Governor Kasich’s Tax Shift Plan Lacks Voter Support

Via One Ohio Now

Governor Kasich’s recently proposed tax shift is only supported by a quarter of Ohio voters, with support dropping and opposition increasing significantly once plan specifics are divulged. Opposition is broadest and most intense when voters learn how different the bottom three-fifths and wealthiest one percent would be treated by the plan. Resistance to the plan is also fueled, in part, by voters’ fundamental opposition to both tax shifts and cutting state income taxes for the wealthiest Ohioans. Key findings from Global Strategy Group’s recent poll of 504 registered Ohio voters are as follows:

A plurality of voters oppose the tax shift plan initially. When only provided with a brief overview of Governor Kasich’s plan – increasing the state sales tax while cutting the state income tax – a plurality of Ohioans (44%) reject the plan, while only one-quarter of Ohioans (26%) support it. An additional three-inten (31%) say they do not know enough to answer initially.

Resistance to the tax shift increases dramatically once plan specifics and implications are detailed. Opposition soars (jumping 28 points to 72% oppose) when voters learn that under the tax shift plan the bottom three-fifths of taxpayers as a group would actually see an increase in their state and local taxes while the wealthiest one percent of Ohio’s households would receive the largest tax cut. Only one-fifth of voters remain supportive of the plan (18%) after the lopsided impact of the shift is revealed.

• A majority of Democrats (80%), Independents (64%) and Republicans (65%) oppose the plan after hearing this information.
• Opposition exists across political ideologies, with liberals (82%), moderates (75%), and conservatives (65%) all opposing the plan.
• Even a majority of Ohioans with household incomes over $80,000 a year oppose the plan by a wide margin (64% oppose/27% support).

Voters do not support the policy behind the tax shift. When asked about the idea of paying for a reduction in state income taxes with an increase in the state sales tax, three-fifths of voters (62%) say they oppose the idea including majorities across political parties and ideologies, while only 27% are supportive.

Instead, Ohioans want to see taxes increased on the wealthy. Voters are clear in their rejection of the proposal’s heavy tax cuts for the wealthiest Ohioans, as three-fourths of voters (74%) believe Ohio should increase taxes on the wealthiest Ohioans and profitable businesses to ensure they pay their fair share. Only 16% said they would like to see taxes cut for the wealthiest Ohioans and profitable corporations.

And voters would rather see investment in public services than a reduction in the personal income tax rate. When presented with a variety of statements suggesting investment in various state services like public health, education, and public safety over a personal income tax cut, voters agree with all of them.

69% of Voters would rather invest in Ohio’s public schools than cut state income taxes.

All statements receive majority agreement across political party and ideology.

May 2015 School levies and issues

Just 102 school levies and issues will appear on the May 5h ballot this year. This is significantly down from 2014 (149) and 2013 (141). About one third of the requests are for new money.

The table below lists all the issues and levies that will appear on ballots. When you vote, we urge all the supporters of Join the Future to consider supporting their local schools.

