Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms

With education as our highest priority, we will set our sights on resolving the school funding crisis, reforming the State Board of Education, raising teacher salaries, and helping Ohioans to pay for higher education. The school funding crisis has gone unresolved for over a decade. We must all accept that there will have to be adjustments made in the tax equation so that schools do not have to rely so heavily on property taxes. We can start by “trimming the fat” that gets wasted in our state budget, Then we can re-evaluate the Ohio Lottery to make it more efficient which means more money for schools. We are currently developing ideas as we continue working with university professors, school board members, and other experts. We will find trustworthy people that know how to do the things we want done.

The State Board of Education needs some more experienced members. It needs experienced teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents who know what is really happening with our schools today. The State Report Card is a “one size fits all approach,” and it has to change. We want to offer a choice for school districts when it comes to meeting the criteria for state standards of accountability.

State law regulates the starting salary of teachers. We plan on pushing for legislation that will raise the starting teacher salaries and have those salaries peak at a much faster rate. This will take additional funds and can be incorporated as we resolve the school funding crisis. It’s all about spending money wisely. Society cannot expect teachers to make such sacrifices and continue teaching on their virtue alone. What good is a new school building, new books, and state-of-the-art equipment if we don’t have a qualified and dedicated teacher in the classroom?

With higher education costing more each quarter, we need a program to assist Ohioans who cannot afford to go to college. I am still paying on my college loans. Our state universities and community colleges should be affordable. Hopefully, we can re-direct state money to fund more programs to assist those students.

Our population is getting older fast. We need to start planning ahead, but we must first fix the existing problems. We need to invest in the successful Medicaid programs which best serve our elderly, disabled, and mentally-ill citizens not undercut them. And we need to stop the discrimination towards the mentally ill in regards to insurance coverage for their conditions.

Campaign finance reform is a necessity in our state. We have to put an end to the unlimited, anonymous contributions. This entire system is due for an overhaul. This cannot continue to be a “pay to play game” where only the wealthy can seek office. These highlighted issues can bring about some very positive results once implemented. We acknowledge that these issues are much more complex than presented here, but we are confident they can be achieved.