But the plan’s critics say it’s a repackaging of ideas that voters soundly rejected months ago.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson says his plan to reshape the Cleveland schools is not about politics – it’s about quality education.

“It has nothing to do with whether or not you’re a good Democrat or a good Republican, whether you support unions or you don’t support unions, whether you support charters or public schools. This is about how do we educate our children.”

Jackson says the district has been making progress, but it’s too slow, and the schools will soon need to plug a 65 million dollar hole. His plan includes some ideas that some see as radical.

It would allow the sharing of levy money with charter schools that are sponsored by or work closely with the district. It would create a governing body that would set and monitor standards which would be exempt from sunshine laws requiring open records and open meetings.

And it would make big changes in contracts with teachers’ unions. The district could extend the school day or the school year without getting union approval. No tenure would be offered for new teachers, and contracts will be limited to two years. Seniority would no longer be the key factor in deciding layoffs or callbacks. And if a teacher gets the district’s lowest rating of “ineffective” two years in a row, that teacher could be fired.

The plan has the strong support of Gov. John Kasich and other Republicans. But some of those ideas bother Rep. Sandra Williams, a Democrat of Cleveland, who offered qualified support for the plan, but says she hasn’t agreed to co-sponsor the plan in the House.

“I believe that the mayor’s plan has merit. I agree with about 70% of it. There are only a few things that I do not agree with.”

But one of the state’s two teachers unions has many things that it finds problematic in the mayor’s plan, and is very worried that if it’s approved, other school districts will want the same changes. Melissa Cropper is president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and she says that will destroy collective bargaining rights of teachers around the state.

“I find it very ironic that they stand up there and say how important it is to involve the teachers voice, but they don’t have a teacher standing up there with them. I think that makes a statement right there.”

Other critics of the plan – including House Minority Leader Armond Budish of Beachwood in suburban Cleveland – say it amounts to a partial retread of Senate Bill 5, the collective bargaining reform law that was soundly rejected by voters last fall. Jackson, who supported the repeal of Senate Bill 5, says those who are concerned about the plan including some of the ideas from it shouldn’t be.

“I am opposed to anything that eliminates collective bargaining. But I’m also opposed to collective bargaining standing in the way of educating children.”

Cleveland Democratic Sen. Nina Turner was also an opponent of Senate Bill 5. But she supports Jackson’s plan.

“To allow anybody to drag this debate totally about Senate Bill 5 is the wrong way to look at it. We should start with what is in the best interest of Cleveland’s kids, and then work from that. And absolutely – we definitely have to be fair to the teachers. So I understand their concerns, but that’s not the position that I’m starting at.”

Jackson says if someone has better ideas than the ones he’s come up with, he’d like to hear them. Cropper with the OFT says the Cleveland Teachers Union has a plan that she says improves student outcomes without taking away collective bargaining rights of teachers.

“Let’s work this out. We don’t need legislation to make it happen – we just need to all be together at the same table to make it happen. If they want to go through with Senate Bill 5 language, then we’ll go through with Senate Bill 5-like efforts to stop it.”

But Jackson says that he won’t accept any plan that involves incremental changes – because he says the community won’t be willing to approve a levy request unless there is major change in the Cleveland schools.

Ohio started the year by breaking critical ground in the legal field.  In March, lawmakers heard testimony from the ultrasound images of two fetuses as evidence for the so-called “Heartbeat Bill”.   National headlines shouted “Fetus to ‘testify’!” and “Youngest witness ever!”  Many criticized the testimony as propaganda for a media circus.  Regardless of opinion, hooking up a pregnant belly to a sonogram machine in a statehouse hearing room solidified Ohio’s presence as a leader in thinking outside of the box.

Moving on to April when Ohio hit the nation’s headlines once again. This time, the focus was football with the revelation of OSU players traded sports memorabilia for tattoos.  The scandal led to Jim Tressel’s departure and some hefty fines.  Granted, the incident pales in comparison to the Penn State and Syracuse scandals that emerged later this year.  And for this OSU fans are grateful.  Yet, it did lead to an important national discussion over the state of NCAA sports and the professionalization of college athletes.  So let’s dub this news story as a fumble with a decent recovery.

While the summer months were fairly quiet, Ohio’s autumn was a doozy.  October started with a bang – literally, as Zanesville police killed nearly 50 exotic animals released by their owner. A USA Today’s headline summarizes the story: “Scary safari in Ohio ends with carnage, questions”.  Not only did the event make everyone cringe, it also garnished some not-so-favorable press for Governor Kasich, who failed to implement an order limiting the ownership of exotic pets.  It is no surprise that soon after the incident, Kasich quickly pushed fortougher rules .  But with the death of such rare animals as Bengal tigers, not even Jack Hannah’s words could help Ohio’s image.

