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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > June > 26 > Entry
Ellen Belcher: Strickland is scared he’ll lose if he leads
If Gov. Ted Strickland is re-elected next year, it will be because his supporters have nowhere else to go. They can’t very well cast a protest vote for John Kasich.
But his backers are disappointed, and they have a right to be. He’s not getting it done, and he’s selling out.
Put aside for a minute the awful choices he has about a budget sinkhole, a situation not of his making. Let’s talk about what is in his control.
He had two years to figure out what to do on school funding. When he rolled out his big plans, he endorsed requiring children to go to school for longer periods, and he wants to raise the academic bar to get more kids to college.
But when it came to paying for his changes, he didn’t have any brilliant ideas, and when it came to spending money, he pretended that the lack of it doesn’t matter. Mostly, he wants credit for intentions.
After two years of effort, the former member of Congress who hadn’t ever faced down a myopic public education establishment has figured out what smart and dumb governors and lawmakers always learn to their everlasting dismay:
Funding more than 600 school districts that have widely different needs and resources — but similarly great expectations about what the state should give them — is thankless work.
When he spoke about his plans, the governor was passionate about all-day kindergarten and requiring students to take college entrance exams. But when it came to details, he would quickly turn to aides who don’t command confidence. His heart, not his head, was in the game.
The contrast between the brain trust working on K-12 schools and Chancellor Eric Fingerhut’s efforts to reshape Ohio’s public colleges is stunning. The governor has been incredibly well-served by Fingerhut & Co., while he’s been let down by his K-12 advisers. He, however, picked his team.
Now about his proposal to allow slot machines at race tracks in the hope of bringing in almost $1 billion to bridge a newly discovered $3.2 billion gap: This is a total sell-out.
A Methodist minister, a psychologist who knows about addiction, a politician who has adamantly opposed casinos is suddenly going to support throwing up slot machines?
The government is not going to be content selling you Lottery tickets, but also is going to entice you to drop money in its machines that are stacked against you?
This is political desperation gone mad.
Now to the budget: No question about it, the governor is over a big barrel. Cutting 6 percent out of a budget may not sound like much. But we’re talking about cuts on top of cuts, and, in a recession, state spending goes up automatically on things like Medicaid.
Meanwhile, prisons still have to be staffed and more people are deciding to go to college (which costs the state money because funding is tied to enrollment) and little of anything gets cheaper.
But here’s what Strickland (and everyone else in Columbus) knows but won’t say:
A tax increase is coming — if not today then after the election in 2010.
This proposed budget is patched together with almost $6 billion in one-time federal stimulus money. If finding $3 billion is hard today, making up that $6 billion in two years — even if the economy has picked up and not all of it is needed — will be harder still.
In the governor’s defense, even if he were willing to say that the state needs to suspend the fifth and last installment of Ohio’s 21-percent income tax cut, Republicans aren’t eager to go there. Many of them are up for re-election next year, too.
Though House Democrats should be on Strickland’s side, every one of them will be campaigning next year and most of them are scared thoughtless.
Here’s the thing, though: Does anyone think that all the spending cuts that are coming will be painless?
When libraries close, when people in group homes lose their state funding, when parks fill up with trash, when seniors stop getting their in-home care, when exceptional charter schools close, when students lose their scholarships, do you think voters aren’t going to notice?
The governor alone isn’t accountable for Ohio’s well-being. But he is the man at the top. And he has an obligation to level with people about what will happen if Ohio just cuts its way out of its hole.
He has shamelessly not done that. And it’s because his foremost concern is being re-elected.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns, Economy, Ellen Belcher, Higher Ed, Ohio government, Ohio politics
Comments
By Aric
June 26, 2009 6:37 PM | Link to this
Ellen: you hit it out of the park! Thanks for calling out our “do nothing” Governor.By Bill
June 27, 2009 9:15 AM | Link to this
Well he hasn’t gotten us into another scandal by giving his cronies our public funds. Or appointed them to positions for personal gain as some of our former Gov’s of GOP persuasion. We hired him to make the tough decisions. I don’t agree with them all either but in the box the past administrations put us in, most decisions are gonna hurt.By Aric
June 27, 2009 4:38 PM | Link to this
It is more important to live in the present and work on solving problems that we have, as a state, today. Re-living past scandals are not moving us forward at all.By Davidss2
June 27, 2009 6:30 PM | Link to this
Let’s talk about Helen Kelly Jones who was as unprofessional about personal data in State’s database. Let’s talk about Attorney General Dann and his buds appointed by STrickland as well—I guess for his incompetence and lack of professionalism. Let’s talk about the Secretary of State who could find voter fraud and improper actions during a register and vote all-at-once week, whether you live here or not. Let’s not try to make this a political dream that GOP had all the faults and good old Dems had none. Let’s face it. STrickland got in only because the Republican candidate was such an A##hole and arrogant. Strickland has pretended more things from his promises compared to actions than Obama has, so far. Say one thing to get elected. Will fix school funding. Do nothing. For a minister, well, if I were in his church he sure wouldn’t be an example for my son.By RAW
June 28, 2009 12:35 AM | Link to this
