Sunday, February 17, 2013
In his proposed budget Gov. John Kasich points to an increase in general revenue fund spending through fiscal year 2015. But school officials are skeptical.
Gov. John Kasich says that his proposed state budget, if passed, would increase the education funding above 2011 levels. In a bold statement, Kasich also noted that state funding for schools has gone up each year he’s been in office, according to a press release issued on Friday. However, that’s a claim that doesn't satisfy some local school officials. State budget and school officials told Patch that there would be no additional cuts moving forward, despite the loss of federal stimulus money. (See the attached press release at the right) “The governor was insistent that no district receive less dollars than they do today,” said Jim Lynch, the special advisor to the director of the office of budget and management. In a press release, …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Check out this video from the governor’s office to learn more about the proposal.
Gov. John Kasich wants to cut income taxes for small businesses and individuals and lower the sales tax in Ohio’s 2014-2015 budget. “Ohio’s taxes are too high,” Kasich said in a video posted to his website. “They hold back job creators and hold back our economy. We need to fix that.” The Columbus Dispatch reports that while the sales tax would decrease from 5.5 percent to 5 percent under the plan, more services would be subject to the tax. Increasing what can be taxed would allow the government to actually bring in more money over time. The Plain Dealer reports that this proposal includes the first tax rewrite since 2005. Kasich’s education funding reform plan, which he introduced last week, plays a big part in his budget proposal. …
Friday, February 1, 2013
The governor’s plan also includes funds for a special grant, designed to encourage schools to try new approaches to increasing achievement and decreasing cost.
Gov. John Kasich today unveiled his school funding reform plan, “Achievement Everywhere,” which aims to distribute funds fairly to districts and give principals more autonomy. The plan will be part of the governor’s overall 2014-2015 budget proposal, which is expected to be released next week. Thursday’s proposal includes $1.2 billion in new money for schools during the next two years. Kasich told reporters on a conference call Thursday afternoon that the additional money is possible because the state has cut costs in other areas and brought in new jobs, which increases the state’s overall revenue. He said his plan would be fully funded from the start, rather than phased in over time. Ohio’s school funding formula, which is based on …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Governor John Kasich recently signed into law a suicide prevention bill aimed at helping school districts provide help to troubled teens.
A youth suicide awareness and prevention bill signed into law by Gov. John Kasich was championed by Solon's representative in the state house. Rep. Marlene Anielski, a Republican who represents Solon, attended Governor Kasich’s signing of House Bill 543, a law geared toward training teachers and school staff members in youth suicide awareness and prevention. Designated the “Jason Flatt Act, Ohio, in honor of Joseph Anielski,” House Bill 543 requires public schools, as well as community (charter) schools and science, technology, engineering and math schools to train teachers and staff in areas regarding suicide prevention. Joseph Anielski, the representative's son, committed suicide in 2010. "I want to applaud the Ohio House of …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
MRI Software moved to Solon this spring year and exceeded its job creation projections.
Late last year, MRI Software announced the company was moving to Solon and bringing about 230 jobs to the city. But there's been good news since then: The company has created 318 jobs, nearly one hundred more than the original forecast, said Solon Mayor Susan Drucker. "They have already demonstrated a spirit of civic involvement that will make them valued members of our corporate community," Drucker said at a recent council meeting. The company moved from Highland Hills and leased a building on Fountain Parkway which used to house Agilysis before that company moved. The city council approved a Job Creation Grant with MRI, in which grants will be paid best on the company's performance on job creation and other benchmarks. According to the …
Friday, July 20, 2012
Our Republican Insiders say last year's fight over collective bargaining rights could hurt the party's chances at winning Ohio's electoral votes in this November's presidential election.
Will the Republican-led effort to limit collective bargaining rights for government workers in Ohio hurt the GOP's chances in this year's presidential election? More than half of the Republican insiders surveyed by Patch say it's too soon to tell or that they didn't know. But 14 out of 50 of those surveyed think the Senate Bill 5 / Issue 2 effort, led by Republican Gov. John Kasich, will hurt the GOP's chances in Ohio. Only four of 50 responders believe the fight will help the Republicans. Issue 2's effect is also seen in what Ohioans our Republican insiders would like to see as a running mate to Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Only one said they wanted Kasich, perhaps the politician most damaged by the Issue 2 ballot defeat, to be vice …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Gov. John Kasich unveiled new matching designs for Ohio's drivers licenses and license plates. What do you think of them?
Gov. John Kasich unveiled new matching designs for Ohio's drivers licenses and license plates. Gone is the pink drivers licenses panned by Ohio's men. In its place is a simpler, red and white design that's supposed to invoke the wings of an airplane. What do you think? Love the new design? Hate it? Take our poll and tell us in the comments. The new license will feature upgraded security features, a mandate that states must follow by 2013. The new plates and licenses are coming in December 2012. The old ones will be phased out. The new plates will feature 30 to 40 phrases blended into the white background that exemplify Ohio. And you can have a hand in picking which phrases make the final plate. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has a poll …
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
City council will write letter to the Ohio Department of Transportation and Gov. John Kasich to express their concerns about the barriers making U.S. 422 more dangerous
Solon officials have been hoping for a traffic barrier on U.S. 422 for years to prevent cars crossing the grassy median and causing head-on collisions. But now that barriers are being installed, Solon officials want them gone. Solon City Council voted last week to send a letter to the Ohio Department of Transportation and Gov. John Kasich asking that the barriers be removed. City officials think the barriers are actually making the highway more dangerous. The barriers, being erected by ODOT, are being built along both the east- and west-bound sides of U.S. 422. The barriers are only a few feet from the left lane on both sides. Ward 3 Councilwoman Toni Richmond said she is concerned that there is no room for a car in the left lane to pull …
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Opponents of Senate Bill 5 outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message.
In retrospect, Issue 2 never stood a chance. Opponents outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message. It's no surprise they had more votes, too. On Tuesday, about 60 percent of Ohio voters rejected Issue 2, Gov. John Kasich's plan to severely restrict bargaining rights for Ohio's unionized government workers. And the resounding defeat wasn't delieved with scant turnout during a boring off-year election. Turnout was 46 percent, the highest for an off-year race since 1991. The union-backed opponents were too strong, and cared too much. They viewed the fight to end Senate Bill 5 as a back-against-the-wall fight, and they campaigned that way. Opponents trotted out teachers and firemen and said the law would ruin important government …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Public workers celebrate Issue 2 victory at Cleveland rally.
Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 2 on Tuesday, delivering a haymaker to Republican-led efforts to restrict bargaining rights for government workers and damaging the fortunes of Gov. John Kasich. The lead was so great that We Are Ohio claimed victory just after 9 p.m. Tuesday with only a fraction of the state's precincts reporting. Kasich conceded the race shortly afterward. About 61 percent of voters, or nearly 2.2 million, rejected the law known as Senate Bill 5, according to unofficial results. About 39 percent, or about 1.4 million, voted for the law. Results show Issue 2 lost in 82 of Ohio's 88 counties. At a victory party in Cleveland, public workers cheered loudly and chanted "We won!" as union leaders, including American …
bunintheoven
3:54 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
It is a shell game that MRI Software is playing. All they are doing is moving jobs from one suburb to another - and it sounds like they got a sweet deal from Solon for doing so. There is really no employee growth at MRI Software. The employees they are hiring are replacing the long-time employees that have been laid-off by MRI over the past 3 years. Did Mr. Post mention that to Governor Kasich? I… more ›