More on schools

An exchange about schools got more interesting answers from Jackson.

These Q&As usually have some single-issue questioners. One asks what the mayor's doing to expand Cleveland's school voucher program for sending kids to private schools.

"Not much," the mayor says. That comic understatement again.

"If we go out for a levy," he explains, "Why would someone vote for that if they don't have a child in the public schools, if they have to pay tuition for someone to go to a private school?"

Passing a school levy is a distant dream for Cleveland, ever since voters shot one down in 2005 by a two-to-one margin. "I would like to have that [a levy] done for the whole county or the whole region, but that's not the case right now," Jackson says. A minute later he adds: "I'm not talking about a regional school district," but he is talking about regional funding, regional standards, and regional curriculums.

Once everyone's on the same level, he says, he'll be "the biggest fan of vouchers." He adds that no one should have to pay tuition and school taxes -- the voucher fans must love that! -- "but we're not there yet."