I will say this, no one seems to be hitting the mark on education. Our current system produces graduates that have no skills necessary to do anything but go to college. Short of flipping burgers and working retail, many current high school graduates have no training in any applicable skill. We need to focus more on providing our future generations with the skills necessary to compete in the job market and succeed in life. Curriculums need to include direct and applicab;e training for technical positions for the students that choose them. Career center can only accomodate so many students, more of that type of education needs to be available in IT, medical and business. For those, that wish to continue on to 4 yr degrees, preparatory courses need to be available with training in application. Life skills courses should be a part of all students education, including personal finance and debt counseling, resume, interview and networking skills, and proper etiquette. For those wishing to opt out the consequence is the exemption from all social assistance programs for life or until they complete their education. We need to put an end to the mindset that the govt will provide for those not willing to work. This will put a stop to that mindset at an early age. Finally, remove the reduce the size of the state Dept of Education to administration and accreditation only. FUnding needs ot be returned to the local districts which they serve or at most to the county. THis will create some imbalance in funding, but overall it will return active control to the citizens which these districts serve. Our current system is in need of overhaul, but adding more hours of the same worthless content and continuing to not hold students, teachers and ditricts accountable for failings and mediocrity are ineffective and ultimately will continue to produce students unable to think and live for themselves.By tom vogel
June 28, 2009 8:48 AM | Link to this
Ellen: You seem to be begging for a tax increase! Don’t you realize that states that have done that have placed themselves in death spirals, i.e. New York and California? A tax increase now would devastate the Ohio economy. The solution lies in consolidation of departments and reducing the layers of bureaucrats. This is something businesses have been doing for three decades. One more tax increase and Ohio is in the sinkhole with the rest of the tax-happy states. None of these states sustain themselves over time. Although I did not vote for Governor Strickland, I commend him for not raising taxes and further eroding the Ohio economy.By davidss2
June 28, 2009 5:34 PM | Link to this
for RAW, the schools already do a lot of things. They are not a training building for the specific skills you may feel employees for your job may need. Indeed, you whine about training people for college, but those college-educated folk are the ones developing inventions and tools tomorrow. It would be nice if schools could train certain kids for the skills that certain businesses want as their proprietary skillset, but we can’t afford to do all that some people have wanted done now. ======As for accountability, we have it for teachers and parents. The administrations have little accountability. Why do you think Dayton schools are so criticized for being lowest in the state testing?——-It sounds as if you had a bad day and complained about your usual political gripes about the ‘government schools’ that Rush uses as a prop on his program. If you want schools to different, go get your degree and go into teaching and administration; make a change instead of just criticizing.By RAW
June 28, 2009 11:41 PM | Link to this
Davidss2: For the record, I have my degree and I am trying change things by making suggestions that can lead to solutions. I happen to work in the education field, and everyday, I see the very things I mentioned in my earlier posting. Many of our children do not have the basic skills necessary to live successful lives upon high school graduation, for evidence go to your local fast food restauraunt or your local mall. The kids working there and sadly many of the adults cannot even count change without the register figuring it up for them. I agree that parents need to step up and take some responsibility in their own children’s education, but there are skills that graduates need that parent’s xannot teac, especially if as I suggested, high school becomes training for careers as opposed to preparation for college as the only viable option. I am not sayig that college prep is not worthwhile or unnecessary. I am saying that it should not be the only choice. As for accountability, where is the accountability on the student and teacher that you claim. From what I have seen on districts, poor teachers and bad students continue unchecked. Poor teachers need to be given the opportunity to improve, but if they do not, then it is time to look for a new profession. Bad students need to be held back until they learn the material, plain and simple. You poke at Rush for speaking his mind. Last I checked it is his right as it is mine to agree with him. Government schools are failing us. It is time to put choice back into the equation and it what Strickland and every other politician has missed.By DAvidss2
June 29, 2009 12:04 PM | Link to this
“Our current system is in need of overhaul, but adding more hours of the same worthless content….” Sounds to me like you’re saying the current content is worthless. You did say that. Choices by students in high school lead to poor outcomes. ——— You claim to work in the education field. What level of student contact do you have? I notice you were careful to not say you are a teacher in a public school. What do you do? Exactly? That gives you this expertise? ——— Parents are failing the kids because of the welfare mentality established by the Democrat push in the last 4 decades. You try to say it’s the schools failing. I don’t see Centerville failing. I don’t see Tipp City failing. I see the high welfare areas failing. That is a political problem. Sucking more of my money out of the public school funding isn’t going to help anything other than the Republican, religious, older folks’ thinking that any other choice is better because,… well…, just because.By Pat
June 29, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this
Can anyone tell us 3 good things Strickland he has done since becoming governer? I can’t think of 1.By lastmanstanding
June 29, 2009 4:15 PM | Link to this
So DDN, why don’t you do some investigative reporting in Columbus and dig into this issue? Why don’t you do an objective piece rather than being a mouthpiece for Progressives? You might sell some news papers instead of being known as the Thursday and Sunday coupon cutter catastrophe. Naaaaaaw, they don’t teach journalism in college any more. DDN journalist are only interested in writing puff pieces on Mayor McLin’s doll collection.