COLUMBUS (AP) — State lawmakers pushing an overhaul of Ohio's school-funding system say proposals to change how the state takes control of poor-performing districts shouldn't be part of the budget debate.
Rep. John Patterson, a Democrat from Jefferson in northeastern Ohio, says lawmakers working on the issue need more time than the budget debate allows.
Rep. Robert Cupp, a Republican from Lima, says he prefers not to see big policy changes enacted through the state budget process, but rather in their own bills.
Some lawmakers propose reversing a law that shifted operational control of poor-performing Ohio school districts to state-appointed panels and unelected CEOs instead of locally elected boards.
Other lawmakers would leave such districts under state control but prevent more so-called "state takeovers" through such commissions.
