CRUNCHING NUMBERS--Ohio Budget Director Greg Browning gestures as he testifies before the Senate Finance Committee, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Jan. 26, 1998. Browing said the state could save millions in interest by the use of general obligation bonds as part of the school-funding proposal that the Legislature is drafting.

ELMO AND THE GOV.--Ohio Gov. George Voinovich gestures during a news conference concerning available tax credits for child care services, and the teaming up of the state's Family and Children First initiative with Ohio's public television stations, at the Riffe Center, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Jan. 26, 1998. Joining Voinovich at the news conference was the PBS character Elmo.

TEST SCORES ARE UP--John Goff, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, gestures during a news conference concerning the latest results of Ohio's Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Jan. 26, 1998. Goff refused to answer questions concerning his future with the Dept. of Education.