The Kasich Action Plan” on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for shrinking the Department of Education by consolidating more than 100 programs into four key block grants. The plan also called for balancing the budget in eight years; reforming the tax code; downsizing the Department of Transportation to focus on safety and research; and incorporating job training programs into a handful of block grants administered by the states. American Principles in Action gave Kasich a grade of F for his position on the Common Core, The Hill reported on August 19, 2015. In an interview on the same day, Kasich said, “If I were not president, but if I were King of America, I would abolish all teacher’s lounges, where they sit together and worry about ‘woe is us.'” A spokesman later explained his comments, saying, “He thinks teachers have far more support in their communities than they sometimes give themselves credit for and they shouldn’t pay attention to the small number of pot-stirrers in their ranks who try to leverage problems for political gain.”
In November 2014, Kasich expressed his support for Common Core education standards, saying, “I have looked at it carefully. If the federal government starts meddling in this, if you start trying to do all this education policy out of Washington, I’m not for that. But as long as local school boards and parents are involved in writing the curriculum to reach a higher standard, particularly in math and science … that makes a lot of sense.” Kasich has expressed his support for school choice. Ohio’s school voucher program, EdChoice, allows students in poorly performing school districts to attend private schools through government scholarships. Kasich supports the implementation of a merit or performance-based pay system for teachers.