Superintendents in two of Warren County’s poorest school districts say they feel betrayed by Gov. John Kasich, who pledged a week ago that low-income districts would get more state aid and wealthy districts less under his new education plan.

Figures released Thursday by the Kasich administration show that in Warren County, funding would be flat for the two poorest districts — Franklin and Carlisle — in 2014 and 2015, while the three wealthiest districts — Springboro, Mason and Kings — will see increases in 2014 of 16 percent, 2 percent and 25 percent, respectively. It was a theme that played out across the state and drew sharp criticism from many of the same superintendents who were praising the governor after his speech last week.

“The governor was on every TV and radio station in state of Ohio saying poorer districts were going to get money,” said Franklin Superintendent Arnol Elam. “The statements the governor made are a damn lie. It is just more of the same rhetoric we’ve had before.”

Carlisle Superintendent Larry Hook, who attended Kasich’s address in Columbus last week, said he was optimistic at the time, but recalled telling a reporter afterward that he wanted to wait and see the plan’s details and figures first. The end result, Hook said, has turned out to be a disappointment.

“It just seems like the rich get richer, and the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves,” Hook said, noting more than 40 percent of the district’s students are on free and reduced lunches. “I guess the silver lining is that at least we aren’t cut.”

Kasich has defended his comments from a week ago about helping poor districts, saying his formula is consistent and funds students and not buildings.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, of the 97 districts classified by the state as rural and high poverty, 82 percent would get no additional state aid in 2014, and 76 percent would get zero increase over the next two years. Eight of those districts would get increases averaging at least 5 percent per year.

Meanwhile, of the 153 districts classified as urban/suburban with high or very high median income, 44 percent get no additional funding for two years, while another 44 percent get annual increases that average at least 5 percent, the newspaper reported.

Elam said 44 percent of students attending Franklin schools live in poverty and the district’s median income is $29,900 — both statistics the worst in Warren County. On the flip side, he pointed out that only 6 percent of Springboro and Mason students live in poverty and 17 percent of Kings students and their median incomes are $61,271, $58,725 and $41,400, respectively. He also pointed out that Franklin’s percentage of disabled students — 16.1 percent — is higher than any of the three Warren County districts that saw increases.

“The people in these richer districts should send those of us in poorer districts a thank-you note because now they can drive a bigger Mercedes,” Elam said.

Elam said he’s worked most of his career in affluent districts such as Lakota and Monroe, but it wasn’t until he came to Franklin that he realized the economic discrimination poorer districts face.

“This just has me really concerned about districts like ours and how they are treated by our politicians,” Elam said.

The 1,760-student Carlisle school district is asking voters in May to pass a 5.9-mill emergency levy that will raise $993,222 for each of the next five years. The same levy failed last fall by 129 votes, and Carlisle hasn’t passed a tax levy for new operating money in 14 years.

Carlisle schools have cut $3 million from its budget — including $413,000 in December — during the past five years. The district, which has been in “fiscal caution” since 2008, has been rated “Excellent” on the state report card the past two years.

In Butler County, districts with high levels of poverty fared better. Middletown, Hamilton and New Miami will all see increases in funding in 2014 and 2015. Middletown, where 76 percent of students are on free and reduced lunches, will see a 23 percent increase in 2014 and 14 percent increase in 2015.

“All that may change by June when all this settles down,” Superintendent Greg Rasmussen said, noting the governor’s plan still must pass the House and the Senate. “But this is an acknowledgement that Middletown needs a lot more resources to level the playing field. In fact, it’s a credit to our district that we have done as well as we have at our current (funding) levels.”