Here’s what reporters have been demanding, and educators awaiting, for a week – the school district funding numbers underlying Gov. John Kasich’s proposed K-12 budget.
The route to their release, dating to a week ago today when Kasich pitched his plans to school superintendents, was tortuous.
Reporters seeking the district funding numbers first were told they were the personal notes of a Kasich education adviser and were not a public record since they had not been shared with anyone else.
Then, Kasich’s office advised that yes, the figures had been shared with the Office of Budget and Management, but they were not forthcoming.
Earlier this week, reporters were told there were problems with the numbers and they still were being polished. (We’re still searching for the exemption in law that allows records to be withheld because they may contain an error.) The district funding numbers finally were released yesterday afternoon.
Ohio’s public records law requires records to be made immediately available for in-person inspection on demand. It didn’t happen in this case. (And, Kasich’s office continues to withhold its original set of district funding numbers.)
