Tiffin is a small "city." It is a city, though, with its own public school system of about six elementary schools, a Middle school and a large high school, along with Sentinel Career Center and several attached post-school educational centers. There is also a Catholic school system, K through 12.

Today the newspaper had an article about the layoffs announced yesterday. The layoffs are effective immediately. One of the teachers laid off is a friend of mine, a member of the Tiffin Art Guild - where I am gallery curator and a member of the Board.

All of this is due to 1. the recession, which has hit Ohio particularly hard (Rust Belt here.) and 2. the new governor, John Kasich, who has packed the available state jobs and positions (spoils) with his political cronies and is now chopping the education budget to near zero.

We know that the same thing is happening in the federal Congress, where in order to find money for corporate and higher income tax cuts they are cutting the heart out of anything the people like, especially education (There is a movement to eliminate the Department of Education.)

17 teaching positions were eliminated here yesterday, along with several custodial and secretarial jobs.

I feel for the staff, their families and their students.