Gov. Ted Strickland has ordered another $640 million sliced from state government operations.
The reductions announced Friday include 5.75-percent across-the-board cuts to all but the most vital programs. Strickland says the state's budget picture is substantially worse than it was even 12 weeks ago.
Cuts now total $1.9 billion for the year, in line with the worst projections by the state budget office.
Strickland says the latest cuts will not affect a tuition freeze for state colleges and universities nor basic funding for public elementary and secondary schools.
The state is hoping that support for education will allow Ohioans to prepare for new jobs and economic opportunities as they become available.
