By Gongwer Staff
Posted: January 31, 2013 5:25 PM

The following statement from Senator Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green), Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Education:

Governor Kasich’s education reform plan strives to meet the needs of Ohio’s school children and families in new ways. It is clear that the governor listened carefully to educators across the state to address some concerns that school leaders have faced for a long time. He has proposed a meaningful funding commitment for education at a time when the national economy continues to struggle.

The governor’s commitment to reading support, special needs children and local school flexibility to meet student needs will be appreciated by those who have asked for these reforms for years.

Legislators have five months of hard work ahead to enact the best education plan possible. I look forward to meeting with teachers, school board members, school officials and parents to hear their additional ideas and suggestions before a vote is taken on the budget.

Ohio House Democratic Leader Armond Budish (D- Beachwood) released the following response after Gov. Kasich revealed his education reform plan:

“While I’m anxious to review the details, it appears that Gov. Kasich’s much anticipated education-funding plan simply pads the pockets of unaccountable for-profit charters while short changing Ohio’s public school children. Unfortunately, the proposed funding in this plan is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $1.8 billion Gov. Kasich cut from schools during his last budget.

“I am hopeful there will be room to work together on Gov. Kasich’s plan, but this proposal does very little to address the devastating cuts in Gov. Kasich’s last budget. As a result, class sizes have ballooned in many schools, teachers have been cut, many programs that help students succeed have been eliminated and taxpayers have been asked to bare more of the responsibility for educating our children.

“The funding proposal and the $300 million dollar incentive package doesn’t come close to making up the nearly $1.1 billion that schools across the state sought through nearly 200 local tax levies last year. Instead of developing an education package in secret, as Gov. Kasich did, we must work together to find a long-term solution that invests in a twenty-first century education for our students and addresses the growing pressure on local property taxpayers.”

In response to the Governor’s proposal, Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern released the following statement:

“It’s alarming that Governor Kasich drafted this proposal in secret, without the input of education stakeholders, and chose to make permanent his historic 2011 cuts that slashed nearly $1.8 billion from students and schools around the state. According to an independent study, John Kasich’s decision to dramatically defund Ohio’s education programs has already caused taxpayers in over 194 communities to face more than $1 billion in new tax initiatives at the ballot. Kasich’s education plan guarantees that the State will continue to withhold funding, local taxpayers will see even more levies in addition to the $1 billion they’ve already faced, and our children’s opportunities will be compromised in the future. ”

By Richard A. Stoff, President and CEO, Ohio Business Roundtable

Governor Kasich has issued a call to put children first. We agree. We are encouraged that the Governor’s plan properly shifts the conversation at the Statehouse and across Ohio from “How do we get more money for education?” to, “How do we get more education for our money?” We need better results from our education system, and we need to empower local leaders, school principals, classroom teachers and those closest to children, especially their moms and dads, to achieve those results. We need targeted investments in quality early childhood education to ensure that children, especially those in poverty, are ready to learn upon entering kindergarten. The Governor’s plan moves us in that direction. To enable all these advances, the Roundtable embraces principal leadership development. Research indicates that virtually all improvements in education are associated with strong building-level leadership. With many principals retiring, Ohio has a rare opportunity to recruit principals anchored in the best leadership practices to make a difference for schoolchildren. The full budget bill is not yet available. When it is, the Roundtable will analyze it in depth, and speak out during the legislative process.

Statement from StudentsFirst Ohio director Greg Harris on Gov. Kasich's school funding proposal

StudentsFirst Ohio director Greg Harris issued the following statement in response to Gov. John Kasich's new school funding proposal:

"StudentsFirst is encouraged that Gov. Kasich’s school funding plan aims to improve educational opportunities for all children. It’s a step in the right direction and appears to provide additional resources to students who bring unique challenges to the classroom and for districts to support the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

The plan also proposes facilities support for charter schools and expansion of school choice, which will give parents living in poverty more options for their children. The proposed Innovation Fund to seed better use of technology and new classroom practices should further enhance educational opportunity.

As details emerge about the changes to mill rates and the “equal yield formula,” StudentsFirst looks forward to working with Gov. Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly to ensure these changes have their intended effect of helping disadvantaged communities.

Gov. Kasich should also be commended for his commitment to improving flexibility by removing state-driven education mandates and empowering those who work closest with children – teachers and principals. StudentsFirst believes this new flexibility for school districts should be tied to improved fiscal accountability and transparency measures that track district spending and its impact on student performance."