Governor Strickland queried the crowd on which reform ideas they would support. It prompted a discussion on whether all students should get the same amount of funding no matter where they live.
And while some said all students should get exactly the same funding, a Shaw High school teacher said that would be unfair, particularly in poor districts. She said equal funding doesn't account for the disparity in student achievement.
"We need to treat every child -- regardless of the district they live in -- to their needs.
After the forum, Strickland said he liked the funding plans proposed earlier this week by the state board of education, which called for spending more on students who are poor, gifted, or have a physical or mental disability. But, he said, that just isn't the cards next year.
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Strickland: "We don't have a billion dollars, right now, certainly. But there are some good features to the plan. So, as I said, we may not be able to do everything that needs to be done immediately. But we must get ourselves on that path."
The governor has asked state agencies to cut more 1.3 Billion from the budget that ends this year, and he's projecting the state budget deficit will be seven times worse a year later. Even if the economy won't allow new spending, Strickland said he'll still introduce legislation next year to change the way schools are funded. Exactly what that plan is remains to be seen.
Kymberli Hagelberg, 90.3