I’m writing you today about a bill that would devastate schools.

HB 400, sponsored by Representative John Adams, calls for the wholesale elimination of Ohio’s personal income tax over ten years without identifying replacement revenue.  

Attached, you will find the data from the Legislative Service Commission that breaks down the impact this bill would have on local districts. As you can see in the far right column, once it’s fully implemented, HB 400 would cut funding by $26 million for Portage and $84 million for Summit County compared to the amounts districts in these counties received under HB 1.

In fact, when you look at the losses to Summit, Stark, Wayne, Medina and Portage counties, over $231 million in funding to districts in our five-county area would be eliminated. By way of comparison, that’s more than all the state money that currently flows to districts in Portage, Wayne and Medina counties combined.

I am greatly concerned about this irresponsible legislation and the potentially devastating impact it could have on our kids.

Often, constituents ask legislators how they can help. In this case, voicing your concerns to the sponsor and cosponsors of this legislation would instrumental in preventing this harmful bill from moving forward.

Representative Adams is the main sponsor of this bill. He can be reached at (614) 466-1507 or district78@ohr.state.oh.us

The two legislators in our five-county area who co-sponsored this legislation are:

Representative Bill Batchelder, who can be reached at 614-466-8140 or district69@ohr.state.oh.us

Representative Todd Snitchler, who can be reached at 614-466-9078 or district50@ohr.state.oh.us

I would also encourage you to contact the other co-sponsors, Representatives Mandel, Blessing, Morgan, Martin, Maag, Wagner, Hall, Wachtmann, Combs, McClain, Derickson, Goodwin, Jordan, Uecker, Boose, Huffman, Ruhl, Sears, Grossman, Stebelton, Blair, Hackett, Burke, Beck, Hite, Mecklenborg, Bubp, and Daniels 

Contact information for these representatives is available at the following site:  http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=57

Remember, in HB 1, we committed more than $3 billion for education over 10 years – the first time the state has ever committed any additional money to education beyond the two-year budget cycle. This funding greatly reduces the need for property tax levies and eases the burden on our already exhausted property owners.

In those same ten years, HB 400 would instead cut over $2 billion from current levels, which would create an even greater overreliance on property taxes than currently exists.
That is a $5 billion difference between the state commitment contained in HB 1 and HB 400. In fact, it would mean the state would commit $272 million less to education than it did in 2001 – the year before the fourth DeRolph ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court.

I find HB 400’s vision to be an unacceptable roll back of the hard won gains we achieved in HB 1 – chief among them was the state accepting its long overdue, constitutional responsibility to bear the primary burden of funding public schools.

If HB 400 moves forward it would constitute a massive shift of funding responsibility back to property tax owners. I strongly urge you to contact every sponsor and tell them how you see this legislation working in your districts.

 As always, if there are questions I may be of assistance in answering, please contact my office. The Ohio House’s Ways and Means Committee is currently hearing the bill. Feel free to contact committee Chairman Tom Letson at 614-466-5358 or district64@ohr.state.oh.us if you would like to testify before the committee about this bill.

Sincerely,

 Steve (Dyer)

Click here to view attached spreadsheet.

Tim has been active in the Tallmadge community through volunteer efforts with the Tallmadge Youth Football and Tallmadge Recreation Basketball organization. He has served as a board member with the Kiwanis of the Western Reserve, Akron Press Club, Akron Touchdown Club, the Hiram Community Trust, Leadership Portage County Class of 1993, and the National Alumni Board of the Universtiy of Akron.

Tim’s wife, Jackie, is a 5th grade teacher in the Barberton City School district. Their son, Alex, is a freshman at THS.

“We entered into the interviews with an open mind. The process led us to choose Tim from a number of strong applicants. He brings a wealth of talents and strengths that will serve this community well as we move forward. He has a track record of responsible fiscal management and strategic planning. Tim is a thoughtful leader who understands the value of education.” said Valorie Prulhiere, Board President.

“I am honored to have been selected,” said Bryan. ” One of the main reasons my family and I moved to Tallmadge was the quality of the school system. I believe my backgraound and skill set will allow me to make a positive contribution. We have much to be proud of in Tallmadge andI’m anxious to get started.”

Vice President Joe Biden, author of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, released the following statement regarding teen dating violence:

“After fifteen years of working to end domestic violence, we have learned that teens are not immune from abuse in relationships. Teen dating violence is all too common, and ends up leading to vicious and unhelathy cycles for years to come. Our responsibility – as parents, teachers, mentors and community leaders - is to guide our young people towards respectful relationships free from harrassment, teach them that it’s ok to walk away from a bad situation; and encourage them to speak out hwen they see a friend in trouble. In many communitites, teens themselves are leading the way in organizing their schools and communities to stand against violence. I commend them.”

For information about local resources for adolescent and adult victims of violence, contact Valorie Prulhiere at the DOVE Program (330.379.9743) or The OH Domestic Violence network’s website: www.odvn.org.

Valorie Prulhiere will serve as President. Rick Kellar will serve as Vice President.

Individuals who are interested in seeking appointment to the Board for the 2 year unexpired term should send (or hand deliver) a letter of interest to Valorie Prulhiere, President, Tallmadge Board of Education at the MEC.  Letters must be received by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, 01-20-10. The Board plans to complete the selection process by 02-05-10.

Finding public servants motivated by cause over self interest is a rare thing. Thom is one of those unique selfless leaders we should all strive to emulate.  He has rightfully earned the gratitude and respect of the entire community.      

Thom ended his participation on the Board on January 6, 2010 when he resigned the appointed postion of Amy Goodson-Beal’s unexpired term.                 

Amy was appointed to the Board in August 2006 to fill an unexpired term. She was subsequently elected to the Board in November of 2007. In his comments at the December Boared meeting (12-16-09), Superintendent Jeff Ferguson stated “Amy will be missed for her valuable input and the contributions she has made to the District.”

Thank you for your service Amy!

Members of the OH General Assembly have reached bipartisan agreement on HB 318, resolving the state budget shortfall.

An excerpt  from Govenor Strickland’s press release note that as a result of this agreement, the legislature will temporarily postpone the income tax rate reduction, which will ensure that OH schools will receive approximately $844 million in resources for the fiscal years 2010 and 2011. ($1,896,445.70 is earmarked for Tallmadge.) Click here to read Governor Strickland’s press release in its entirety.