Administrators in schools and libraries throughout Ohio breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday morning after Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state’s new budget.
First, though, the Republican vetoed 67 items from the $60 billion spending bill, including the censorship of library books, the capping of school district carryover revenue at 40% every year and a prohibition on local governments and school districts levying certain taxes.
But the bill did restructure funding for public library systems throughout the Buckeye State starting July 1, the day the new budget went into effect.
And it did nothing to shield schools from House Bill 335, which is imminent in the House Ways and Means Committee and threatens to cost districts more than $2 million per year, each.
Restricting access to books ‘a dangerous precedent’
DeWine on Monday rejected a provision that would have forced public libraries to keep materials on sexual orientation and gender identity away from patrons under age 18.
The governor said Ohio’s existing anti-obscenity laws can be enforced to keep inappropriate materials from children.
By vetoing that line item, parents and guardians still have the chance to decide what access children may have to educational books, according to Chris May, director of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.
“That’s something we respect and that’s something we ultimately want,” May said. “We’re glad that they can still make that decision without having that decision made for them.”
The director said the library’s goal is to “provide materials on a wide range of topics and issues,” then let patrons decide whether they want to read that information.
Restricting that access, May said, “could be potentially dangerous.”
“We serve very diverse communities,” May said. “The topics that they want information on, we provide access to that information to all, so I think once you cut off access entirely, that could definitely set a dangerous precedent.”
‘Loss of revenue would be devastating’
Ohio’s new two-year budget was “positive news for public education,” according to Jason Whitesel, treasurer of Lexington Local Schools.
“We definitely appreciate the time, attention and common sense approach that the governor used as part of his review,” Whitesel said.
The treasurer noted “there is still work to be done with the way the state of Ohio funds public schools and the need for property tax reform.”
Rob Peterson, superintendent of Madison Local Schools, added that Ohio’s tax system “is antiquated, needs reviewed and likely needs revamped, but not at the immediate expense of our students and the educational and extracurricular opportunities they deserve.”
He, like school administrators statewide, worries about HB 335, which could eliminate revenue generated by inside millage for schools and other governmental entities in Ohio.
“For Madison, that loss of revenue would be devastating, costing our district approximately $2.4 million and likely 30-40 teaching, non-teaching staff and administrative jobs,” Peterson said. “I am hopeful that our legislators will understand the negative impact of that legislation on our schools, our students and our communities.”
Libraries will have reduced funding the next two years
Not all of the details in the state’s new budget were met with cheers Tuesday.
Public libraries statewide no longer have a guaranteed portion of the state’s tax revenue and are now a line item with a fixed level of funding.
That translates to a loss of between $150,000 and $200,000 every year for the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, according to May, the library’s director.
The director said the library is two years into a 10-year levy passed by voters, which will help reduce the sting of this impending budget cut.
“We need to plan ahead for that money to last 10 years,” May said.
The library will start to feel the crunch several years from now as prices of books, supplies and maintenance continue to increase.
“For us, it’s just thinking long term and continuing to be good stewards of the public dollars,” May said. “We’re just going to keep revisiting it every year and make sure that we’re spending appropriately.”
ztuggle@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Funding concerns not over for Richland County schools and libraries after new Ohio budget
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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