Ohio: Carey

Later that morning, researcher Allan Odden told senators that the House-passed education plan is "85 to 90 percent faithful" to the "evidence-based" funding model he helped develop using strategies that he says produced improvements in a number of states.

Then, not long after Odden finished his testimony, Sen. John A. Carey Jr., R-Wellston, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, still said significant changes to the plan are likely.

Strickland is waging a campaign in support of his "evidence-based" education plan, including public appearances, endorsements from education groups and video messages posted on YouTube and his education Web site.

In response to opposition from some Republican senators now debating the plan as part of the state budget, Strickland said, "I know there are things that are said publicly by people, but I think there is still opportunity for a coming together for the sake of our kids, and I continue to hope that can happen.

State officials downplay the cost, saying some late payments are to be expected and that the interest amounts to a tiny fraction of what essentially is a $56 billion operation.

But with state revenue plummeting and critical services being cut, lawmakers plan to scrutinize the expense during deliberations for the two-year budget that starts July 1, said Sen. John A. Carey Jr., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

"In this budget, every dollar is going to count," said Carey, R-Wellston. "We need to be as efficient as we can."

Ohio law requires that the state pay interest to vendors when bills are not paid on time, typically within 30 days.

But the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio isn't happy that the money for ongoing needs comes from one-time federal economic-stimulus funding. That, leaders say, could lead to drastic cuts in the next budget if there's no other money available.

"We must not be lulled into a sense of satisfaction and ignore the very real problems facing the mental health system now and beyond the coming fiscal year," Jim Mauro, executive director of NAMI Ohio, said in a letter yesterday to the governor.

The group's concerns are among those emerging about Strickland's $54.7.billion budget plan. Critics say it relies so heavily on federal funds yet to be approved by Congress and other "one-time" money that there will be no choice but to slash spending or raise taxes for the next budget in two years.