(Columbus, OH) A Toledo lawmaker is calling for universal preschool state-wide.
State representative Teresa Fedor believes Ohio should be funding pre-schools and not prisons. So she and another lawmaker want to amend the Ohio Constitution to require free, universal pre-school for all four and five-year olds who reside in the Buckeye state.
The Toledo Democrat points out the state budget allocates just over 66 million dollars for early childhood education, while Ohio will spend $1.3 billion on the state prison system alone.
Fedor and a fellow Democrat have introduced a resolution at the Ohio House that would require a three-fifths majority in both houses before it could be put before voters as a constitutional ballot issue.
The long-time lawmaker is locked in a tight May primary battle for a state senate seat with Democratic Ohio House colleague Michael Ashford.