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Legislative Watch

Legislative Watch
OEA Legislative Watch is the association’s newsletter covering the legislation and policies that affect public education employees.
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2023-2024 | 135th Ohio General Assembly

The 135th General Assembly Adjourns

The Ohio Legislature held its final session day of the 135th General Assembly on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Going early into Thursday, the Ohio House and Ohio Senate moved a flurry of bills and adjourned until the 136th General Assembly. 

Before reporting on some of the bills that OEA was tracking throughout lame duck session, we want to share two major wins due to OEA member advocacy:

  • Senate Bill (SB) 83, known as the Higher Education Destruction Act, sponsored by Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirkland), stalled this General Assembly due to overwhelming activism by OEA members, partners, and the work of a bi-partisan set of legislators. SB 83 represented the largest attack on public employee collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 and would have hurt academic freedom on Ohio’s public university and college campuses. Even though the bill’s sponsor and supporters have said that they will reintroduce the bill in the next General Assembly, OEA members should be proud of the activism that went into preventing the bill’s passage this General Assembly. 
  • Despite an effort to force passage of Senate Bill (SB) 295, sponsored by Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), in lame-duck session, the Ohio Senate Education Committee did not pass the bill.  SB 295 would have expanded reliance on standardized test scores for labeling schools as underperforming, arbitrarily forcing districts to take extreme measures such as squandering prior investments in school buildings by closing them, transferring control to external operators that have no link to the community, or indiscriminately replacing at least half a building’s staff, regardless of the ability to replace that staff. On December 18, 2024, during the final hearing of the Ohio Senate Education Committee, Chair Andrew Brenner stated that he plans to re-introduce a version of SB 295 in the next Ohio General Assembly. Senator Brenner noted the next version would continue to seek closure of public-school buildings linked to testing data on state report cards, similar to the way Ohio law requires closure of charter school buildings. Current Ohio law does not require the closure of traditional public-school buildings, although it does allow state takeovers through Academic Distress Commissions.

OEA would like to express appreciation for all the activism and engagement from members throughout the 135th General Assembly.  Additionally, OEA thanks the members of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate who stood with educators across the state to defend public education and the rights of public educators during the 135th General assembly. 

GPO and WEP Repeal Clears Key Hurdle Towards Final Passage

H.R. 82 (the Social Security Fairness Act) cleared a key legislative hurdle on Wednesday. The bill would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These provisions of federal law unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security benefits and spousal/survivor benefits of those who have a public pension in states like Ohio where public employees do not pay into Social Security. The U.S. Senate voted 73-27 on a cloture motion to close debate on H.R. 82.  Both of Ohio’s U.S. Senators voted for passage of the cloture motion.  While the vote to close debate on H.R. 82 passed, the bill still faces several final procedural steps, including defeating several filed amendments, before a vote on final passage of the bill is taken by the U.S. Senate.   

Three amendments, filed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), if amended into H.R. 82 by the U.S. Senate would require that the bill be reconsidered by the U.S. House.  Due to time constraints, this would effectively kill H.R. 82 during this Congress. 

After decades of working towards repeal, we are now extremely close to achieving this goal. This would not have been possible without the hard work and advocacy of many OEA members and other public employees across the country.  

OEA thanks each member of Ohio’s delegation in the U.S. House, all of whom voted for H.R. 82 and Ohio’s U.S. Senators who supported the cloture motion. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown worked exceptionally hard on this issue. He is a lead sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act and was pivotal in bringing the issue to this point. He has always been a tireless advocate for Ohio’s working families and his presence in the U.S. Senate will be sorely missed. You can view U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s farewell speech here. 

OEA will continue to keep members updated as the U.S. Senate considers the bill and its progress towards becoming law.

“Forced Outing” Bill which Includes Release Time for Religious Instruction Policy Requirement Passes 

House Bill (HB) 8, sponsored by State Representative Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) and State Representative D.J. Swearingen (R-Upper Sandusky), passed the Ohio Senate 24-7 earlier on Wednesday after the upper chamber added final amendments to the bill. The Ohio House concurred to the Senate’s changes by a vote of 57 to 31 late Wednesday evening. Voting ‘No’ on final passage of the bill in the Senate were all Senate Democrats and State Senator Lou Blessing, III (R-Colerain Twp.). In the House, State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord), State Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), and State Representative Andrea White (R-Kettering) joined House Democrats to vote against concurrence with Senate changes to HB 8. Governor DeWine previously said that he plans to sign the bill. OEA opposes HB 8, which requires the forced ‘outing’ of students based on communication with school employees. 

Earlier this month, the Ohio Senate amended HB 8 to include SB 293, sponsored by State Senator Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), the Release Time for Religious Instruction (RTRI) bill which mandates school boards adopt religious release time policies. The Ohio Senate Education Committee added the following amendments to HB 8 before the Senate passed the bill.

Amendments to HB 8 from the Senate Education Committee include:

  • Creates exceptions from HB 8 disclosure or activity requirements where the disclosure or activity would conflict with or violate specified federal laws, state laws, requests for nondisclosure, or any judicial orders. 
  • Clarifies that no HB 8 requirements may prohibit or prevent mandatory reporting under state law. 
  • Clarifies that no HB 8 requirements may prohibit or limit career and academic mentoring and counseling between teachers and students in the regular course of the school day.
  • Clarifies that a student who is excused from instruction that includes sexuality content is allowed to take part in an alternative assignment.

Amendments to RTRI language from the Senate Education Committee included: 

  • Require districts to collaborate with sponsoring entities to identify time for a released time course. 
  • Removes the requirement that each district ensure RTRI policies grant students reasonable access and opportunity to attend a released time course in religious institutions during a time when non-core curriculum courses are offered. 
  • Removes the provision that would have prohibited a district from unduly limiting access to RTRI during the school day. 
  • Permits a school board to include in its released time for religious instruction policy a requirement for criminal records checks of any instructor and volunteer providing the religious education and permits the school district to determine the manner in which the criminal records checks are conducted.

“Proper” Interactions with Peace Officer Curriculum Repealed

The Ohio Senate concurred with Ohio House amendments to Senate Bill (SB) 208, sponsored by State Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), a bill that requires school districts to include an exception for military children in open enrollment policies.  Of note, SB 208 contains an amendment requested by OEA that repeals a provision of law (SB 68-133rd General Assembly) that required the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to adopt model curriculum for high school students to be used in at least one course required for high school graduation on “proper” interactions with peace officers during traffic stops and other in-person encounters with peace officers.

OEA supports the repeal of this requirement which was set to go into effect for the class of 2026.  Senate Bill 208 now heads to Governor DeWine for his consideration.  

Bill Dealing with Student Discipline Clears the Ohio General Assembly

House Bill (HB) 206, sponsored by State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) and State Representative Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana), would allow a local school board to adopt a resolution that authorizes the superintendent to expel a pupil from school for a period not to exceed 180 days for actions that the superintendent determines pose imminent and severe endangerment to the health and safety of other pupils or school employees.

Additionally, the bill would require the local school district superintendent to develop conditions for a student expelled for imminent and severe endangerment to satisfy before that student may be reinstated, one of which must be an assessment by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or school psychologist to determine whether the student poses a danger. In making this decision, the local school district superintendent is required to consult with a multidisciplinary team of their selection when making reinstatement determinations for maximum-term expulsions. The bill permits the superintendent to extend the expulsion for another period not to exceed 90 school days, subject to further reassessment. The bill requires a plan for the continued education of the expelled student and would not eliminate any protections a student has under federal law (i.e., for students protected by IDEA).

