JUST A SMALL TAX HIKE--Ohio Gov. George Voinovich gestures during a news conference concerning the recommendations of the Ohio School Funding Task Force, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 1, 1997. The Task Force is calling for a 1% sales tax increase in addition to increased taxes on cigarettes and business property.

DEMS MEET WITH GOV.--Reps. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, left, and Johnny Maier, D-Massillon, file out of Gov. George Voinovich's office after a group of House Democrates met with Voinovich to discuss alternatives for funding public schools, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, July 17, 1997.

SHOW ME THE MONEY--Ohio House Minority Leader Ross Boggs, D-N. Andover, gestures as he meets with Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, R-Reynoldsburg, in the House Chamber, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, Aug. 3, 1997. The House met in a rare Sunday night session to try and move a school funding plan that would satisfy most of the Republican majority, and gather enough minority votes for passage.

WATCH THIS PEN CLOSELY--Ohio Senate Pres. Richard Finan, R-Cincinnati, gestures as he and House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, R-Reynoldsburg, answer reporter's questions during a news conference concerning the General Assembly's efforts to respond to the Supreme Court's mandate on school funding, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 1997. The Joint Subcommitte of Finance will deal with determining the cost of an adequate education, while the Joint Subcommittee of Ways and Means will evaluate the future role of property and other taxes in the school funding equation.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEEDS HELP--William Phillis, Executive Dir. of the Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding, holds a chart during a news conference, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, Dec. 19, 1997. The Coalition feels that the General Assembly has not taken the proper steps to satisfy the Supreme Court's March 24, 1998 deadline to provide all Ohio children with the means for an adequate and equitable education.