Gov. Ted Strickland came here Wednesday, his 11th school visit in two weeks, taking his landmark school-reform and funding plan directly to the people and away from the Statehouse's politically charged anterooms.

"It's not that everybody agrees with me when I come to these schools; quite the contrary," Strickland said in an interview after addressing an assembly in the lone school building of the 1,250-student Adena district in Ross County.

"But there's a different attitude about it. Everything in Columbus, Ohio, is politicized."

After two years of smooth sailing, a disastrous economy has put a strain on state finances and Strickland himself. As the governor travels about seeking support for his plan to transform Ohio's education system, Republicans and independent observers say Strickland is risking his credibility by not being forthright about a state budget that they equate to a house of cards, ready to collapse in little more than two years.

Even worse is the perception that the administration has fudged budget projections and misled lawmakers.

"Without question, this is going to damage the governor's credibility, and without question it's unprecedented," said House Minority Leader William G. Batchelder of Medina.

Such criticism, Strickland responded, is borne from raw politics, part of a concerted GOP effort to trap him into uttering the dreaded "T-word" so Republicans can paint him as "Tax Hike Ted" going into next year's election.

"I think the Republican leadership is furious that I'm not doing what they expected me to do as a Democratic governor. And they're trying to write my playbook, and they don't have any right to do that. I think they expected me to raise taxes so they could spend the next 10 months criticizing me for raising taxes."

The criticism has exposed Strickland's combative side. He was testy in the interview, especially when asked about an Akron Beacon Journal column questioning fuzzy math in Strickland's education-funding plan.

"I really don't give a damn what the Akron Beacon Journal says about me in an editorial or, quite frankly, The Columbus Dispatch," Strickland said. "That's not what keeps me awake at night. What keeps me awake at night is trying to do the right thing in the midst of difficult circumstances for the people of the state of Ohio."

Some of the most stinging criticism of Strickland's proposed two-year, $54.4 billion budget involves his use of so-called "one-time" money. He wants to spend more than $5 billion in federal stimulus funds, drain the state's $948 million rainy-day fund and make nearly $1 billion in other short-term cash moves.

While these actions will help balance the two-year budget that takes effect July 1, critics say that it will be virtually impossible to sustain the spending in the budget that will follow Strickland's expected 2010 re-election campaign -- meaning draconian spending cuts or a huge tax increase could be necessary later.

"I have not spoken to anyone outside of the administration or legislative Democrats who believe this budget is sustainable or could possibly be balanced in 2012 or 2013 without a major tax increase, massive new gambling, or major cuts in priority programs," said Rep. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, a member of the House Finance Committee and 23-year veteran of the legislature.

Strickland repeatedly has insisted that the state can avoid those scenarios, but even some in his own party don't believe him.

"It's as obvious as it can be," said one prominent Democrat who asked not to be named. He fretted that the painful budgetary decisions Strickland is deferring could hurt President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election chances in Ohio.

Strickland bristled at the criticism, saying he'll acknowledge legitimate complaints -- such as setting average teacher salaries too low in his plan -- but that the backlash against using one-time money "doesn't make sense."

He said it would be irresponsible for him not to spend all available resources now and avoid new taxes during the recession, hoping the state will be better positioned to ward off deep cuts or tax increases in the 2012-13 budget.

"Listen, I have handled this budget responsibly to the surprise of a whole lot of people, and I make no apologies," Strickland said. "The worst thing I could do right now would be to raise taxes. It would be, I think, crushing to our efforts to get this economy moving forward."

He said his critics haven't offered any meaningful plan for how they'd proceed differently. Last week, the Ohio Republican Party launched fundraising calls blaming Strickland for the loss of 100,000 jobs and proposing $1 billion in new spending.

When pressed about criticism that he's avoiding a discussion of taxes for political reasons, Strickland fired back, "Why do you and others want me to say that I'm going to raise taxes? I don't get it.

"We're dealing with the budget for 2010 and 2011, and the standard that I'm being held to is, 'How are you going to balance the budget in 2012 and 2013?' It's still 2009. I just don't get it.

" Right now, my obligation is to deal with the budget that we are working on now, the 2010-2011 budget. And that's what I'm doing, and I think I'm doing it responsibly."

Amid the GOP and editorial-page criticisms across the state, Strickland often is praised by education leaders for offering a bold plan to reform the way children are taught.

"I think this governor is an architect of change and that means the potholes will inevitably appear," said Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee.

At the Adena school, Superintendent David Warne is concerned about aspects of the governor's plan but said sweeping changes are overdue.

"What we're doing now is not working," Warne said. "The funding is not working. I admire the governor for taking a stance on doing something different."

jhallett@dispatch.com

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