Prior to passage the Senate Education Committee adopted a series of amendments to HB 206:

  • Requires public schools to include specific demographic data on expelled students to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
  • Allows a student in a public or chartered nonpublic school to possess a prescribed seizure drug if the school principal and school nurse, if there is one, have received written approval from the student’s physician and, a parent or guardian.  Further, allows an authorized school employee, contractor, or volunteer to administer a prescribed seizure drug if they receive either a copy of the written approval issued by the student’s physician or training regarding the circumstances under which the drug is to be administered to the student.
  • Appropriates and additional $4 million in FY 2025 for school choice administration out of the state foundation funding line item.

Additionally, the Ohio Senate Education Committee added an amendment to HB 206 that created exemptions for charter school automatic closure policies.

The amendment changed the rules as follows:

  • Exempts from closure requirements for the 2024-2025 school year any charter school that meets established closure criteria but, for any of the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, or 2024-2025 school years, receives a performance index score on its report card within five points below the score required to receive two stars on its achievement rating. 
  • Requires a charter school exempted under the amendment that continues to qualify for closure in the 2025-2026 school year to close. 
  • If an exempted charter school does not qualify for closure in the 2025-2026 school year but meets specified poor performance criteria for the 2026-2027 school year, requires that school to close. 
  • If an exempted charter school does not qualify for closure in the 2025-2026 school year and does not meet specified poor performance criteria in the 2026-2027 school year, resets the starting point for closure determination based on performance over a number of school years.

OEA was an interested party on the legislation. The bill was passed by both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly on December 18, 2024, and now heads to Governor DeWine for his action.

SB 295: Senate May Pass Mandate to Close School Buildings Based on Test Scores

OEA President Scott DiMauro presented opposition testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 295 in the Ohio Senate Education Committee. OFT President Melissa Cropper and Thomas B. Fordham Institute Vice President Chad Aldis also provided in-person testimony.  OEA members Sandra Peloquin (Lorain EA) and Izetta Thomas (Columbus EA) joined dozens of others in submitting written opponent testimony.  OEA opposes SB 295 because it proposes a heavy-handed and overreaching state approach to local schools that receive low ratings on state report cards. SB 295 is scheduled for another hearing before the Ohio Senate Education Committee on December 17, 2024. To send an email to your state Senator asking them to oppose SB 295, use the following link:
Oppose SB 295 and Protect Our Public Schools – Ohio Education Association

SB 295 bill would expand reliance on standardized test scores for labeling schools as underperforming, arbitrarily forcing districts to take extreme measures such as squandering prior investments in school buildings by closing them, transferring control to external operators that have no link to the community, or indiscriminately replacing at least half a building’s staff, regardless of the ability to replace that staff. As we know from Ohio’s failed state takeover law that undermined progress in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland, heavy-handed state intervention based on standardized test scores ignores the barriers to learning caused by poverty and does not work.

Under the bill, school buildings operated by school districts, charter schools, and STEM Schools become subject to closure or remedial action requirements if the building meets all of the following criteria for the three most recent school years (starting with the 2024-25 state report cards):

  • School building offers a grade level higher than three; and
  • Ranked by the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) according to performance index score in bottom 5% of all rated school buildings in the state; and
  • Ranked by DEW according to effect size under the value-added progress dimension in the bottom 10% of all ranked school buildings in the state.

The board of education, governing authority, or governing body of a school that becomes subject to closure or remedial action requirements must, at the conclusion of the school year in which the school first becomes subject to those requirements, do one of the following:

  1. Close the school and redistribute students and staff within the district.  
  2. Contract with a DEW approved educational management organization, another school district, private or public college, or charter management entity.
  3. Replace the principal and at least a majority of licensed staff of the school, though this option only prevails over conflicting collective bargaining agreements or employment contracts entered into after the bill’s effective date.
  4. In the case of a school building operated by a school district, consolidate the school district in control of the school building into another school district.  
  5. Work with a Department-approved external service provider with expertise in school improvement.

HB 432: Career-Technical Educator Licenses

House Bill (HB) 432 revamps career-technical education licenses and will become effective on approximately April 19, 2025. HB 432 does the following:

  • Permits an applicant to apply for an initial career-technical workforce development educator license instead of only permitting an employing school district to apply on behalf of the applicant.
  • Permits an applicant that has received an offer of employment to enroll in one of two alternative educator preparation programs in lieu of a career-technical workforce development educator preparation program offered by a higher education institution.
  • Requires the State Board of Education to issue a career-technical educator license to certain individuals who are already validly licensed educators.

For more details the HB 432 Legislative Service Commission bill analysis may be viewed here.

SB 293 & HB 8: Religious Release Time Mandate Amended Into ‘Forced Outing’ Bill

OEA opposes SB 293, which mandates school boards adopt religious release time policies. SB 293 has been amended into HB 8, another culture war bill opposed by OEA that requires the forced ‘outing’ of students based on communication with school employees. HB 8, with SB 293 included, may get a vote in the Ohio Senate Education Committee on December 17, 2024. 

Amendments Making Changes to Student Privacy Bill (Senate Bill 29) Clear Both Chambers

Last week, the Ohio Senate Education Committee approved amendments to House Bill 432, sponsored by Representative Don Jones (R-Freemont), a bill dealing with career-technical education, to address concerns with the implementation of a new student privacy law established under Senate Bill 29, sponsored by Senator Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), which became effective in October 2024.

OEA collaborated with other interested parties and supports the student privacy amendment that does the following:

  • Removes the advance notice requirement for access related to an educational purpose.
  • Makes changes to the “72-hour notice” to limit notifications to:
    • The access is under judicial warrant or subpoena or related to a missing or stolen device, and the school district initiates responsive action.
    • The access is to prevent or respond to a threat to life or safety, and the school district initiates action in response to a warrant, subpoena, or theft, for child abuse or neglect, or related to suspension or expulsion, harassment, intimidation, or bullying, or a threat assessment.
      Removes the requirement to give notice 72-hours after a threat to life or safety has ceased when the notice itself would pose a threat to life or safety.
    • Amends the definition of “educational records” to align with the definition of “education records” set forth in the FERPA.
  • Amends the definition of “student” to limit to currently enrolled students.
  • Clarifies that the State Board of Education may take licensure action against an individual who purposely uses or intentionally releases confidential student information for purposes other than student instruction and that release violates the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators.
  • Requires that a service contract between a school district and a county board of developmental disabilities, educational service center, joint vocational school district, another school district, or an information technology center to indicate which contracting party is responsible for providing parental notice of access.
  • Adds an emergency clause to make these changes effective immediately upon signature of the Governor.

Two other amendments were requested by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and inserted in the bill. One amendment conforms to the grade band specifications for a reading competency exam requirement for new educator licenses to conform with the grade band under current law. The other addresses which students can be served at STEM Programs of Excellence.

Amended House Bill 432 was subsequently passed by the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House. The bill is pending signature by Governor DeWine.

Ohio Senate Committee to Take Up School Closure Bill; Holds Hearing Controversial “Parents’ Bill of Rights” Legislation

Senate Bill 295, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), will receive all testimony (proponent/opponent/interested party) before the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 3:00 PM. SB 295 represents an overreach that threatens public education and educators’ rights. This bill expands criteria for labeling schools as underperforming, forcing districts to take drastic actions such as closing schools, transferring control to private operators, or replacing staff—while overriding collective bargaining law and local collective bargaining agreements.

