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School officials keep pressure on state budget
(by Sue Hoffman - May 12, 2011)
School officials keep pressure on state budget
By SUE HOFFMAN
The Solon School Board passed a resolution Monday opposing the state budget proposal in its current form. At the same time, school officials noted some improvement in the amended version of the bill.
The resolution "calls on the Ohio General Assembly to amend the legislation to include permanent reimbursement to the Solon schools for the locally levied tangible personal property taxes eliminated in 2005 in the name of tax reform."
School Superintendent Joseph V. Regano said the Ohio School Boards Association and other organizations requested the passage of the resolution as part of an effort to seek changes in the budget.
"We're probably one-third of the way through the process," Mr. Regano said. In its vote May 5, he said, the Ohio House of Representatives restored $39 million of the $54 million the district would have lost in the original bill submitted by Gov. John Kasich. The cuts are part of an effort to close an $8 billion gap in the state budget, he said.
The amended version of the bill, while improved from the original version, still includes the same level of reductions in tangible personal property tax reimbursement for the next two years, Mr. Regano said. The district stands to lose $1.279 million this year and another $1.279 million next year. On the positive side, the amended bill halts the phaseout of reimbursement after July 1, 2013, he said.
"This change shifts the impact of the cuts in TPP reimbursement for Solon from catastrophic to severe," Mr. Regano said.
"We hope to make improvements in the Senate," he said. "We have concerns at the next two levels." The final step will involve a conference committee of both the House and Senate working to resolve differences, he said. The budget bill must be passed by June 30.
As the budget bill now moves to the Senate, Mr. Regano asked the public to watch for announcements about starting their letter-writing campaign.
Galvanized by a packed town hall meeting April 7, community members sent thousands of postcards, letters and e-mails to legislators about how the budget bill reneged on a promise to hold school districts harmless from the phaseout of locally-collected tangible personal property taxes.
Since 2005, the state has reimbursed school districts affected by the phaseout with money from the commercial-activity tax.
"I don't think any community has been better represented in Columbus than this one," Mr. Regano said. "Our legislators have listened and supported us well." He said community members took the time to write lengthy letters and send large quantities of materials to state legislators. "That's why we're moving forward."
"Some of the most impressive letters were from former students," school board President Julie Glavin said. The graduates wrote about how much they appreciated the education they had received in Solon.
"We've made gains in the House but we still need to hold their feet to the fire," school board member Dorothy Seibert said. "Keep up the pressure."
School officials commended a number of members of the Ohio House of Representatives for fully understanding the issues, including state Rep. Marlene Anielski, R-Walton Hills, whose district includes Solon.
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