In advance of Governor John Kasich’s education funding announcement Thursday, a group of Miami Valley educators gathered at Montgomery County Democratic Party Headquarters in downtown Dayton to urge a reversal of former cuts to education.

“Today, any discussion on reform needs to start with a promise from the Governor that every penny he cut over the last two years will be restored so that we can give our students the best educational opportunities possible,” said Trotwood-Madison teacher Ella Jordan-Isaac.

She said the $1.8 billion Kasich has cut from school funding has led to larger class sizes, the loss of teachers and a reduction in essential programming.

David Romick, president of the Dayton Education Association, said the cuts have also led to increased taxes in hundreds of communities state-wide as districts have been forced to levy taxes to compensate for lost funding.

“Across the state it has amounted to $1.1 billion — with a ‘b’ — in new local tax initiatives since May 2011 with just a 40 percent success rate on those levies,” he said.

The teachers also said it is disappointing that Kasich chose not to make the announcement in public and urged transparency in the reform process.

“Ohioans deserve to know how their money is being spent,” Romick said. “We must make sure that any reforms include the proper accountability.”

He also said the Governor has a duty to push for more oversight of private, for-profit charter schools that receive state money.