SB 295 is a continuation of failed policies that punish schools without addressing root issues like poverty, underfunded mental health resources, and educator shortages. SB 295 ignores the real reforms we need to close opportunity gaps and instead repeats mistakes like HB 70 and academic distress commissions.

Even more concerning, legislators may attempt to pass this bill with limited public testimony during the final weeks of lame duck, violating normal order and silencing Ohioans.

OEA opposes SB 295 and asks that members send their legislators a letter opposing SB 295 by using this action alert. If you are able to attend, please show up at the Statehouse for the 3:00 PM hearing. The hearing will be held in the Senate South Hearing Room. A map of the Statehouse can be found here.

Additionally, the Senate Education Committee will hear all testimony on House Bill 8, sponsored by Representative D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Representative Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), during its Tuesday hearing.

HB 8 unnecessarily entangles state government in regulating communications and relationships between parents and educators. Government mandates on these matters interfere with the professionalism of educators and weaken the principle of local control of public schools.

Chances for student success are of course best when parents, guardians, and other family members are engaged and active in the school community. Quality interaction and involvement includes meeting with educators, volunteering for school activities and trips, participating in Parent-Teacher Associations, and more.

OEA is asking members to participate in the action alert from our partners at Honesty for Ohio Education to email your legislators urging them to oppose HB 8.

Bill Dealing with Student Discipline Clears the Ohio House

House Bill 206, sponsored by Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Representative Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana), would allow a local school board to adopt a resolution that authorizes the superintendent to expel a pupil from school for a period not to exceed 180 days for actions that the superintendent determines pose imminent and severe endangerment to the health and safety of other pupils or school employees.

Additionally, the bill would require the local school district superintendent to develop conditions for a student expelled for imminent and severe endangerment to satisfy before that student may be reinstated, one of which must be an assessment by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or school psychologist to determine whether the student poses a danger. In making this decision, the local school district superintendent is required to consult with a multidisciplinary team of their selection when making reinstatement determinations for maximum-term expulsions. The bill permits the superintendent to extend the expulsion for another period not to exceed 90 school days, subject to further reassessment. The bill requires a plan for the continued education of the expelled student and would not eliminate any protections a student has under federal law (i.e., for students protected by IDEA).

HB 206 passed out of the Ohio House by a vote of 68-15. OEA is an interested party on the legislation. The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration where it will receive its first hearing before the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

Voucher Accountability Legislation Gutted in Committee 

As introduced, House Bill 407, sponsored by Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville and Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), was legislation that would bring needed fiscal and academic accountability to Ohio’s voucher programs. With universal eligibility for K-12 vouchers, Ohio now spends $1 billion a year on private school tuition with scant accountability. HB 407 would have required reporting on how public money is spent, publication of private school enrollment procedures, and voucher students to take the same state tests as their public-school peers and a similar state report card for private schools who accept vouchers. For these reasons, OEA supported the as introduced version of the bill.

However, in the last two meetings of the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee, three different substitute versions of the bill have been adopted. Each time, the accountability measures in the bill were watered down. The fiscal accountability provision and requirement to report enrollment policies were removed. Although private schools would still be issued state report cards for their voucher students under the bill, the provision requiring the same state tests was also removed. If students in these private schools are not taking the same state tests as their public-school peers, the academic accountability measure is severely blunted as parents would not have an apples-to-apples comparison of student performance. With the changes to the bill, OEA has dropped its support for HB 407 and is now an interested party, or a neutral on the bill.

HB 407 passed out of committee on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. With just a few days left in session this year, it appears unlikely that the bill will be passed into law.

Senate Passes Bill Allowing Reemployed Retirees to Run for STRS Board 

On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, the Ohio Senate unanimously passed House Bill 78, which is sponsored by Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Representative Joe Miller (D-Amherst). The bill would allow reemployed STRS retirees to run for the STRS Board as retired members. Under current law, reemployed retirees are barred from running for the STRS Board although they are able to vote in elections for retiree members of the Board. OEA supports this bill. HB 78 unanimously passed the House last year. The bill is now headed to Governor DeWine to be signed into law.

Legislative Caucuses Select Leadership Teams for the 136th General Assembly 

This week, the Ohio House and Ohio Senate majority and minority caucuses selected their leadership teams for the 136th General Assembly (2025-2026).  

Ohio Senate 

Senate Democrats returned a majority of their leadership team from the 135th General Assembly to their same posts in the 136th General Assembly.  Senator Nicki Antonio (D-Lakewood) will return as the minority leader, with Senator Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) as assistant minority leader and Senator Kent Smith (D-Euclid) as minority whip.  The only change to the leadership team for the Senate Minority Caucus is Senator-elect, Representative Beth Liston (D-Dublin), who replaces Senator Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) as the assistant minority whip.  

Republicans elected Senator Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) as the next Senate president.  The Senate majority also elected Senator Bill Rieneke (R-Tiffin) as the president pro-tempore, Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) as the majority floor leader, and Senator George Lang (R-West Chester Twp.) as majority whip.  

The breakdown of the Ohio Senate in the 136th General Assembly will be 24 Republicans to 9 Democrats.  Democrats flipped two seats this election, increasing their caucus from seven to nine.  

Ohio House 

House Democrats again returned Representative Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) as the minority leader and made no changes to the rest of the leadership slate.  Joining Leader Russo as the House Minority leadership slate are Representative Dontavious Jarrells (D-Columbus) as assistant minority leader, Representative Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) as minority whip, and Representative Michele Grim (D-Toledo) as assistant minority whip.  

The process to select House Republican leadership, which came to a close this week after months of internal jockeying and drama, ended with the majority party selecting Representative-Elect, and current Senate President, Senator Matt Huffman (R-Lima) as the next House Speaker, who was selected unanimously after no other Republican was nominated at the closed-door caucus Wednesday evening, after current Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) dropped out of the leadership race on Tuesday and Representative Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie) entry into the speaker race.  Rep. Barhorst was not nominated on Wednesday.  

Elected to fill out Senator Huffman’s leadership team are Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) as speaker pro-tempore, Representative Phil Plumber (R-Dayton) as assistant speaker pro-tempore, Representative Marylin John (R-Shelby) as majority leader, and Representative Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati) as assistant majority leader.  

In an unprecedented move, the House Majority elected four members to serve as majority whips, these include Representative Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), Representative Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), Representative Nick Santucci (R-Howland Twp.) and Representative Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.).  

The breakdown of the Ohio House will be 65 Republicans and 34 Democrats, after the minority party flipped two seats.  

Keep Up the Work to Pass the Social Security Fairness Act this Congress 

With only weeks left on the U.S. Senate’s calendar before the end of the 118th Congress, we need to make sure that the Social Security Fairness Act passes.  First, thank you for your continued advocacy to repeal GPO and WEP. Your advocacy was critical for the passage of H.R. 82 by the U.S. House of Representatives last week.   

Please continue to contact your senators and thank them for their support with the Social Security Fairness Act, urge them to call for H.R. 82 to be brought to the floor and passed before the end of the year. To view NEA’s letter to the U.S. Senate on GPO and WEP, please click here. 

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): (202) 224-2315 

U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH): (202) 224-3353 

Please also consider sending them a letter via NEA’s action alert on GPO and WEP Repeal.  

