Southeast Ohio Officials Detail Impact of State Service Cuts

At Press Roundtable

May 23, 2011

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Andrea Fejes andrea@oneohionow.org, 614-221-4570

ATHENS, OH – Local officials participated in a press roundtable today hosted by the Athens County Job and Family
Services and One Ohio Now to talk about potential impacts of the proposed state budget to Athens and Southeast
Ohio.

Jack Frech, Executive Director of Athens County Job and Family Services, said, “The proposed budget continues to
cut funding for programs that help poor children and families, programs that provide food, clothing, shelter, job
training, daycare, emergency utility assistance, medical care and services for the elderly.”

Mr. Frech stated that Athens County Job and Family Services is facing a funding cut of more than $2 million in the
budget, which will lead to reductions in state and local services and layoffs in a region that is one of the poorest in
the state. This budget does not give a hand-up to those that want to find stable employment in order to provide for
their families.

Bob Caldwell, Superintendent of Wolf Creek Local Schools in Washington County expressed, “Now is the time that
we must invest in high-quality education so that our children will be prepared for good jobs. The proposed budget
could potentially harm the progress in education quality and student achievement Ohio has made in the past few
years.”

One Ohio Now, a coalition of over 45 organizations concerned with education, health and human services, public
transportation and labor who are advocating for a balanced approach to meeting Ohio’s needs believe that we
cannot balance this budget with cuts, one-time sale of assets and privatization.

Andrea Fejes, coordinator for One Ohio Now, said at the roundtable, “State lawmakers are passing the buck to local
governments, forcing our schools, communities and libraries to either gut programs and services or raise taxes to
make up for the loss of state support.”

Doug Stanley, Executive Director of Hocking.Athens.Perry Community Action, stated, “Our agency promotes self-
sufficiency and improved quality of life in a region that has struggled. Proposed budget cuts put at risk the services
that we provide that help families provide for their families – early education, employment and training, safe and
affordable housing, food assistance and community development.”
“Ohio’s families and communities have not recovered from the Recession," said Wendy Patton, of Policy Matters
Ohio. “The need for safety net services remains high. Responsible legislators should be looking at all options for
balancing the budget, including revenues. Revenues lost in the tax overhaul of 2005 can be restored in a way that
improves equity, accountability and balance in Ohio’s system of public finance.”

“Tough times call for tough decisions. Cutting vital services like education and behavioral health and forcing our
local governments to make up the difference is irresponsible,” Fejes said. “Our elected leaders need to support the
fundamentals in society – education, safety, protecting the most vulnerable – in a manner that is equitable for all
taxpayers. Only through investment in these public structures can we ensure Ohio will create and protect jobs and
position the state for when economic prosperity returns.”

The impact of this budget proposal strikes at the heart of Athens County’s and Southeast Ohio’s most important
services. Ohio is not going to grow economically unless we adopt a balanced approach — one that includes
revenue — to our current challenges.

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One Ohio Now is a coalition of over 45 member organizations, including health and human services, transportation,
educators, school board members and labor, united for a balanced approach to meeting Ohio’s needs.

Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality•AFSCME Council 8•America Votes – Ohio•Center for Working Class Studies – Youngstown State
University•Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio•Cleveland Jobs with Justice•Cleveland Tenants Organization•Coalition on Homelessness and
Housing in Ohio (COHHIO)•Columbus Jobs with Justice•Communications Workers of America •Community Partners for Affordable Accessible
Health Care•Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People •The Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland•Environmental Health
Watch•Georgetown Federation of Teachers •The Hunger Network in Ohio •Legal Aid of Southwest Ohio•LiveCLEVELAND!•Lutheran Metro
Ministries•Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC)•Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless •Ohio AFL-CIO• Ohio Association of
School Business Officials (OASBO) •Ohio CDC Association•Ohio Center for Progressive Leadership•Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
(OCSEA)•Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding •Ohio Conference on Fair Trade•Ohio Education Association (OEA)•Ohio
Federation of Teachers (OFT)•Ohio Poverty Law Center• Ohio PTA•Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA)•Ohio School Boards Association
(OSBA)•Ohio Voice•Ohio Youth Voices•Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio•PolicyBridge•Policy Matters Ohio•ProgressOhio•SEIU
1199•Toledo Jobs with Justice•UFCW Local 1059•UHCAN