Strickland still mum on budget specifics

By Marc Kovac

The governor did offer the potential of increasing tipping fees charged by landfills.

COLUMBUS — A day after outlining major changes in the state’s public school system and major initiatives to boost Ohio’s economy, Gov. Ted Strickland still wasn’t sharing too many specifics about his executive budget proposal.

Strickland said that document, set for release early next week, will detail which programs he thinks should be cut, which fines and fees should be increased and which funding streams will support his initiatives.

And he said his budget, funding state operations and programs for the next two fiscal years, will provide a defensible pathway forward.

“We will have our complete budget outline presented to you Monday in rather specific detail,” Strickland told reporters and editors during a daylong seminar in Columbus, organized by the Associated Press. “So I will allow my budget director to do that. It will be specific. It will tell you exactly how we are doing, what we are proposing, and we will explain to you the path forward.”

He added, “I understand that I didn’t say everything yesterday about everything. I guess the speech could have been three hours long. ... This is something that we have worked on for many many months — I would say for perhaps a couple of years.”

As promised, Strickland used his State of the State speech Wednesday to outline broad reform to Ohio’s school system. He also announced plans to present a new job stimulus package to lawmakers later this year, among other initiatives aimed at helping Ohioans through a down-turned economy.

Strickland offered few specifics on his plans Thursday.

He said his budget would include $925 million more in funding for elementary and secondary schools, versus funding levels in the current biennium. He said the extra funds would be sustainable moving forward and not from one-time federal assistance.

Strickland still was mum on which state agencies and services would see the biggest cuts in the new budget and which fees and fines would be raised. On the latter, he did offer the potential of increasing tipping fees charged by landfills.

Strickland was asked whether he thought smaller school districts should be consolidated.

“I have had discussion certainly, and it’s probably no surprise, that there are many who feel as if we have too many school districts in Ohio,” he said. “I have not reached a conclusion as to whether or not there are benefits or whether or not that may be true.

“However, I am convinced that there are things that can be done to save money. If the school districts were to work in a cooperative, collaborative way, for the purchasing of materials, technologies, even the shaping perhaps of teaching expertise. ... I think, with the technology that is now possible for us, it would be foolish for us not to explore all of those possible efforts.”

mkovac@dixcom.com