County	District	Type	Description
Allen	Elida Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Ashland	Hillsdale Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Ashtabula	Grand Valley Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Auglaize	New Bremen Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Belmont	Shadyside Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Belmont	Shadyside Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Butler	Edgewood City School District	Levy	Substitute
Carroll	Brown Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Clark	Northeastern Local School District	Income Tax	Additional
Clark	Springfield City School District	Levy	Renewal
Coshocton	Coshocton County Joint Vocational School District	Levy	Additional
Crawford	Crestline Exempted Village School District	Income Tax	Additional
Crawford	Wynford Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Crawford	Wynford Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Cuyahoga	Brooklyn City School District	Levy	Renewal
Cuyahoga	Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District	Levy	Additional
Cuyahoga	Garfield Heights City School District	Levy	Renewal
Cuyahoga	Warrensville Heights City School District	Levy	Renewal
Cuyahoga	Westlake City School District	Levy	Additional
Darke	Ansonia Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Defiance	Ayersville Local School District	Combo	Additional
Delaware	Big Walnut Local School District	Levy	Substitute
Fairfield	Walnut Township Local School District	Levy	Additional
Fayette	Miami Trace Local School District	Combo	Additional
Geauga	Kenston Local School District	Combo	Additional
Geauga	West Geauga Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Greene	Beavercreek City School District	Levy	Renewal
Greene	Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local School District	Levy	Replacement
Greene	Xenia Community City School District	Levy	Renewal
Greene	Xenia Community City School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Greene	Yellow Springs Exempted Village School District	Levy	Renewal
Hamilton	Lockland Local School District	Levy	Additional
Hamilton	Northwest Local School District	Combo	Additional
Hamilton	Winton Woods City School District	Bond	N/A
Hancock	Arcadia Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Hancock	McComb Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Hardin	Ridgemont Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Henry	Patrick Henry Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Huron	Monroeville Local School District	Levy	Additional
Knox	Mount Vernon City School District	Levy	Renewal
Lake	Lake County School Financing District	Levy	Renewal
Licking	Heath City School District	Levy	Renewal
Licking	North Fork Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Licking	Southwest Licking Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Lorain	Avon Local School District	Levy	Additional
Lorain	Clearview Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Lorain	Columbia Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Lorain	Columbia Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Lorain	Firelands Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Lorain	Keystone Local School District	Levy	Additional
Lorain	Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City School District	Levy	Additional
Lucas	Springfield Local School District	Levy	Additional
Mahoning	South Range Local School District	Levy	Additional
Marion	River Valley Local School District	Levy	Additional
Medina	Cloverleaf Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Mercer	Celina City School District	Levy	Renewal
Mercer	Parkway Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Miami	Bethel Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Miami	Tipp City Exempted Village School District	Levy	Additional
Miami	Troy City School District	Levy	Renewal
Montgomery	Brookville Local School District - I	Levy	Renewal
Montgomery	Brookville Local School District - II	Levy	Renewal
Montgomery	Kettering City School District	Levy	Renewal
Montgomery	Northridge Local School District	Combo	Additional
Montgomery	Valley View Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Montgomery	Valley View Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Ottawa	Genoa Area Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Ottawa	Genoa Area Local School District	Levy	Additional
Pickaway	Logan Elm Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Pickaway	Logan Elm Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Portage	Aurora City School District	Levy	Renewal
Portage	Crestwood Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Ross	Zane Trace Local School District	Income Tax	Additional
Sandusky	Woodmore Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Sandusky	Woodmore Local School District	Income Tax	Additional
Seneca	Seneca East Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Shelby	Jackson Center Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Stark	Fairless Local School District	Levy	Additional
Stark	Lake Local School District	Combo	Additional
Summit	Coventry Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Summit	Manchester Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Summit	Manchester Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Summit	Mogadore Local School District	Levy	Additional
Summit	Stow-Munroe Falls City School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Hubbard Exempted Village School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Lakeview Local School District	Combo	Additional
Trumbull	Liberty Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Lordstown Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Lordstown Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Maplewood Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Trumbull	Newton Falls Exempted Village School District	Levy	Renewal
Warren	Kings Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Warren	Warren County Joint Vocational School District	Levy	Replacement
Wayne	Norwayne Local School District	Levy	Renewal
Wayne	Orrville City School District	Levy	Renewal
Wayne	Rittman Exempted Village School District	Levy	Renewal
Wayne	Southeast Local School District	Bond	N/A
Williams	Edon Northwest Local School District	Income Tax	Additional
Wood	Bowling Green City School District	Levy	Renewal
Wood	Bowling Green City School District	Levy	Renewal
Wood	North Baltimore Local School District	Income Tax	Renewal
Wood	Rossford Exempted Village School District	Levy	Additional

Will The Sun Ever Shine On Charter School Spending?

Ohio House Bill 2 has now been relegated to “lip-service” status on charter school reform after the GOP-dominated House Education Committee refused to adopt any meaningful changes (including recommendations by Republican State Auditor Dave Yost). When it was introduced, it was allegedly a bill that would be demonstrating that Ohio Republicans, including Governor Kasich, were serious about turning the corner on Ohio’s charter schools and becoming serious about holding them to the same level of accountability as Ohio’s real public schools.

Instead, House Bill 2 has fallen flat. As reported by the Ohio Education Association this week [emphasis-added]:

In the most recent action on HB 2, the House Education Committee adopted 20 amendments to the bill at its Tuesday, March 17 hearing. Most of the amendments consist of the Governor’s charter school recommendations proposed in the state budget bill (HB 64), which are heavily focused on charter school sponsor accountability.

Notably absent from the additions made to the bill were most of the reform recommendations submitted to the committee by State Auditor Dave Yost (R). The Auditor’s proposals were based on his recent on-site audits of numerous charter schools, which raised a variety of concerns about the lack of accountability and transparency.

