Ohio lawmakers eye budget compromise

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

State legislative leaders were considering a version of Ohio’s budget Friday that would expand the rights of charter schools, pump more tax money into nursing homes, and tie teachers’ pay more closely to performance evaluations.

Those were among dozens of changes House and Senate budget writers were discussing as they prepared for an unveiling scheduled for Sunday of the two chambers’ compromises on the nearly $56 billion spending blueprint for the two years beginning July 1. They face a Thursday deadline for getting the voluminous budget bill approved and signed by Gov. John Kasich.

House Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina Republican, has indicated the budget compromise committee would use a combination of updated state revenue projections from the administration and from legislative analysts. Those figures are expected to give lawmakers more leeway on how much they can stash in the state’s rainy day fund, he said.

Senate Finance Chairman Chris Widener said Friday he didn’t expect the final bill to count on much more than the $55.7 billion allocated by the Senate in its bill. He said he didn’t want to budget money the state doesn’t have.

The House-passed version of the budget featured a plan to overhaul teachers’ evaluations and how they get paid, language that closely resembled provisions in a controversial collective-bargaining bill that limits the rights of about 350,000 unionized public workers around the state. Teachers’ salaries would be based on their performances and evaluations instead of the current increases based on seniority and level of training.