Maybe focusing on education isn't such a great idea...

As we all know, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has been campaigning across the state advocating the importance of education reform. It's clearly been an effort intended to distract from the issue most important to the Buckeye State: The Job Crisis.

Unfortunately for Ohio, even Strickland's education plan mimics his lack of action on salvaging Ohio's economy.

The Kick the Can Approach, if you will.

When it comes to assessing our elected leaders, there is only one way to judge....by their actions.

When it comes to the actions of Ohio's Governor, we know that Ted Strickland has cut state funding for 60% of Ohio's schools in 2011.

His own office admits, according to their studies, Ohio schools need $9.8 billion to run properly in 2011.

What's the reality? The Governor will be funding these schools at $3.8 billion less than that.

Fact: Ted Strickland is funding Ohio schools in 2011 at 39% less than
what he says they need to run properly.

Unbelievable.

But instead what is his focus? His promises to increase funding by the end of the decade.

Laughable.

And not just to 3BP. Check out these quotes from educators in today's 'Spatch:

"We've been promised large increases in the past, and we haven't seen any
come to fruition, so my gut would tell me that could possibly happen in the
future," said Hugh Garside, treasurer of South-Western schools, who doesn't
think the money will be there for his district's promised 58 percent funding
increase.

[...]

But Julie Wagner Feasel, president of the Olentangy Board of Education,
called Strickland's plan "pie in the sky."

"I am not optimistic at all," she said of the chances her district will see the money that is being promised. "We know the status of Ohio's budget right now. Where is the money going to come from? Ohio is always slow to recover during bad economic times."

[...]

Licking Heights, another fast-growing district, is in line for a funding increase of 108 percent from 2012 to 2019, but Treasurer Jennifer Vanover doubts she'll see it "unless the state has a revenue source that we're not all aware of."

Ohio isn't stupid, Governor. If you want to focus on education, fine. But know this, it won't end well for you.


h/t to Johnny Drama for his research assistance on this story.