Thursday, August 11, 2011

Think You've Heard It All?


*  I don't know if you've visited the JobsOhio website, but the section on Awards and Honors listed are all from when Gov. Ted Strickland was in the Statehouse:

The Communicator Awards (2008)

The American Business Awards: The Stevies (2007 – Best Magazine Campaign)

IEDC: Excellence in Economic Development Awards (2007 – Best Advertising Campaign)

PRSA: Award of Excellence (2008 – Non-profit Web Site)

Web Marketing Association: Web Award (2008 Government Standard of Excellence)

 Nice touch, eh?  Is the Kasich administration trying to claim these awards as their own?

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***  We have another cockamamie idea from an Ohio Republican!  

Cincinnnati.comCincinnati.com

A Republican Hamilton County Commissioner proposed Thursday to make it harder for school districts to put levies on the ballot - provoking debate and a backlash from educators and some voters.

Greg Hartmann, the president of Hamilton County's three-man commission, said he wants to insert into Ohio law a requirement that all school levies be vetted by an outside group before the school board is allowed to forward the levy request to voters.

As with countywide levies, he'd like to see a government body sift through levy proposals, scrutinize budgets, and weigh the overall tax burden on residents before putting levies on the ballot.....


Is this guy nuts?  Are these Republicans trying to destroy what is left of public education? Is this just another attempt to take more power and control from local school boards and citizens and give it to the state?  Hartman's idea only adds more red tape, regulations, boards, and others.  Even though the way that Ohio funds public education was called unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, the Republicans in this state are still trying to take more money and resources from public schools. Gov. Kasich has slashed funding for public education to give money to failing charter schools.  How does Greg Hartman expect students to get an education without funding?  Schools need books, heating, water, qualified teachers, principals, computers, tutors, school buses, maps, lunch tables, clean facilities, maintenance, etc., etc., etc. Our schools survive on tax money, not magic beans, or wishes and hopes.

Greg Hartman needs to visit several public schools and see what is really going on in schools because he seems totally clueless.  If you'd like to voice your opinion of Mr. Hartman's idea for education, you can contact him through his email:   greg.hartmann@hamilton-co.org  or  telephone:   (513) 946-4405.