Strickland Creates Worse-Case Budget Scenario

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has compiled a worst-case budget document that envisions cuts as high as 25 percent to state agencies.

Strickland, who is pushing Congress for federal aid to states, says he created the scenario to show how bad things could be without help from Washington.

The Department of Education says such cuts would reduce its budget by $2 billion and force many districts into the red.

The prisons department says it would have to close six prisons and triple-bunk many inmates.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Take a look at Strickland's scenario in detail.

Ohio faces a budget deficit of as much as $7 billion next year and in 2011.

NBC 4's Patrick Preston provided these highlights:

Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections
- Cut $369 million from fiscal year 2009 budget.
- Cut $387 million from fiscal year 2010 budget.
- Eliminate 5,237 jobs - corrections officers, parole officers, mental health professionals.
- Close six institutions.
- Triple bunk inmates.

Department of Youth Services
- Cut $85.6 million.
- Close two large juvenile correctional facilities, 1 private facility (50 beds)
- 30 percent reduction in bed space.
- Eliminate juvenile parole – No supervision. Currently 1,509 kids on parole.
- 50 central office employees.
- Cut county subsidies by 33 percent for community based programs for delinquent youth.

Ohio Department of Development
- 25 percent cuts to several programs, including Edison, Third Frontier, job training and job creation, funding reduced by millions, eliminating thousands of jobs.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Some parks would close.
- 10-year safety inspection cycle on dams instead of five years.

Ohio Department of Agriculture - Cut three food-safety inspectors.
- Lose federal funding, another three food-safety inspectors.
- Cut 36 meat inspectors, four other jobs.

Adjutant General
- 55 jobs cut
- Closing National Guard facilities.

Ohio Department of Education
- $2 billion cut in fiscal year 2010, per pupil funding cut by $840 in fiscal year 2010, $870 in fiscal year 2011.

Ohio Board of Regents
-$707 million in fiscal year 2010
- State support of 356,00 full-time students reduced by $1,987 per student.
- Cut $119.6 million from OSU.
- Cut $55 million from University of Cincinnati.
- Massive layoffs of faculty and staff.
- Closure of academic and research programs, perhaps even campuses.
- Or average tuition hike of $2,000 per student.

ODJFS
- $300 million cut from welfare, early care and education funds, affecting 56,000 kids.

Ohio Department of Aging
- Major program cuts to senior services and care.

Ohio Department of Health
- Program cuts and staffing cuts.

"We must, in many significant ways, change the way we conduct business in Ohio," Strickland said.

Strickland's office stressed the budget cut scenarios are designed to illustrate what the budget would look like without federal help, not what it necessarily will look like.

It's a reality check that Republican State Senate President Bill Harris applauds, but he disagrees with the governor on one point.

Harris wants to spend $200 million in rainy day fund money as part of the economic stimulus package already passed into law -- to get the economy moving now by putting people to work immediately.

The question is: would spending $200 million stop a $7 billion budget shortfall?

"It doesn't fix all of it but it's a way as opposed to waiting for things to get worse, we need to be exercising what we've already passed in the stimulus package to use those dollars," Harris said.

One of the more dramatic changes if the budget becomes a reality is college tuition, which continues to rise annually and would increase dramatically.

The Board of Regents said a 25 percent cut could lead to a tuition increase of $2,000 and may cause thousands of students to drop out of school.

"Well, I don't think there's any way to react to it except for unhappiness. I'm not pleased obviously. I wish they could take the money from somewhere else," said Camal Kimball, an OSU student.

"It could be big, but if you come out making $40,000 a year or something, $8,000 isn't a terribly large amount. It depends on what your major is," said Matt Dawson, an OSU student.

Most student who spoke with NBC 4 said they are willing to just add the extra cost on their student loan debt and pay it later.

Chancellor Eric Fingerhut said the tuition freeze is good through June, but they'll have to make their next two-year decision at that time.

Fingerhut said he hopes the federal government will say yes to Strickland's request.

The cuts would have an incredible impact on Ohio's poor.

The wait for food stamps and child care will exceed what the state calls reasonable limits, which means that people who need them won't receive them when needed the most.

Services to the children of poor families will take a direct hit with nearly 40 percent or 56,000 Ohio children not having access to early care and education services.

The Help Me Grow program would be cut so severely that Ohio will end newborn home visits to all first-time teen mothers and eliminate home visiting programs for families with children who are considered at risk.

On the other end of the spectrum, elderly people who now depend on the state for assisted living may have to stay in nursing homes.

Mental health services for Ohio prisoners getting ready to join society again would be eliminated from 11 Ohio prisons.

Drug and alcohol treatment to more than 10,000 Ohioans would also be eliminated.

The Ohio Department of Health will eliminate such programs as rabies baiting, the inspection and licensure of mobile home parks, recreation camps and marinas.

Stay tuned to NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for more information on this developing story.