Terra Goodnight · March 28, 2013

Baffling new video shows Kasich confused about impact of his budget

We were slightly stunned by the following exchange on Ohio Public TV last weekend:

Interviewer: When you talk about cutting the state income tax, but then if there are cuts that go down to the local level and local communities have to start raising their taxes, isn’t that a problem? Kasich: I don’t know what you mean by that. What does that mean?

Really? Here’s what it means:

Sylvania schools consider operating levy
Sylvania Schools officials told board of education members tonight that based on falling property values and decreases in state funding over the past several years, an operating levy is in the district’s future. [Toledo Blade, 3/27/13]

We would be happy to send the Governor a copy of our report showing $1.1 billion in new school levies that have appeared on the ballot in Ohio since his first budget took effect. After $1.8 billion in cuts to schools and another $1 billion to communities, no one should be surprised to learn that local taxes are increasing to make up the difference.