OEA Supported Bills Receive Sponsor Testimony 

House Bill (HB) 387 – OEA supports HB 387, which repeals the failed state takeover law by dissolving existing academic distress commissions and prohibits the formation of new commissions. Representative Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) and Representative Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland Heights) provided sponsor testimony in the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee earlier this week.  East Cleveland and Youngstown City Schools still remain under state control.  

House Bill (HB) 561 – OEA supports HB 561, which puts students ahead of profits by requiring charter school operators to be non-profit entities. Bill sponsor Representative Sean Brennan (D-Parma) provided testimony in the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee this week. 

House Bill (HB) 563 – OEA supports HB 563, which facilitates strategies that support aspiring educators and teacher recruitment. Bill sponsor Representative Sean Brennan (D-Parma) provided testimony in the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee this week. HB 563 does the following: 

  • Expressly allows a public school district to pay a student teacher (at least minimum wage) and offer a student teacher healthcare benefits on the same terms and conditions as those offered to teachers in the district. Recently passed law now in effect removed a prohibition on compensating student teachers, but Ohio law does not expressly state that student teachers may be compensated.  
  • Permits the Department to provide a cost-of-living stipend and test fee waivers or reimbursements to a student teacher.
  • Allows a state institution of higher education to waive tuition for an individual enrolled in a teacher preparation program for the academic period during which the individual is required to work as a student teacher.  
  • Requires the Department of Job and Family Services to add teachers to the list of in-demand jobs in Ohio. 
  • Requires the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to develop and administer an annual online staffing survey to collect data from school districts.  

View Committee Hearings in Ohio Channel Archive  
To view the most recent House Primary & Secondary Education Committee and Senate Education Committee hearings, please use the links below for The Ohio Channel Archives: 

Important Victory! U.S. House Passes GPO-WEP Repeal

The decades-long fight to repeal unfair Social Security offsets reached a critical point this week, with the U.S. House of Representatives voting overwhelmingly in favor of H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act. The legislation would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These provisions of federal law unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security and spousal/survivor benefits of public servants who have a public pension from states that did not pay into Social Security.

On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 327-75 in favor of H.R. 82. Importantly, every member of the Ohio delegation voted in support of the bill. This is historic progress, but not the end of the fight. Now, the Senate must pass the measure before the end of the year. Companion legislation in the Senate (S. 597) has broad bipartisan support with 62 cosponsors. Both Ohio’s senators support the bill. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is a lead sponsor of the bill and Vice President-elect U.S. Senator J.D. Vance listed as a co-sponsor.

Please contact your senators today and thank them for their support of the Social Security Fairness Act and urge them to call for H.R. 82 to be brought to the floor and passed before the end of the year.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): (202) 224-2315

U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH): (202) 224-3353

Please also consider sending them a letter via NEA’s action alert on GPO and WEP Repeal.

Honesty Partners Host Webinar on Intellectual Freedom and Ohio Libraries

Intellectual freedom has been under attack in Ohio. From bills censoring academic freedom and interfering with honest education in classrooms from Ohio’s colleges and universities to public PK-12 schools, we have stood up against and pushed back on bills aimed at scapegoating educators and pitting communities against public education only to keep us from coming together to demand that the state fully and adequately fund public education in Ohio. Recently, public and school libraries have been targeted with extreme legislation that would significantly and negatively impact these critical institutions.

OEA’s partners at the Honest for Ohio Education Coalition are hosting a webinar on Monday, November 18, 2024, via Zoom at 7:00 PM to talk about the challenges facing public and school libraries and how they are pushing back against this newest attack on academic and intellectual freedom and the freedom to read.

To sign-up for the webinar, please click here.

Bill to Increases Teacher Minimum Salary to $50,000 Receives First Hearing

Representative Joe Miller (D-Amherst) provided proponent testimony in the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee on House Bill (HB) 411, legislation that would make increases across the state minimum salary schedule, including a starting minimum salary of $50,000. OEA supports HB 411 as it aligns with OEA’s recommendations in the Educator Voice Academy on Teacher Recruitment and Retention.

Trans-Bathroom Bill Restrictions Go to Governor for Signature

The Ohio Senate concurred with House amendments to the Senate Bill (SB) 104, which included House Bill (HB) 183 – the trans-bathroom ban. OEA opposed HB 183’s inclusion in SB 104 and urged Governor DeWine to veto SB 104.

School Bus Safety Bill Receives Amendments in House Transportation Committee

House Bill (HB) 279 is designed to improve school bus safety, was amended by the Ohio House Transportation Committee to remove a requirement that new school buses be equipped with lap and shoulder belts. OEA supported this amendment, as school buses are specifically designed to be highly safe without seat belts through the design concept of “compartmentalization.” This includes safety elements such as narrow rows of padded seating, smooth surfaces, and an elevated seating plane. Other recommendations in the bill come from Gov. DeWine’s Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group.

Career-Technical Licensure Bill Receives Hearings in Senate Committee

The Ohio Senate Education Committee continued to hold hearings on House Bill (HB) 432, sponsored by Representative Don Jones (R-Freeport). OEA is an interested party on the bill.

HB 432 permits:

  • An applicant to apply for an initial career-technical workforce development educator license instead of only permitting an employing school district to apply on behalf of the applicant.
  • An applicant who received an offer of employment to enroll in one of two alternative educator preparation programs in lieu of a career-technical workforce development educator preparation program offered by a higher education institution.
  • Requires the State Board of Education to issue a career-technical educator license to certain individuals who are already validly licensed educators.

Religious Release Time Bills Get Committee Hearings

The Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee and Senate Education Committee held hearings this week on matching bills that would require, instead of allowing, school districts to adopt policies permitting outside organizations to remove students from school for Religious Release Time programming off school campus. Parental consent is required, and students are not permitted to miss ‘core’ subject classes. OEA opposes House Bill (HB) 445 and Senate Bill (SB) 293 because they violate the Ohio governing principle of local control of public schools, hurt students by limiting and disrupting instructional time, and raise problematic legal and accountability questions for the public that have not been resolved. OEA recommends maintaining the current law, which protects local control and student instruction by allowing locally elected school board members to gauge the impact of religious release programs on student learning and levels of community support around this potentially divisive issue. OEA provided written opponent testimony in the House and plans to do the same in the Ohio Senate.

U.S. House to Vote on Repeal of GPO-WEP 

The long battle to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) has reached a critical phase. H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, would fully repeal these provisions of law. GPO and WEP unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security benefits and spousal or survivor benefits of retirees that receive a public pension from a state that does not pay into Social Security. A discharge petition was successful earlier this fall and will bring this vitally needed legislation to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during lame duck session.

H.R. 82 will receive a floor vote before the end of the year. Now is the time to contact your Representative and urge them to vote yes on the bill. 

Click here to send your U.S. Representative a letter on this important issue: 
https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/action-center/take-action/repeal-unfair-social-security-penalties 

If you would like to call your representative’s office and urge that they vote yes on H.R. 82, please see the table below for a list of office numbers for the Ohio Delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.  If they are a co-sponsor of H.R. 82 (indicated in table below), please thank them for their support and urge them to vote yes when the bill is on the floor.  If they are not a co-sponsor, urge them to co-sponsor and vote yes on H.R. 82.  

Click here for OEA’s talking points for GPO/WEP. 

To find out which congressional district you live in, please click here. 

