Cincinnati Public Schools parents, students, and community members held a protest Wednesday at Fountain Square near Gov. Mike DeWine's Southwest Regional Office in downtown Cincinnati.
Protestors say the demonstration was organized to draw attention to DeWine's recent actions related to funding for Ohio's public schools.
Last week, DeWine attended President Trump's signing of an executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. The governor also introduced a proposed state biennial budget bill that would cut funding for traditional public schools in Ohio by more than $100 million.
"That does not build our confidence that he believes in Ohio's children," CPS parent Leslie Mattie-Rich said about DeWine. "It's ridiculous that we should be in a space where our teachers are setting up GoFundMes for the basics like textbooks."
Mattie-Rich says teachers are preparing for the worst in anticipation of funding cuts. In a letter shared with the Cincinnati Public Schools community earlier this month, Superintendent Shauna Murphy said the district would lose more than $27 million over the next two school years under DeWine's proposed budget. Murphy claims that would result in the loss of critical academic programs and put a higher financial burden on local taxpayers.
Another parent, Sarah Beach, says no matter where people fall on the political spectrum, everyone should want the best for Ohio students who mostly attend public school.
"I think all Ohioans whether they're from rural, suburban, or urban [areas] need to support public schools," she told WVXU. "Whether they're Republicans or Democrats, public education is so vital."
After attending Trump's signing, Gov. DeWine told reporters last week he's not certain what the possible closure of the U.S. Department of Education will mean for federal funding for Ohio's public schools, but he assumes that money will still come from somewhere. He also said eliminating the department would get rid of "the bureaucracy and the red tape" that comes with those dollars.
The Ohio House is expected to release its revisions to DeWine's proposed state budget by April 1.
