Education department to cut $100M from budget

Keno gaming helped the cuts from being deeper.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Money for school buses, professional development for teachers and technology support for districts will be slashed as the state education department looks to slash its budget by $100 million.

Gov. Ted Strickland ordered state agencies to trim their budgets after economic forecasts predicted the state would face at least a $733 million shortfall by June 2009.

But per-pupil state aid will not be affected.

“The priority is to protect children and districts from harm,” state Superintendent Susan Zelman said.

The cuts include $43 million in program and staffing reductions over the next 16 months, according to a plan released to Ohio superintendents Monday. The other $57 million will come from budgeted money that isn’t needed, said Jeannette Oxender, Zelman’s chief of staff.

The education department would have faced bigger cuts without Strickland’s introduction of Keno gaming into the Ohio Lottery, expected to generate $73 million for primary and secondary education during the second year of the current two-year budget.

Services, such as $6 million to be spent on new school buses, will be affected. Professional development funding will be cut by $4.2 million, and technical education for post-secondary adults is being slashed by $3.8 million.

“While the state always tries not to touch foundation money, these other line items also have a direct effect on services and subsidies, so if a district wants to maintain these services, the money has to come from somewhere,” said David Varda, executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.

The department also will eliminate up to 26 of its 667 full-time jobs. Zelman is trying to avoid layoffs by not filling open jobs and through retirements.