District 
 
Name  
Office Phone  
Co-Sponsor  
 
1 
 
Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati  
202-225-2216  
Yes 
 
2 
 
Brad Wenstrup (R-Cincinnati)  
202-225-3164  
No 
 
3 
 
Joyce Beatty (D-Blacklick)  
202-225-4324  
Yes 
 
4 
 
Jim Jordan (R-Urbana)  
202-225-2676  
No 
 
5 
 
Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green)  
202-225-6405  
No 
 
6 
 
Michael Rulli (R-Salem)  
202-225-5705  
Yes 
 
7 
 
Max Miller (R-Rocky River)  
202-225-6265  
Yes 
 
8 
 
Warren Davidson (R-Troy)  
202-225-6205  
No 
 
9 
 
Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo)  
202-225-4146  
Yes 
 
10 
 
Mike Turner (R-Dayton)  
202-225-6465  
Yes 
 
11 
 
Shontel Brown (D-Warrensville Hts.)  
202-225-7032  
Yes 
 
12 
 
Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville)  
202-225-5355  
Yes 
 
13 
 
Emilia Sykes (D-Akron)  
202-225-5261  
Yes 
 
14 
 
David Joyce (R-Chagrin Falls)  
202-225-5731  
Yes 
 
15 
 
Mike Carey (R-Columbus)  
202-225-2015  
Yes 
 

Lame Duck Session for the 135th General Assembly begins Next Week

Now that we are beyond the 2024 election, the lame duck session of the 135th General Assembly will begin the week of November 11, 2024.  For a schedule of the remaining session days for the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, please click here.

Yesterday, at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s Impact Ohio post-election conference, a bi-partisan panel of Ohio legislators talked about what is on the horizon for lame duck and the 136th General Assembly (2025-2026). Read an article from the Ohio Capital Journal on the topics discussed by the panel.

As the lame duck session progresses, OEA Government Relations will keep you informed on the status of bills we are working on or any asks for advocacy via the OEA Legislative Watch. To find a current list of OEA’s action alerts, and where you will find future alerts, please click here.

Release Time for Religious Instruction Bill Set for House Education Committee Hearing next week

House Bill 445 will receive opposition testimony before the House Primary and Secondary Education committee this Tuesday, November 12, 2024. OEA opposes HB 445 because it violates the principle of local control. Districts can already adopt these kinds of policies if they choose; requiring districts to adopt these policies would be state overreach.

Specifically, we are asking for you to send in written opposition testimony in advance of Tuesday’s hearing. Instructions included in the toolkit.

Please use the following tool kit from our partners at Honesty for Ohio Education to find out more info about how you can take action to stop HB 445.
https://www.honestyforohioeducation.org/hb-445.html

This is our chance to end GPO-WEP

For far too long, federal law has punished public servants like Ohio’s educators by reducing our earned Social Security benefits when we collect a public pension. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) have got to go! OEA members and educators around the country have been working for decades to get these unfair provisions repealed. 

The sponsors of H.R. 82, legislation that would fully repeal GPO-WEP, have filed a petition that U.S. Representatives can sign to force a floor vote after all these years. But we need your help to get at least 218 members of Congress to sign the petition. 

Click here to take action today and urge your member of Congress to sign the petition. 

This is important and time sensitive. Please take action today! 

For more information on our campaign to repeal GPO-WEP and why it is important that your U.S. Representative support H.R. 82 and sign the petition, please click here to view a short video.

OEA Applauds State Controlling Board Decision to Approve Full Funding for the State Board of Education

At the August 19, 2024, Ohio Controlling Board hearing, State Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) moved to amend the $1.85 million emergency State Board of Education (SBOE) funding request to provide full funding of $4.66 million in Fiscal Year 2025. The amended motion was approved.

Fully funding the State Board means that the Board can support the Resident Educator program, ensure the safety and well-being of students by conducting comprehensive, necessary background checks in a timely manner, help address educator recruitment and retention, and ensure timely completion of misconduct investigations so educator rights are protected without increasing licensure fees on teachers.

OEA extends its gratitude to the Ohio House leadership, to State Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) and State Representative Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake), and members of the Controlling Board for their continued work to ensure that closing the State Board’s funding gap was not placed on the backs of Ohio’s educators. Finally, OEA also thanks the many members throughout the state who advocated for the funding for the State Board. Without your continued advocacy, which sent 5,400 letters to members of the Ohio General Assembly and Governor DeWine, this outcome would not have been possible.

Click here to read a recent WOSU article about the Controlling Board’s action. 

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has called on leadership of the United States Senate to immediately bring up S. 597 for a vote. The legislation, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, is jointly sponsored by Senator Brown and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The legislation has now secured 62 bipartisan cosponsors—a filibuster-proof majority of the Senate who have expressed support. Companion legislation in the House (H.R. 82) has 323 bipartisan co-sponsors.

The GPO and WEP are unfair penalties for public service that reduce the earned Social Security benefits and spousal/survivor of public-school educators and other public employees who receive a pension from employment that did not contribute to Social Security.

OEA strongly supports this legislation and is also calling on the Senate to act. We would also like to thank Senator Brown for his leadership and tireless efforts on this issue. It is another example of his commitment to the lives of working Ohioans and our public schools. Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans are unfairly punished by these provisions of federal law. It is well past time for this to be rectified.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, the Ohio House, and Ohio Senate held their final session days before the General Assembly’s summer recess. Both chambers are likely not to return until Lame Duck session after the November 5, 2024, General Election, for session days in late November and December prior to the end of the 135th General Assembly. While the Ohio House has yet to set dates for later this calendar year, the Ohio Senate has released its session calendar for the remainder of 2024, scheduling dates in late November through December. To review the General Assembly Session Calendar, please click here.

Senate Bill 83 Stalls Out Before Legislative Recess

Thanks to OEA members and our higher education and labor partners, we were able to defeat an attempt by a small group of legislators to bring Senate Bill 83 to the floor for a full House vote. This has effectively buried Senate Bill 83 until later this year when the Ohio General Assembly returns from legislative recess in November.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), stated his refusal to engage in interested party meetings or discuss the issue with Speaker Stephens over the summer. He even stated that he will introduce a worse version of the bill next general assembly if SB 83 doesn’t pass by years end.

In its current version, SB 83 eliminates collective bargaining rights of higher education faculty members to bargain over certain working conditions. This includes prohibiting bargaining over faculty evaluations, tenure, and retrenchment (the process of reduction in force). The bill represents the largest attack on collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 in 2011.

Additionally, SB 83 contains language that micromanages higher education classrooms and threatens academic freedoms on Ohio’s public university and college campuses. OEA believes that these policies are best developed locally by faculty and administration determining the systems that work best for their campuses and not top-down state mandates.

If you have not yet sent your legislators a letter urging them to oppose SB 83, please click here to do so.

Take Action to Stop Teacher License Fee Increase

The Ohio Education Association (OEA) is deeply disappointed in the Ohio Senate majority’s inaction in addressing the State Board of Education funding gap. By not concurring with the House’s changes to Senate Bill 117, which would have provided $4.66 million to the State Board, the Senate majority’s inaction only increases the potential for teacher licensure fee increases—up to 75 percent—and cuts to an already hamstrung State Board staff.

Now that the Senate majority has closed the door on a legislative fix, OEA calls upon Governor DeWine and a bipartisan set of lawmakers from the Ohio General Assembly to ensure that the State Board receives the funding it needs at the next Controlling Board meeting on July 8.

TAKE ACTION by contacting Governor DeWine to ask that he support Controlling Board action on July 8th to fund the State Board of Education and prevent teacher licensure fee increases.

