CENTRAL OHIO -- Fears are growing in school districts across Ohio as a deadline looms for an Ohio House bill that could lead to devastating cuts in school funding.
House Bill 318 must be passed by Dec. 31 or Ohio school districts and libraries may lose millions.
For parent Marlon Jefferson, the thought of South-Western City Schools losing any money digs up memories of how difficult it was to pass a school operating levy in November.
Now, the district and others face even more uncertain times if state lawmakers fail to come up with almost $1 billion by passing House Bill 318. Your local libraries also could see more cuts in the future.
Here are the fast facts on how Ohio got to this point.
House Bill 1, approved in July, allowed the state to use revenue from video-lottery terminals to fill the state coffers.
The state Supreme Court later ruled the issue of video-lottery terminals should be decided by voters.
House Bill 318 makes up for the money lost by that ruling by delaying for two years a 4.2 percent reduction in the state income tax rate. It also would cut lawmaker salaries.
However, the bill is now stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Senator David Goodman of New Albany is one of five who support HB 318 with some provisions.
"We are simply asking the governor and the democrats in the legislature to pass initiatives that the governor himself proposed in regards to construction reform and prison reform," Goodman said.
State Representative W. Carlton Weddington said these issues have not a place in the current legislation.
"Yes, construction reform will save dollars, but, in fact, they don't even have the votes on the Republican side to support this bill as a stand alone," Weddington said.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement