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More Details Released on DeWine’s Cuts to Higher, K-12 Education
By: Aaron Payne
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) — Public universities and colleges will each see a 3.8 percent reduction in state funds and K-12 school funds will be reduced based on student population and poverty, according to new details regarding Gov. Mike DeWine’s announced $775 million in state budget cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ohio Office of Budget and Management released an overview of the reductions Wednesday morning.
Ohio University would see a $6,652,391 reduction from the $174,924,133 original Fiscal Year 2020 appropriation.
This comes at a time when the university had slowed hiring before the pandemic, offered early retirement programs and voluntary separation agreements, cut the budgets of academic and non-academic units and warned of personnel reductions in an attempt to balance a $35 million projected shortfall. The economic impact of the coronavirus disruption has only made matters worse.
Other higher education reductions in FY20 appropriations from around the regions include:
-$168,031 from Belmont Technical College’s $4,418,369 FY20 appropriation
-$450,068 from Hocking Technical College’s $11,834,513 original FY20 appropriation
-$291,529 from Zane State College’s $7,665,740 original FY20 appropriation
-$221,614 from Rio Grande Community College’s $5,827,329 original FY20 appropriation
-$520,107 from Shawnee State University’s $13,676,184 original FY20 appropriation
-$216,716 from Washington State Community College’s $5,698,532 original FY20 appropriation
See the full list of FY20 cuts to higher education here.
Reductions in K-12 education are based on a formula that accounts for location, student population and student poverty.
For example, in Athens County:
-Trimble Local SD will see a $70,489 reduction in the $10,071,063 original FY20 foundation funding
-Nelsonville-York City SD will see a $147,580 reduction in the $10,590,884 original FY20 foundation funding
-Federal Hocking Local SD will see a $212,001 reduction in the $8,714,113 original FY20 foundation funding
-Athens City SD will see a $565,155 reduction in the $7,636,725 original FY20 foundation funding
-Alexander Local SD will see a $289,673 reduction in the $9,591,946 original FY20 foundation funding
See the full list of cuts to K-12 education here.
Office of Budget and Management Director Kimberly Murnieks told reporters Wednesday morning that Total General Revenue Fund tax receipts finished April $866.5 million below estimate.
Total fiscal-year-to-date tax receipts through April are below estimate by $777 million.
As a result, Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a $775 million budget reduction over the next two months, as the coronavirus pandemic takes a “profound” impact on the state’s economy.
The cuts also call for Medicaid spending to be reduced by $210 million and a $100 million reduction for other agencies.
“We cannot go onward as if this was a normal period of time,” DeWine said Tuesday at his daily coronavirus press conference.
More details on the state’s state revenues will be included in a Monthly Financial Report from the OBM website on May 11.