Fully funding the State Board means that the Board can support the Resident Educator program, ensure the safety and well-being of students by conducting comprehensive, necessary background checks in a timely manner, help address educator recruitment and retention, and ensure timely completion of misconduct investigations so educator rights are protected without increasing licensure fees on teachers.

House Bill 214 – Professional Conduct Policies

The Ohio House and Senate have both passed House Bill (HB) 214 (R-Adam Holmes). OEA opposes HB 214 and has requested that Governor DeWine veto the legislation. HB 214 requires public schools to adopt a policy against using statements of commitment to or soliciting or requiring specified individuals to affirmatively ascribe to specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles concerning political movements, or ideology.

HB 214 was amended to include SB 49 (R-Michele Reynolds), which requires each public school to adopt a policy that reasonably accommodates the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of students, which includes three excused absences for religious expression days.

Senate Bill 104 – Transgender Bathroom Restrictions Amended into CCP Bill

The Ohio House passed Senate Bill (SB) 104, a college credit plus bill, after amending the bill to include the transgender bathroom restrictions in House Bill (HB) 183 (R-Beth Lear). The Ohio Senate failed to read the message on SB 104 from the House, meaning that it took no action on the House changes to SB 104 before going on summer recess. OEA is opposed to HB 183 and has informed both chambers that any vote on HB 183 is a scorecard vote.

The HB 183 language included in SB 104 requires public and private PK-12 schools, educational service centers (ESCs), and institutions of higher education to designate specified facilities for the exclusive use of students of either the male biological sex or the female biological sex. The bill also prohibits public and chartered nonpublic schools and ESCs from permitting members of the female biological sex to share overnight accommodations with members of the male biological sex.

The college credit plus (CCP) provisions include requiring the Chancellor of Higher Education to establish an alternative credentialing process to certify instructors with relevant teaching experience as CCP instructors. The Chancellor must establish the alternative credentialing process within six months of the bill’s effective date. Current law already requires the Chancellor to establish credential requirements to teach under CCP. Generally, according to the Department of Higher Education’s website, accessible at: www.highered.ohio.gov, a teacher must have a master’s degree or a master’s plus graduate semester hours in a discipline to teach a CCP course.

Senate Bill 168 – Various Education Regulation Provisions

The Ohio House and Senate passed a slew of education provisions in Senate Bill (SB) 168, which the Governor is expected to sign. OEA originally was opposed to SB 168 but due to our advocacy, we were able to secure numerous improvements to the bill, including the removal of language that would have eliminated and prohibited seniority rights for non-teaching school employees during a reduction in force. The following highlights major provisions in the bill:

Teacher Evaluations

  • Permits school districts to develop and use their own frameworks for teacher evaluation, instead of using a framework developed by the State Board of Education.

Teacher Licenses

  • Changes the grade band specification for an educator license from grades six through twelve to grades seven through twelve. The pre-kindergarten through eighth grade band remains unchanged by the bill. The bill permits a person who holds a license on or before the bill’s effective date to renew that license with either the grade bands of the prior license or the new bands established under the bill.
  • Specifically permits a professional development committee to grant as credit towards continuing education requirements a professional development training required by statute to an individual seeking to renew any educator license.
  • Requires the State Board of Education to issue an alternative resident educator license to an individual who holds a master’s degree, and passes an exam, in the subject area to be taught. Also requires the holder of an initial license issued under this provision to complete a pedagogical training institute to renew that license. The holder of the license is subject to the same requirements and rights as any other resident educator. This is one of the major changes OEA was able to secure in the final version of SB 168.
  • Senior or lead professional educator – Requires an applicant for a senior professional educator license or lead professional educator license to hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Current law requires applicants to hold at least a master’s degree.

Supplemental Contracts – flex schedules

  • Modifies a contracting requirement related to districts offering. Under current law, a district offering classes for high school credit outside the normal school day is required to enter a supplemental contract with a teacher assigned to teach the classes. The bill exempts districts from this requirement if the teacher voluntarily agrees to a regularly occurring schedule outside of the normal day, the teacher’s total daily hours do not exceed a normal contractual day, and the teacher is otherwise in compliance with applicable requirements of the district’s collective bargaining agreement. This was another major provision OEA was able to secure in the final version of SB 168.

School Counselors

  • Qualifies a teacher or school counselor as “consistently high-performing” if the teacher or counselor receives the highest level of performance rating in their evaluation for at least four of the past five years and meets at least one other requirement.
  • Exempts consistently high-performing school counselors from additional coursework or professional development requirements for licensure renewal.

Student transportation − afterschool time

  • Prohibits the DEW from determining a school district noncompliant with transportation requirements if the school provides school supervised academic services to the affected students promptly after school for no more than 60 minutes after the end of the school day. Requires that any student pickup that occurs more than 60 minutes after the end of the school day be considered noncompliant with school transportation requirements.

Student training at early learning and development programs

  • Requires an institution with an early childhood teacher preparation program to permit a student who is employed by an early learning and development program to complete required student training as a paid employee of that program.

Grow Your Own Teacher and Scholarship Program

  • Expands the types of schools that may participate in, expands scholarship eligibility for, and makes other changes to, the Grow Your Own Teacher Program.
  • Changes a “qualifying school” to a “qualifying school district” and defines “qualifying school district” as a school district, educational service center, charter school, STEM school, chartered nonpublic school, or non-chartered nonpublic school that (1) is identified as “high need” by the Chancellor of Higher Education, (2) has difficulty attracting and retaining classroom teachers who hold a license to teach in a public school, and (3) either employs a scholarship recipient or is the district or school from which the recipient graduated high school.
  • Expands the eligibility for a Grow Your Own Teacher scholarship for aspiring educators (up to $7,500 per academic year for up to four academic years) to (1) any individual who is employed at a qualifying school district or (2) a high school senior who either graduates from a school in which at least 25% of the students are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch or who completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the year in which the scholarship begins and receives a Student Aid Index of $25,000 or less.

Charter School Accountability

  • Requires the DEW to develop a comprehensive framework for the purpose of determining the performance of community school sponsors.

OEA Testifies in Support of Voucher Accountability

On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified in support of a bill that would bring much-needed accountability to voucher programs in Ohio. House Bill 407, jointly sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Bill Seitz (R- Cincinnati), would help to level the playing field between public and private schools. This is especially important given that there is now universal eligibility for EdChoice vouchers in Ohio.

HB 407 would require increased financial reporting; require schools to have a policy for how they make admission decisions; require students on an EdChoice voucher to take the same state tests; and require the Department of Education and Workforce to issue a similar report card for private schools that have 20% or more of its students on vouchers. OEA supports these changes.

Click here to read President DiMauro’s testimony as a proponent of HB 407.

GPO-WEP UPDATE: Sign Up to Attend Field Hearing on Social Security Fairness Act

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has announced a field hearing on the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597) before the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy. This is vital legislation Senator Brown has sponsored that would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These provisions of federal law unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security benefits of retirees who collect a public pension in states like Ohio.

The hearing will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Columbus Firefighters IAFF Local 67 Union Hall (379 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215). The hearing is scheduled from 10:00 A.M. to Noon. OEA is strongly encouraging members to attend the hearing, click the link below to sign up.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown Field Hearing on GPO/WEP · Ohio Education Association (mobilize.us)

OEA is also asking members to submit testimony in support of the legislation to repeal GPO and WEP to the subcommittee. Any individual or organization wanting to present their views for inclusion in the hearing record should submit in a Word document, a single-spaced statement. No other file type will be accepted for inclusion. Title and date of the hearing, and the full name and address of the individual or organization must appear on the first page of the statement. Statements must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the hearing.

