Look no further than Pickerington Local Schools to see what is wrong with seniority as the primary driver of staffing decisions ... Continue Reading]]> From the Columbus Dispatch:

Look no further than Pickerington Local Schools to see what is wrong with seniority as the primary driver of staffing decisions in public schools: When budgets have to be cut, principals can't preserve the best staff. They have to preserve the longest-serving staffers, and those might not be the same people.

Of the 14 "teacher of the year" winners for 2010-11 in the Pickerington district, five are losing their jobs in a round of layoffs that will hit 120 teachers.

Surely, if they could choose rationally, the Pickerington principals wouldn't put their best teachers on the list to be laid off. But they can't choose rationally; as in most school districts, the contract with the Pickerington teachers union requires that those with the least seniority be the first to lose their jobs in a layoff.

It's a commandment that has been guarded by teachers unions for decades, but it never has served children well. The loss of five of Pickerington's best teachers demonstrates that.

In recent years, efforts to reform schools have focused attention on the fact that, aside from a healthy and supportive family structure, nothing is as effective in helping children succeed in school as a talented, dedicated teacher. Reform efforts have tried to harness this power, urging districts to encourage the best teachers by basing pay on merit.

Districts with chronically struggling schools have been encouraged to negotiate contracts that allow administrators to put the best teachers where they're needed most, rather than allowing teachers to claim spots by seniority.

These changes, though necessary, are controversial, and districts have made only modest progress in persuading teachers unions to accept them.

Changing the last-hired, first-fired culture has been more difficult.

Employees in any field expect to gain status and security with longer years on the job, and consideration for longevity is warranted. But it never should be the sole determinant of how scarce and precious resources - in this case, teacher talent - are used, especially in a profession as dynamic and personality-driven as teaching.

Senate Bill 5, the much-contested measure that seeks to rein in the power of public-employee unions and makes needed changes to the teaching profession in Ohio, would preserve some role for seniority in teacher-staffing decisions but would reduce its impact. A proposal to repeal the law is likely to appear on the statewide ballot. If it does, voters should bear in mind what putting seniority ahead of effectiveness has meant for Pickerington students.

There is not a region anywhere in Ohio that has more at stake in the outcome of Gov. John Kasich’s “jobs ... Continue Reading]]> From the Youngstown Vindicator:

There is not a region anywhere in Ohio that has more at stake in the outcome of Gov. John Kasich’s “jobs budget” than the greater Mahoning Valley. One need only look at the population losses that have occurred just since the last census — revealing the worst decline in population of any major metropolitan area in the nation — to recognize that we have a serious employment opportunity problem here.

The solution to this problem is not more government “help” programs. We have seen what that has done for the Valley. Up until now, frankly, the state government has failed to learn the lessons that are vital to reviving a business that is in recession — lessons like slashing overhead expenses, giving the customer better value while containing costs, and using 21st century technology to improve efficiency. These are lessons that Columbus now seems poised to embrace, however. What a welcome development.

Redesigning Ohio

Last December, the Regional Chamber joined other leading business organizations in releasing a report called Redesigning Ohio. It called for fundamental change in the way government operates in our state. Simply put, it called for government to operate like a business, giving its investors — read, taxpayers — good value for their money. Gov. Kasich’s budget proposal adopted many of these recommendations. In particular, his jobs budget closes an $8 billion gap in the state budget without raising taxes. Combined state and local taxes in Ohio are already higher than in most states, putting us at a competitive disadvantage in attracting new business investment. The last thing we need now is a higher tax burden. That would be a job killer.

While local governments and school districts face funding reductions in the state budget, the natural reaction may be to go to the voters for higher local taxes. This would be a mistake. The jobs budget contains numerous tools to help local government entities operate more efficiently and share services to hold down costs. The Trumbull County Roundtable recently hosted a session for Mahoning Valley local governments on this very topic. Ohio’s 3,700 local governments and 613 school districts are already a major source of the tax burden Ohioans bear. If Ohio is going to be nationally and internationally competitive again, these entities must hold down their costs. The well is dry.

