Local criticism of OhioReads takes politics to the extreme

Republican Gov. Bob Taft, reacting to attacks from area Democratic legislators on his OhioReads program, posed the following question: "What can be more important in education than focusing dollars on reading?" We have a one-word answer that speaks volumes: nothing.
State Sens. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-33rd, and state Rep. Kenneth Carano of Austintown, D-59th, were not only shrill in their condemnation of the governor for spending $17.4 million -- a pittance in the general fund budget -- on this very worthy reading initiative, but they showed a disturbing willingness to play partisan politics with the future of Ohio's children.
We have no doubt that had the governor been a Democrat, he or she would have won high praise from Dann, Hagan, and Carano for wanting to improve the reading skills of pupils in kindergarten to fourth grade. That's what is most distressing about the comments they made before Taft's visit Wednesday to the Mahoning Valley. They demeaned the efforts of the thousands of volunteers around the state who have responded to the governor's call to serve as reading tutors.
It is noteworthy that Carano is an educator by profession and Dann served on the Liberty Board of Education before going to the state Senate.
"We have an inequitable tax structure and an unconstitutional education system. Yet we continue to put all this money into the OhioReads program," said Dann. All what money? As Taft pointed out, the $17.4 million -- a drop in the budget bucket -- pays for reading materials, teacher training and computer programs. Dann acknowledged that "having volunteers go to school and read to kids is very important," which raises this question: Does he believe that these volunteers should pay for reading materials, training and computer programs out of their own pockets?
'Pet project'
Carano contended that spending money on a "pet project" while state funding for school districts is being cut is a "slap in the face." To be sure, the governor has embraced OhioReads as one of his most important initiatives, and with good reason: If a child cannot read and comprehend, he cannot learn. Taft knows this, as do parents, educators and business leaders.
It is no accident that OhioReads has attracted numerous corporate sponsors and its list of volunteers reads like a Who's Who of Ohio business and industry. Ohio needs an educated workforce and education begins with the basics.
Carano can't really believe that $17.4 million is being squandered, given the widespread support for the program.
It is unfortunate that the three Democratic legislators chose to publicly criticize the Republican governor on the eve of his visit to the Valley to kick off the statewide OhioReads Volunteer Recruitment Week.
Rather than show their partisan stripes, Dann, Hagan, and Carano should have joined Taft in urging Valley residents to get involved in the academic lives of our children. There are too many youngsters in this area who, through no fault of their own, are left to fend for themselves at home. The lack of parental involvement in their academic lives is evident in their performance in school. They need all the help they can get.
Hagan, who has long battled on behalf of the downtrodden, must know that begrudging OhioReads of the $17.4 million made him look petty and foolish. We sincerely hope he wasn't serious when he suggested that OhioReads isn't a volunteer program because state dollars are used to buy reading materials and to pay for teacher training and computer programs.