Published Friday, March 7, 2003
slashed by Taft
Herald Staff Writer
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft chose Wednesday to cut education funding by $99.9 million as part of $142.5 million in cuts needed to balance the state budget.
Taft warned lawmakers during his State of the State address that more cuts were probable if cigarette and alcohol tax increases didn't pass, leaving Ohio with a deficit of $162 million.
In addition to public education, Taft slashed funding for education department administration, higher education, alcohol- and drug-treatment programs, development and PASSPORT, a Medicaid program.
Taft blamed the General Assembly, which adopted most of his plan but failed to adopt any measures to increase revenue.
"This is a sad day for me as a governor as I am compelled to reduce state spending in priority areas I have fought hard to protect," Taft said at a news conference Wednesday.
The recent education cuts come on top of $50 million in cuts already made to the Department of Education this fiscal year, which ends June 30. Each school district will see a 2.5 percent cut for the remainder of the school year, a reduction formulated on a per-pupil basis.
Brookfield Local Schools will see a $73,319 cut out of an annual state appropriation of about $5.1 million; Hubbard Local Schools will see a $116,039 cut from its annual appropriation of about $8 million.
Joseph Badger Local School will lose $58,220 of its $3.8 million allocation, and Mathews Local Schools, will be cut $47,973 of $2.3 milion in state funds.
The Trumbull County Board of Education will miss out on $44,835 of the $2.2 million it had been budgeted.
Hubbard Superintendent James Herrholtz said the district is "extremely disappointed" in the governor and the Legislature. He said the $116,000 cut won't put the district in fiscal emergency but will wipe out its reserve fund. School directors will continue efforts to provide the best education to students, but the kids are the ones who will suffer, he said.
"It stinks. It's very frustrating," he said. "We have to find areas where we can scrimp and save. That means we don't buy textbooks, or materials, or we don't start the literacy program or something doesn't get fixed ..."
Hubbard voters passed a 5.5-mill permanent-improvement levy, but that money was promised to the community for other needs, Herrholtz said.
"For us, it's not just $116,000, it's March. We've already done our budgeting for this year. It's sort of like not getting a paycheck. The school didn't get a paycheck. It was money we had anticipated and were counting on from the state."
Several phone calls made to Brookfield Superintendent Joseph White Thursday were not returned. White said last month Brookfield was anticipating cutbacks of about 2 percent.
School Board President Joanne Sydlowski said Thursday she hadn't received all the facts regarding the cuts, but added they weren't expected.
"It's terrible. It's taking away from kids," she said.
Life Skills of Trumbull County will see a cut of $13,438; Trumbull County Board of Mental Retardation, $3,452; Trumbull County Vocational-Technical School, a $41,912 reduction; Youngstown State University, a loss of more than $1 million; and Kent State University's Trumbull Campus in Champion, $124,805.