The fall continued with not one but three big news stories. In October, reports surfaced of a breakaway Amish group cutting beards and terrorizing community members.  The story revealed a new side to hate-crimes in America, but also provided late night comics fodder for tasteless hair-cutting jokes.  Next up was the defeat of Senate Bill 5.   A year’s worth of national debate  over collective bargaining ended in one evening when voters overwhelming overturned SB5.  The result?  Another hit to the Kasich administration and a victory for minimum-wage canvassers everywhere.  Lastly, December introduced Americans to the latest Craigslist killer. Investigators say the Ohio manlured victims to their death with fake job ads.  The story alone is bad press, but then it was revealed that Ohio officials mistakenly released the the man not once but twice this past summer! I guess Ohio’s summer wasn’t that quiet after all.

And there you have it – 2011 in review.  It’s been a busy year, Ohio.  Will 2012 bring as much national coverage?  Only time will tell.  One thing is for sure: with headlines like these, I’m sure journalist everywhere are tired of typing those 4 letters: O-H-I-O.

Campaign finance reports filed Friday show We Are Ohio raised about $30 million in its effort and received another $12 million in in-kind contributions.

Final results of last month’s election released on Friday show voters rejected the new law 62 percent to 38 percent. The bill would have restricted the bargaining abilities of more than 350,000 unionized public workers.

The group that defended the law was far outspent. Building a Better Ohio reported spending more than $11 million through its political action committee.

The Republican-backed coalition also trailed the law’s opponents in fundraising – bringing in roughly $11 million in donations and about $570,000 in in-kind gifts.

The new deal between the state and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association ends the practice of 20 unpaid furlough days a year, continues step raises, and keeps workers paying 15 percent of health care premiums.

Union head Chris Mabe says if negotiations continued, there might have been pressure to have workers pay more for health care.

A vote from full union membership is expected around Thanksgiving.

Click the play button above to hear Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen’s report.

In a political blow to GOP Gov. John Kasich, voters handily rejected the law, which would have limited the bargaining abilities of 350,000 unionized public workers.

Speaking to reporters, the governor congratulates opponents of Senate Bill 5. The Governor said he was not sure what he would do next, but promised to help local governments find “tools” to control their costs.

Click here to hear the Governor’s reaction in a report from Ohio Public Radio’s Bill Cohen.

Labor and business interests poured more than $30 million into the nationally watched campaign, and turnout was high for an off-year election.

The law hadn’t taken effect yet. Tuesday’s result means the state’s current union rules will stand, at least until the GOP-controlled Legislature determines its next move. Republican House Speaker William Batchelder predicted last week that the more palatable elements of the collective bargaining bill—such as higher minimum contributions on worker health insurance and pensions—are likely to be revisited after the dust settles.

Earlier this year, thousands of people swarmed the Statehouse in protest when the bill was being heard. The bill still allowed bargaining on wages, working conditions and some equipment but banned strikes, scrapped binding arbitration and dropped promotions based solely on seniority, among other provisions.

Kasich and fellow supporters promoted the law as a means for local governments to save money and keep workers. Their effort was supported by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business-Ohio, farmers and others.

We Are Ohio, the largely union-funded opponent coalition, painted the issue as a threat to public safety and middle-class workers, spending millions of dollars on TV ads filled with images of firefighters, police officers, teachers and nurses.

Celebrities came out on both sides of the campaign, with former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and singer Pat Boone urging voters to retain the law and former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn and the Rev. Jesse Jackson urging them to scrap it.

Labor and business interests poured more than $30 million into the nationally watched campaign, with the law’s opponents far outspending and outnumbering its defenders.

Opponents reported raising $24 million as of mid-October, compared to about $8 million raised by the committee supporting the law, Building a Better Ohio.

Tuesday’s result in the closely divided swing state was expected to resonate from statehouses to the White House ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

Ohio’s bill went further than a similar one in Wisconsin by including police officers and firefighters, and it was considered by many observers to be a barometer of the national mood on the political conundrum of the day: What’s the appropriate size and role of government, and who should pay for it?

Kasich has vowed not to give up his fight for streamlining government despite the loss.

For opponents of the law, its defeat is anticipated to energize the labor movement, which largely supports Democrats, ahead of President Barack Obama’s re-election effort.

Polls are open until 7:30 p.m.

Voters also will decide whether to allow the state to opt out of a federal health insurance mandate and whether judges should be allowed to sit on the bench through age 75. Akron and Columbus are electing mayors.

The effort to repeal Ohio’s collective bargaining law has pitted unions representing police, firefighters, teachers, and other government employees against Republicans seeking to rein in the size and cost of government and limit labor’s reach.

Republican Gov. John Kasich has traversed the state to defend the law. The opposition leads in polls and fundraising.