Public sector reforms

There are ways of containing costs that don’t involve laying off teachers and safety forces. With the proposed public sector reforms more funds will be available for public expenditures “in the class room” and “on the street”. But this will require strong and determined leadership by the elected members of our school boards and our councils of local government. The Kasich budget gives them the tools to be successful.

There can be no question but that Ohio finds itself at a critical crossroad, not unlike the federal government. The Mahoning Valley, in particular, could be a poster child for the ravaging effects of the joblessness, the grinding poverty and the decline in population that characterize highly taxed and highly regulated states. Either we chart a new course now, or we slide into a deeper malaise.

Johnson is CEO of Summitville Tiles, Inc; a board member of the Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy, and chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party.

A coalition of influential business groups hopes Ohio legislators restrain themselves when it comes to tinkering with Gov. John Kasich’s two-year ... Continue Reading]]> From Columbus Business First:

A coalition of influential business groups hopes Ohio legislators restrain themselves when it comes to tinkering with Gov. John Kasich’s two-year state budget plan.

Otherwise, the full effect of budget-driven government reforms aimed at helping boost job creation could be diluted, said Linda Woggon, one of the leaders of Ohio’s Campaign for Jobs coalition.

“It includes so much more about public policy than a typical budget,” said Woggon, executive vice president of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “It all works together. If you pull one string, it unravels very fast.”

Philosophical approach

The coalition is funded by the Partnership for Ohio’s Future, formed in 2006 by the Ohio chamber to advocate for policies it argues will lead to more jobs and a higher quality of life for Ohioans. Other Campaign for Jobs members include the National Federation of Independent Business-Ohio, Ohio Business Roundtable, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Ohio Society of CPAs and the Columbus Partnership, the group of regional executives.

Woggon said the coalition wants the Kasich budget to remain mostly intact, especially reforms the first-year governor has proposed for the state’s Medicaid program, public schools, higher education, Ohio’s criminal justice system and economic development efforts. The coalition supports budget provisions such as Medicaid cost-containment measures; elimination of first-in, first-out layoff policies for teachers; more school choice options for parents; affordable college tuition; criminal sentencing reform to reduce overcrowding in state prisons; privatization of some state prisons; and JobsOhio, which is Kasich’s plan to turn over the state’s economic development programs to a private agency.

Many of the governor’s proposals jibe with recommendations in the Redesigning Ohio report issued in December by the Ohio chamber and the state’s largest regional chambers of commerce, including the one in Columbus. It calls for comprehensive reforms in state government.

“The (report’s) general philosophical approach is very reflected in the budget,” Woggon said. “We’ve got to do things differently and not the same way we’ve been doing them in Ohio.”

Pain at local level

The General Assembly faces a June 30 deadline to pass a balanced state budget for fiscal 2012 and 2013. Revisions to Kasich’s $55.5 billion budget proposal are expected to be hashed over and approved by the Ohio House in the next week before being sent to the Senate for review, changes and adoption.

Woggon said a Campaign for Jobs lobbying effort will include radio ads in targeted legislative districts, perhaps even statewide if enough money is raised.

“I’m optimistic,” she said, “but there are some very strong special interest groups advocating for significant changes.”

Leading that list are the Local Government Fund Coalition made up of cities, counties and townships, and a collaboration of the state’s teacher unions, school boards, superintendents and treasurers.

Kasich’s plan to cover a projected $8 billion revenue shortfall in the budget without raising taxes would hit municipal governments and public school districts especially hard. For example, he cuts support for the state’s Local Government Fund by $326 million over the two-year budget and aid for kindergarten through 12th grade by $704 million. In addition, Kasich wants to accelerate the phase-out of state subsidies to schools and local governments for funding lost from eliminating Ohio’s tangible personal property tax. That is expected to save the state more than $1 billion over two years.

“The cuts seem to pile on and will make it very difficult for local governments in the next few years,” said Susan Cave, executive director of theOhio Municipal League, which represents about 800 cities and villages.

The loss of state money, she said, threatens not just police and fire protection, water and sewer services, and garbage pick-up but will reduce the amount of local money available for development incentives for expanding businesses.

