COLUMBUS Senate offers more for education

The Senate, as expected, knocked out a video slot machine proposal.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Public schools and colleges and universities would receive hundreds of millions of dollars more in state funding under a Senate version of the state's next two-year state budget, compared with funding approved by the House.
The Senate's version of the budget, unveiled Wednesday, would add $245.7 million more in state funds for public schools in the next two-year budget period that begins in July than the $14.38 billion approved by the House in April.
The Senate's budget would add $225 million more in state funds to support state universities and colleges in the next two-year period than the $4.8 billion approved by the House.
Majority Republicans said state senators tried to be responsible in crafting their two-year $49.217 billion state spending plan in what some officials have called a weak state economy.
"We continue to recognize that support for primary, secondary and higher education plays a vital role in providing for our future prosperity," said state Sen. Bill M. Harris, an Ashland County Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
The proposals
As part of his two-year, $49.2 billion budget plan, Republican Gov. Bob Taft proposed spending $7.189 billion in the budget's first year on public schools and $7.5 billion in the second year.
In its version, the GOP-led House trimmed that to $7.163 billion in the budget's first year and $7.167 billion in the second year.
The Senate proposes spending $7.2 billion in the first year and $7.408 billion in the second year.
As expected, the Senate's budget deleted a controversial House-passed provision that would revise the attendance factor in the formula used to calculate state assistance for education.
Representatives of public colleges and universities said they were heartened that state senators restored some of the cuts on funding levels recommended by the governor.
"That's extremely encouraging," said Jim McCollum, executive director of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, an association of the presidents of the 13 state universities and two free-standing public medical schools.
Taft proposed spending $2.5 billion on colleges and universities in the budget's first year and $2.59 billion in the budget's second year.
The House trimmed those amounts to $2.39 billion in the first year and $2.4 billion in the second year.
The Senate proposes spending $2.47 billion in the first year and $2.57 billion in the second year.
Ohioans would see larger classes, lesser availability of classes and cuts in programs at state universities under the funding in the two-year, $48.7 billion House-passed budget, McCollum said.
As expected, Senate Republicans, who hold a 22-11 majority over Democrats, kept the proposed temporary penny increase in the state sales tax, but dropped a provision that would have placed video slot machines at Ohio's seven horse racing tracks if voters approved a November ballot issue authorizing them.
Some disagreement
The Senate GOP's budget proposal would keep the proposed sales tax increase after the budget's second year.
But not all GOP senators were pleased with the plan.
State Sen. Lynn R. Wachtmann, a conservative Republican from Napoleon, panned the GOP plan as nothing more than a tax increase.
"It's higher taxes. It does nothing to rein in the infrastructure, the driving cost of government prevailing wage, collective bargaining, civil service reform that we need, so government is going along its merry way of spending and taxing," he said.
Democratic senators, while indicating they wanted to work with majority Republicans, also had criticism.
State Sen. Marc Dann, a Trumbull County Democrat, said Democrats are looking for items such as a prescription drug proposal offered by fellow Democratic Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown before they'll supply votes for the budget.
Finance committee and full Senate consideration of the proposed budget is expected next week.