PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OHIO CHANNEL
One of the larger themes of Governor Kasich’s State of the State address last night revolved around education.Touching on the familiar topics of school funding, charter schools, and the state university system, Kasich mentioned budget cuts for some wealthier K-12 districts, along with wanting state universities to also go on a diet.During the speech in Wilmington, he spoke directly to state legislators, asking Senate President Keith Faber to join his task force of college presidents charged with finding ways to cut spending.“Let’s see how it goes," he said. "And Keith, I promise you if they don’t come back with a plan, you and I are down sitting down – it’ll be a tough day for them.”Kasich is starting to hear complaints from wealthier school districts who are seeing their funding cut the next two years. His suggestion: maybe those districts should take on some of the students who come from low income families.“Somebody said ‘well we pay all these taxes in suburban areas and look at all the money they get in Cleveland,’" he said. "I’ll give you about 25% of the students in Cleveland who have so many challenges.”One thing the Republican dominated legislature agrees with the governor is on supporting charter schools.Kasich promised to crack down on bad ones but then defended many with poor results saying that doesn’t mean they’re failing.“Let’s not judge someone as not doing their job because they’ve inherited a group of students who are just struggling," he said.Kasich also brought up vocational education, a topic he touched on during last year's address, too.He’s calling for private sector mentors to come into public schools and work with kids to prepare them for in-demand jobs.And last night, he also suggested private insurance companies could offer online classes for potential workers who aren’t in school.“You take the online course at your pace," he said. "And if you pass it, you either get a job working at the insurance company or you can also get a certificate and a credential for the fact that you now have a skill.”But Kasich's education plans didn't get a great review from Democrats.After the speech, Senate minority leader Democrat Joe Schiavoni criticized the governor afterwards for increasing funding for every charter school, while half the public school districts got cuts.