“Companies locate at the local level – they don’t just locate in the state of Ohio,” Cave said. “If we don’t have the dollars, it will be harder for us to provide the incentives they want.”

Cave thinks Kasich’s budget plan will remain “pretty much intact” after the legislature gets done with it. But municipal governments may get a little relief because state tax collections are about $600 million ahead of estimates for this fiscal year, according to the state’s Office of Budget and Management.

“Hopefully it will filter down to the local level,” Cave said.

Vocal parents

The state’s teachers, school boards and administrators are pinning much of their hope for budget relief on grassroots opposition to Kasich’s spending plan, said Sue Taylor, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, a 19,000-member teachers union.

“When it’s a citizen’s neighborhood school,” she said, “that citizen can get very concerned and very vocal. Those voices will grow louder, and legislators tend to listen to their own constituents. So time will tell on our inroads (to budget changes).”

Taylor said she is disappointed that business groups support a budget plan that cuts overall aid for public schools while increasing funding for poor-performing charter schools and vouchers for students to attend private schools.
“It makes me very embarrassed,” she said, “that they have so little regard for the educational well-being of Ohio’s children.”
 

Creating jobs is obviously a top priority here in Ohio and there's a new grassroots effort behind ... Continue Reading]]> Read the full story and watch the video.

Creating jobs is obviously a top priority here in Ohio and there's a new grassroots effort behind the jobs budget now before the Ohio general assembly.

It's called Ohio's Campaign for Jobs. One of its backers is the Toledo regional chamber of commerce.

Organizers say the goal of the campaign is simple: to bring more business and jobs to the Buckeye State. Organizers say Ohio's Campaign for Jobs is a chance for you to get involved with the budget process.

It is a grassroots effort aimed at supporting the budget Governor John Kasich has laid out.

Carol Van Sickle is with the Toledo regional chamber of commerce. "Our effort will be to educate people so they can go and talk to state lawmakers, to say we need things fixed so we can afford to stay here, so we can keep our jobs and so that our kids can come back home and have jobs."

While the budget is coming from the newly elected Republican governor, Van Sickle says this is not about politics; it's about building Ohio's economy back up.
 

There is a lot I must focus on as a legislator. While we at the Ohio House seem to be consumed ... Continue Reading]]> By Rep. John Carey

There is a lot I must focus on as a legislator. While we at the Ohio House seem to be consumed with economic development, job creation and the budget, there are many other issues we continually have to focus on to supplement these particular focus areas. We must be having conversations and taking action on the things that might not necessarily come to our minds from day to day, yet make a big difference in the lives of others.

One of my main priorities throughout my career in the legislature has been to ensure senior citizens receive the best and most appropriate care.

Advocates for seniors long have pushed for a unified long-term care plan. In short, this plan would mean the system should work for the best interests of seniors, so that they can receive the level of care they deserve and in the most advantageous setting.

It is the most cost-effective to provide services for the elderly in their homes. However, nursing-home care is also an important option in the range of services. Under the proposed budget, senior citizens will receive the care they need, whether it is through PASSPORT or home care, assisted living or nursing home care. Thankfully, after several years of inching toward removing barriers to appropriate senior care, this budget proposal encourages the best and most efficient care. This is a victory for senior citizen care and for the taxpayers.

Providers of senior care are, of course, advocating for more money. Nursing homes associations are spending tens of thousands of dollars on television advertising predicting dire consequences if this budget is enacted. Home care providers also are concerned about their reimbursement rates.

It is important to note the budget process is only at the beginning stages. Funding, although it is only one part of the debate, is always an issue. I want to make it clear that people who need senior health care services will be served, and I am confident the funding issues will be worked out in the course of the budget process. In the meantime, seniors should not be made to feel threatened as the vigorous debate continues.

I know many people who work in nursing homes, assisted-living units or home care settings. They are wonderful people who often go beyond the call of duty and sincerely care about the people they serve. These workers also should be treated fairly. As we move along in the process, I will do my best to help create a budget that provides adequate resources for the most appropriate and respectful care for our elders.

Read it in the Chillicothe Gazette.