Morning News and Stuff

School superintendents

will hear

about Gov. John Kasich’s school funding proposal Thursday. The proposal, which will change how all of Ohio’s schools are publicly funded, will be released to the wider public Feb. 4. Many school officials are

bracing for the worst

, according to Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer . Rob Nichols previously told CityBeat that the proposal is “a big undertaking”: “Many governors have tried before. Many states have been sued over their formulas. It’s something we have to take our time with and get it done right.”

Ohio’s largest prison staff union is asking Kasich’s administration to

increase the amount of prison security officers

following a late December report from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The report found a correlation between rising prison violence and a decrease in prison security staff, affirming a position the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association has held for years.

A Journal News report found substance abuse

comes at a heavy loss

for Ohio employers, including more workplace injuries, higher medical costs, more absenteeism and reduced productivity. Some experts advocate for drug testing to lower the costs, while others argue drug testing can often affect innocent, responsible drug users. Employers are much more likely to test for marijuana over alcohol, even though multiple studies show cannabis is less addictive and harmful.

The flu epidemic may be leveling off in Ohio. The state health department revealed the amount of hospitalizations involving the flu

have plateaued

, but the department cautions the calm could be temporary.

The women’s sections of county and regional jails are facing

higher levels of overcrowding

. The overcrowding is a result of a 2011 law that enables fourth- and fifth-degree felons to be held at county jails instead of state prisons.

A new online tool

reveals the salaries

of public school teachers and staff.

The extensive audit of Ohio schools and their attendance information

will be released

Feb. 11. The preliminary reports found Cincinnati Public Schools were clean. The investigation into attendance fraud began when

Lockland schools

in Hamilton County were caught falsifying attendance data.

A new poll found an overwhelming majority of Kentucky parents

favor raising the school dropout age to 18

, up from the current age of 16.

Ohio gas prices are

still rising

.

Researchers made

super-realistic lung tissue

with levitating cells. The development allows researchers to better study how toxins affect the lungs.