Springfield's Superintendent of Schools, Dr. David Estrop ,says he is pleased with Governor John Kasich's education budget and reform proposal. Estrop feels the plan will benefit the school system.
Kasich's two-year budget plan calls for the state to pay for low income students who want to attend any K through 12 school including charter and private religious schools.
The plan calls for $8.5 million in fiscal year 2014 and $17 million in 2015 for vouchers to help students that are below the 200 percent federal poverty level.
Estrop says these types of benefits will specifically help his school district because it has a smaller tax base to gain revenue from.
"In Beavercreek every one mil of the tax levy of the tax levy, that one mil in Beavercreek because it is a huge wealthy area produces $215," Estrop said. "The same mil in Springfield when it is levied here, because our tax base has been shrinking, only produces $77 or $78 so there is a big difference in the amount of money that can be raised at the local level based on how wealthy the community is."
Estrop says he does take issue with one part of the Kasich plan.
"My greatest concern is that if the governor plans to push more students and thus more money to the private parochial schools, they should be subject to the same public accountability standards that we are held to and right now that is not the case," Estrop said.
Estrop says he was pleased that Kasich presented the plan to school superintendents because as the chief executive officers of the school systems, they have an understanding of school funding.