Governor concerned about voucher, college tuition proposals

(Associated Press)ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The steps and hallways of the Statehouse teemed with teachers, parents and other advocates who wanted to keep money in the state budget for libraries, school districts and disability aid for the poorest Ohioans.

But the cuts stayed in the House version of the $51 billion, two-year spending plan that passed 53-46 on Tuesday, largely along partisan lines. The budget goes next to the Senate, like the House dominated by Republicans.

"Growing our economy is the only way we're going to be able to satisfy their requests," said House Speaker Jon Husted, a Dayton-area Republican.

The budget reduces personal income taxes for all brackets and cuts a temporary penny sales tax increase in half. It replaces most existing business taxes with a low tax on revenue.

Democrats say the tax cuts favor the wealthy, pushing more taxes on the middle class through electricity and sales taxes. They also said the budget harms the poor through cuts in medical programs and doesn't do enough for schools and universities.

"We can choose to make Ohio work for all of us rather than just some of us," said Rep. Chris Redfern of Port Clinton, the top-ranking House Democrat.

The House kept most of the proposals proposed by Gov. Bob Taft, especially his tax plan, but the GOP governor disagreed with some changes. Taft must sign a balanced budget by June 30.

Taft wants to spend $9 million to expand Ohio's voucher program to about 2,600 students at 70 public schools with persistently failing test scores.

The House version of the budget would spend as much as $81 million to expand the program to 18,000 students in academically challenged districts.

"The voucher proposal should be focused on failing schools and should be tailored fairly narrowly to a target of students that are trapped in schools that are consistently failing," Taft said.

Taft wants to cap tuition increases at 6 percent plus an additional 3 percent for financial aid for needy students. The House plan keeps only the 6 percent cap.

"We're expanding our scholarship moneys and we want to provide an incentive for universities and colleges in the state ... to do the same," Taft said.

The House restored $70 million in Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes. Lawmakers also refused to remove a formula for nursing home funding from state law and let the state human services department control it, as Taft wants.

Republicans on the House floor on Tuesday moved $3 million from the state prisons budget to halfway houses, added $600,000 for education programs and made dozens of smaller changes, mostly technical. They also rejected more than 30 Democrat amendments, most of which had been rejected in the House Finance Committee.

The people at the rally didn't stay for the vote, which came more than 10 hours after the House convened for the day.

Jackie Martin of suburban Columbus wanted to urge lawmakers not to make additional cuts to Medicaid programs that could endanger funding for the chronically ill. Martin's 8-year-old son, Justin, has cerebral palsy.

"I'm seeing what feels like a cutting away of services," Martin said. "And once services are cut, it's really difficult to get them restored."

About 100 teachers and support staff from New Lebanon schools in west-central Ohio came to criticize school-funding cuts that have cost the district a quarter of its 96 teachers in two years. The district's school board agreed to cancel school for employees to attend the rally as long as the day was made up later.

"If it's a snow day, we call it a calamity day," English teacher Jennie Stockslager said. "We should call this a calamity day because of the calamitous state of our finances."

For Debrah Benson, the rally was a chance to plead for Medicaid funding for dental services. Taft eliminates the money in his budget, while the House partially restores it.

Benson, 40, who has multiple sclerosis, is having eight teeth pulled in a matter of weeks out of fear the money won't be available once the budget passes.

"I want them to quit cutting the benefits," said Benson, of Columbus. "This is ridiculous. This is appalling."