Fellow Republicans on the House Education Committee rejected the State Auditor’s recommendations for more transparency on how tax dollars are spent by charter schools, tighter student truancy laws for charters, more accountable charter school governance and measures to prevent charter operators from using these schools as a “back-door means to acquire real estate.” The committee also rejected numerous amendments proposed by Democrats, some of which were attempts to include the Auditor’s proposals in the bill.

(Read more at Plunderbund).

Excessive tests crimp lesson time, Ohio teachers say

Diane Smeenk’s honors English class is paired with an Advanced Placement U.S. History course so students can study key moments in the country’s history along with literary works.

But this year, the Fairbanks High School teacher and her history counterpart had to adjust their lessons because of interruptions from at least 30 hours of state-mandated and district tests and five school cancellations because of the weather. Students in the Union County district also have missed class time to prepare for the online exams and from shorter class periods because of testing.

With less time to cover concepts, she scrapped two novels and condensed several assignments to keep pace with her lessons plans. “I would have been teaching Of Mice and Men in the middle of World War II,” she said.

Educators throughout Ohio have similar stories of how their school year has been upended by testing overload. School psychologists, counselors and teachers who work with children with special needs or those who struggle with English have spent weeks away from their students because they’ve been pulled to proctor exams. Middle- and high-school students have been revolving in and out of their foreign-language and elective classes to take exams, leaving teachers to hold off on lessons until they return.

Educators say they’ve had to come up with new class assignments for students who are too emotional and tired to focus on lessons. Class schedules have been shortened, and, in some cases, students are operating on two-hour delay schedules typically reserved for bad weather while their peers spend the morning on exams.

“Whenever you change the schedule, it throws kids off,” said Cheri Brown, who helped oversee testing at Edison Intermediate School and Larry Larson Middle School in Grandview Heights.

During six days of testing, fourth-graders at Edison started their academic classes after noon with 25-minute class periods. Middle-schoolers at Larson normally have a 110-minute block for classes; testing shaved their time with teachers by half.

(Read more at the Dispatch)

HUDSON SCHOOL BOARD SENDING LETTER TO GOV. KASICH OPPOSING PROPOSED STATE BUDGET

Hudson -- The Board of Education is asking for the public's help voicing opposition to Gov. John Kasich's proposed state budget which, if passed, will use a formula to take money from wealthier districts and give more cash to districts in financial need.

Board members passed a unanimous resolution March 16 to "sponsor a letter to the governor and state legislators on behalf of the Board of Education expressing concern regarding the considerable negative impact of said proposed 2016 - 2017 budget on the Hudson City School District."

Under the current funding formula, the budget, which Kasich has touted as a "Blueprint for a New Ohio," the district would lose $2.98 million, or 28 percent, in state funding over the next two years, according to Superintendent Phil Herman.

The reduction would be akin to losing 3.3 mills in funding, reducing state funding per pupil from $2,243 to $1,991, according to the Board.

"We recognize that some districts in the state need additional financial assistance, and we are not advocating for an increase in state funds for Hudson," Herman said in a letter sent to parents March 4. "However, it is essential that state resources are held stable for high performing districts such as Hudson City Schools. Reductions in the state funding formula to high performing districts will not enhance education in Ohio."

(Read more at Hudson Hub Times).

Test security now means checking social media for cheaters

For the organizations that give standardized tests, it's a common - and common-sense - security measure.

But to the growing number of critics of the exams, the practice of monitoring students' social media accounts against leaks of test questions is evidence that the tests and the companies that create them are too invasive.

The debate exploded last week in New Jersey when a school administrator emailed some colleagues about her district's experience. In the email, Watchung Hills Regional High School District Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett said the state Education Department contacted her district at a testing company's request at 10 p.m. one night last week with news of a possible test breach. A student apparently had posted a photo of a question from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, or PARCC, on Twitter.

The state Education Department, she said in her note, was informed of the issue by Pearson, the London-based company that oversees the test developed by PARCC. It is being given in a dozen states this month.

"The DOE wanted us to issue discipline to the student," she wrote.

But, Jewett said in the March 10 email to leaders of other schools that was obtained by education blogger Bob Braun, it turned out that the student was merely complaining about a test question; there was no photo of the item itself. She said the student's tweet was removed.

Jewett released a statement confirming that the email was hers and asserting it was accurate, but she did not return an email seeking more details. The district also said she would not comment further.

PARCC, intended to measure how well students are learning what's required by the national Common Core curriculum standards, has many critics. Some students scattered across the country are protesting the exam and some parents organized through social media networks are boycotting it.

(Read more at NBCi4)