Statements can be emailed to:
Statementsfortherecord@finance.senate.gov
Please also send your remarks to OEA Government Relations by cc’ing govtsrv@ohea.org when you submit your remarks to the subcommittee.

Statements could also be mailed (not faxed) to:
Senate Committee on Finance
Attn. Editorial and Document Section
Rm. SD-219
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200

The NEA website has additional resources on the issue. Click here to view NEA’s toolkit on GPO and WEP.

Federal Nutrition (SNAP) Funding At Risk

Congress is currently working to renew the Farm Bill, which authorizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. The House Agriculture Committee passed a harmful bill last week that would cut $30 billion dollars from SNAP over the next 10 years. This would impact every SNAP recipient in every state across the country, including children and some of our own members who rely on SNAP. This cut also threatens to impact the newly launched Summer EBT program, which helps families buy extra groceries when school is out.

We need your help in telling Congress to oppose these cuts and work towards a Farm Bill that protects SNAP and those experiencing food insecurity. While it is likely that the Senate version of the bill will be an improvement, we need to keep the pressure on to demonstrate the importance of this program to your members and their students.

Please urge members of Congress to protect and strengthen funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by taking action here.

Senator Brown Announces Columbus Hearing on GPO-WEP Repeal

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has announced a field hearing of the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy for the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597). This is vital legislation Senator Brown has sponsored that would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These provisions of federal law unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security benefits of retirees who collect a public pension in states like Ohio.

The hearing will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Columbus Firefighters IAFF Local 67 Union Hall (379 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215). OEA is strongly encouraging members to attend the hearing, so please save the date if you can attend. We will send out exact details for the hearing once a formal hearing notice is released by the subcommittee.

In addition, OEA is asking members to submit letters in support of the legislation to repeal GPO and WEP to the subcommittee. Once an official subcommittee hearing notice is available, we will share instructions on how to submit your letter into the official committee record.

The NEA website has additional resources on the issue. Click here to view the toolkit on GPO and WEP.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive.

Senate Bill 168: OEA Testifies in Opposition to Proposals That Undermine Quality Education Services

On Tuesday, April 23, 2023, OEA presented opposition testimony to Senate Bill (SB) 168 (sponsored by Senator Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware) before the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee. The OEA SB 168 testimony focused on opposition to several provisions in the bill that would:

  • Allow employment of non-licensed individuals as classroom teachers if they hold a master’s degree and pass a subject matter exam. OEA opposes cutting corners on teacher preparation. Ohio’s students and taxpayers deserve trained and licensed educators in every classroom. Holding a master’s degree and passing a subject matter exam is not a substitute for the preparation required to obtain a professional educator license.
  • Allows high school courses to be taught outside the normal school day for no additional pay: OEA opposes eliminating a requirement in current law that districts enter into supplemental compensation contracts with teachers assigned to teach high school classes outside the normal school day. Allowing teachers to be assigned more work for less pay is unfair and makes it more difficult to recruit and retain teachers.
  • Prohibits preference for experience/seniority when making non-teacher staff reductions: OEA opposes eliminating current law that requires school districts to give preference based on seniority/experience when reducing nonteaching staff. OEA also opposes new language proposed in SB 168 that would prohibit consideration of seniority/experience as a factor when making reductions.
  • OEA does not oppose a SB 168 proposal to allow districts to opt-out of the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). However, OEA stated that the determination to use an alternative evaluation framework should be determined locally in collaboration with teachers and adopted through the local collective bargaining process.

OEA asks that members call their State Representatives and urge their opposition to the provisions outlined above. To look up your State Representative, please go to the OEA Legislative Scorecard and enter your address. Click on the “Voting Record” link for your House Representative and you will find their official contact information listed on their profile page.

House Bill 8: So-Called “Parental Rights” Bill Receives Senate Committee Hearing; No Vote Held

On April 23, 2024, the Ohio Senate Education Committee accepted a substitute (new) version of House Bill (HB) 8 for consideration. However, there was no vote on whether to pass the bill out of committee. The substitute version of HB 8 was adopted over the objection of State Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron). The changes to the bill, as described in committee, include the following:

  • Requiring school districts to get consent of parents prior to providing any physical, mental, or behavioral health care, as is now law for districts that authorize staff to administer prescription drugs.
  • Requires schools to disclose any health service or care they seek to provide that could be provided outside the school setting, and to notify parents whether that service or care is required by state law.
  • Prohibits any sexuality content from being taught to students in grades K-3.

OEA is opposed to HB 8 and has provided opposition testimony on the bill before the House and Senate committees.

Ohio Senate Amends House Bill 250 to Provide Licensure Grade Band Options; Includes Student Cell Phone Policy Provision

The Ohio Senate Education Committee amended House Bill (HB) 250, jointly sponsored by former State Representative Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) and State Representative Tracey Richardson (R-Marysville) which amends the statute pertaining to the military enlistment diploma seal, to allow an educator licensed with grade bands under former law (PK-5; 4-9; 7-12) the option to renew their license with the old grade bands or the new grade bands (PK-8; 6-12). As a reminder, House Bill 33-135th General Assembly, amended grade bands from three to two bands. Additionally, the Senate Education Committee amended the bill to require schools to adopt a cell phone policy. Governor DeWine in his recent State of the State address urged action on student cell phone use in Ohio’s schools. The cell phone provision requires the following:

  • The policy should emphasize that student cell phone use be as limited as possible during school hours to reduce telephone-related distractions in classroom settings.
  • Allows students to use cell phones for student learning, as part of a student’s individualized education plan, and to monitor or address a health concern.
  • Explicitly states that these requirements should not be construed to require a district board to adopt a policy that prohibits all cell phone use by students.
  • Grandfathers existing school district board policy that meets the above requirements.
  • District policy shall be made at public hearing and policy shall be posted.
  • Requires DEW to develop model policy but does not require school districts to utilize the model policy.

HB 250 was passed unanimously out of committee and by the full Senate on April 24, 2024, and now goes back to the Ohio House, which will likely concur with Senate changes to the bill and send it to the Governor for his signature or veto.

U.S. House Committee Schedules Hearing on GPO/WEP; Ohio Senate Joins House Urging Repeal

The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means has scheduled a hearing about the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). GPO and WEP are offsets to Social Security that unfairly punish public service by reducing earned benefits for retirees who collect a public pension from jurisdictions that did not pay into Social Security. Many OEA members are adversely affected by these provisions of federal law and OEA/NEA have long advocated for their repeal.

The Ways and Means Committee’s hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 3:00 pm. The stated reason for the hearing is to examine the intended purpose of GPO and WEP as well as shortcomings and alternatives. OEA favors a full repeal of GPO and WEP as called for in H.R. 82 the Social Security Fairness Act. This is bipartisan legislation with 312 cosponsors, a majority of the U.S. House. Companion legislation, S. 597, is sponsored by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and has over 50 co-sponsors.

Members who wish to share their stories or urge support for repeal can provide written testimony to the committee. Testimony can be submitted as a Word document attachment sent to MWSubmission@mail.house.gov by close of business on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. More information on the hearing is available by clicking here.

NEA’s action alert in support of the Social Security Fairness Act, may be found here.

