Education

Four Clark County area school districts will receive grant money to help meet the requirements of a new early literacy law.

The Clark County Educational Service Center has received $203,000 in grant money from the Ohio Department of Education to help Greenon, Southeastern, Yellow Springs and North Union school districts develop plans for early literacy and reading instruction.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is awarding $7.2 million for projects to help children safely walk or bike to school.

The grants announced this week in the Safe Routes to School Program go to 58 projects. The money will help with constructing or improving crosswalks and sidewalks and will support efforts to educate children about being safe on the way to school.

Ohio first lady Karen Kasich says the projects encourage walking or biking to school and can help cut pollution and traffic.

Majority Republicans in the Ohio Senate say their state budget education proposal spreads more money to more school districts.

Senate President Keith Faber says the plan increases state aid to schools in the two-year budget by more than $717 million compared to the current budget, which ends June 30.

Faber said Thursday the money stems from expected adjustments to state revenue and Medicaid caseload projections.

The GOP-controlled Senate's proposal spends almost $142 million more to fund schools compared to the House-passed version of the spending bill.