plan, ‘Achievement Everywhere.’ That means every student should be able to achieve at a high level no matter if they’re in an urban, rural or suburban district. This is our plan as a state and we have to make sure we produce students that have the support they need. They talked a lot about making sure that districts that are in low wealth have financial resources. I’m cautiously optimistic because we still have to go through the state legislature and we don’t have the details.”
-- Lori Ward, Dayton Public Schools superintendent

“There were some potential positives for Huber Heights City Schools, one of them being the funding for kindergarten. Right now we do an alternating (full) day just to reduce costs for transportation. Prior to that, we’ve always done half-day kindergarten. There has been a lot of discussion about what an opportunity it would be for the students to do all-day, every-day kindergarten but there has not been funding generally attached to that. That was one statement made today that certainly was hopeful and positive.”
-- Sue Gunnell, Huber Heights City Schools superintendent

“It was good to see him recognize and state right off the bat that we’re not going to see a broad base of cuts anymore and that now he’s going to rework to rebuild us to focus on jobs. We should be career and college ready at this point and that’s what we should be focusing our future expenditures toward.”
-- Nick Weldy, Superintendent of Miami Valley Career Technology Center, Clayton

“Until the specific details from the budget are released on Monday, we will not know how this new proposal affects schools. Schools are hurting all across Ohio and we desperately need support from state funds. Our hope is that the governor answers the call this time. On a separate note, I am deeply concerned about clever new attempts to rob public funds from school districts and send them directly to subsidize private schools. Same vouchers, different package. Last time it was HB 136; now it’s through the budget allowing parents in excellent districts to subsidize private school education at the expense of their local public schools.”
-- Mario Basora, Yellow Springs Exempted Village Schools superintendent

“We are extremely pleased, based upon early reports, in the governor’s commitment to providing access to a quality education for families from lower socioeconomic levels. If passed, this will empower families to make a fair choice about the education of their child.”
-- Jim Rigg, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Cincinnati