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the Ohio Senate joined the Ohio House in unanimously passing House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 6. This resolution urges Congress to fully repeal GPO and WEP. The resolution passed the Senate by a vote of 30-0. OEA thanks the members of the Senate for their passage of HCR 6 and urges members of the Ohio General Assembly to work with their colleagues in Washington for full repeal of GPO and WEP.

For more information about the negative impact of GPO and WEP on educators and other public employees, please click here.

OEA Recommends Sandy Smith Fischer for STRS Board

The OEA Board of Directors has recommended Sandy Smith Fischer for election to the STRS Board. She is running for an open seat representing active teachers on the eleven-member board.

Smith Fischer is an Intervention Specialist in the Streetsboro City Schools. She has twice served as President of her local association and is currently a building representative in her local in addition to serving as Secretary of her Leadership Council.

She strongly believes in standing up for others, especially her fellow educators, and sees serving on the STRS Board as a way to continue her advocacy for the profession. As a member of the Board, she will work to maintain a stable and reliable pension for current and future retired teachers, restore benefits, and manage risks to keep our pension system strong.

Ballots will be mailed to active employees who contribute to STRS and should arrive at their homes this week. Members can vote by mail, phone, or internet. Votes must be received by May 6, 2024. If you do not receive a ballot by April 10 or lose your ballot, please email the Election Services help desk at STRSOHHelp@electionservicescorp.com or call 866-276-1506.

For more information about OEA’s recommended candidate for the STRS Board, please visit this link.

OEA Continues to Advocate for Member Retirement Security

Recommending qualified candidates for retirement system boards is just one way that OEA advocates for the retirement benefits that public education employees need and deserve. Others include advocating for active and retired members in retirement board decisions and legislative advocacy.

In recent years, as the financial status of STRS has improved, there have been several benefit changes to restore benefits to active and retired teachers. This includes a 3% cost-of-living allowance (COLA) for retirees in FY 2023 and a 1% COLA in FY 2024. Additionally, the retiree health care program is fully solvent and has seen lower premiums and rebates for enrollees in recent years.

Regarding retirement eligibility, the years of service required to retire continue to decrease incrementally. Last month, the STRS Board voted unanimously to make a permanent change to retirement eligibility to 34 years of service at any age for full benefits. Additionally, members can retire with reduced benefits with 29 years of service at any age. OEA continues to advocate that benefits be restored to active and retired members as the financial condition of STRS improves.

Additionally, OEA supports legislative proposals to increase the employer contribution to STRS to improve the financial status of the pension plan and speed the restoration of benefits. Employer contribution rates have not changed in decades and lag behind other states. At the same time, employees have seen their benefits cut and their contributions increase. This will be a difficult road, but OEA is committed to working with our members and other stakeholder groups to seek this needed change.

Another area of OEA’s advocacy is in fighting for fairness for public employees by seeking repeal of the unfair Social Security offsets. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) are provisions of federal law that reduce the earned Social Security benefits of public employees who also receive a public pension in states like Ohio that do not pay into Social Security. OEA and NEA members have long advocated for repeal of these laws. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is the lead sponsor of a bill to repeal GPO and WEP and a bill in the US House of Representatives has over 300 bipartisan cosponsors. OEA members can also help by contacting their State Senator to support House Concurrent Resolution 6, which would urge Congress to support the repeal of GPO and WEP. Members can take action by clicking here.

Reminder: 2024 Primary Election is Next Week

Have you made your plan to vote in the 2024 Primary Election? If you have not yet done so, you have under one week until the March 19, 2024, Primary Election.  Click here for a voting schedule for the 2024 Primary Election, but here are a few important reminders:

  • Early voting has already begun and will run until Sunday, March 17, 2024.  Please click here to find your county’s early voting location and the dates and times that you can cast your ballot early.
  • Absentee Voting (Vote by Mail): The deadline to request a mail-in absentee ballot has passed, however, if you have received or are awaiting an absentee ballot, please fill it out and return it via mail or drop it off at your county’s Board of Elections. Please note that if you mail your ballot, it must be postmarked by March 18, 2024, and be received by your county’s Board of Elections by March 23, 2024. You can drop off your absentee ballot to your county’s Board of Elections by 7:30 PM on March 19, 2024.
  • Primary Election Day: On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, polls are open from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM. To find important information about voting on election day, please click here.   As a reminder, Voter ID rules have changed, please click here to review a list of acceptable forms of ID to vote on election day.
  • For assistance with voting in the March 19, 2024, Primary Election, please go to: https://866ourvote.org/state/ohio/  or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Finally, the OEA has made some early candidate recommendations. To view these recommendations, please click here.

OEA Testifies on Fully Funding the State Board of Education

On Monday, March 11, 2024, Columbus Education Association member, Mr. Greg Mild, and OEA Assistant General Counsel, Ms. Kelly Phillips, provided testimony before the State Board of Education in support of fully funding the Board to prevent increase teacher licensure fees and so that the Board can properly perform its important functions around licensure, investigations, and addressing staffing recruitment and retention issues.

Mr. Mild, also a member of his district’s LPDC committee, highlighted the “tax on teachers” that educators already feel to pay for programs that are mandated but under or un-funded, as well as pay for the required continuing education credits to maintain their license. Mr. Mild implored the Board not to seek increased licensure fees to close the legislature created budget gap, stating, “[m]any educators seek to not only improve their practice through [the professional development and re-licensure] process, but they put in the time and effort to obtain additional credentials, sometimes once again required by law [as in the case of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee], or other times by choice.” Mr. Mild went on to say that “…it seems like this once-every-five year cost is reasonable, but it is simply one of numerous expenses by educators to remain licensed in a profession that is already struggling to attract and retain qualified individuals.”

Ms. Phillips focused on the impact of not fully funding the State Board on the Board’s ability to properly handle and resolve investigations of code of conduct violations. She pointed out that often, during investigations, “…educators are left with their licensure and future of their livelihoods in limbo. Meanwhile, the students they serve are stuck with substitute teachers and are denied the stable learning environment necessary to foster critical thinkers.”

Both Mr. Mild and Ms. Phillips spoke to the detrimental impact that not fully funding the State Board would have on addressing the educator staffing shortages. Mr. Mild pointed out in his comments that according to:

“[a] report by Policy Matters [Ohio]…Ohio is not gaining enough new teachers to replace those leaving the profession.  In the past decade, there has been a significant decline in the newly-licensed teachers in Ohio, from 7,634 in 2013, down to 5,000 in 2022. During that same decade, Ohio has licensed fewer homegrown teachers through in-state programs (down from 6,414 in 2013 to just 3,903 last year) while simultaneously attracting fewer new teachers from out-of-state (down from 892 in 2013 to 468 last year).”

Increasing licensure fees will only serve to exacerbate this downward trend in individuals, both from in-state and from out of state, becoming licensed educators in Ohio.

We thank Mr. Mild and Ms. Phillips for their willingness to testify before the State Board on this important issue. To read a copy of Mr. Mild’s testimony click here. For Ms. Phillip’s click here.  

In addition, 25 local associations and school districts submitted written testimony in support of fully funding the State Board. To view all testimony submitted for the March 11, 2024, State Board meeting, please click here.

As you know, OEA continues to call on state lawmakers and elected officials to fully fund the State Board of Education.  To send your legislators a letter urging them to support fully funding the State Board of Education, please click here.

OEA Testifies on GPO-WEP Repeal Resolution

At the end of last month, OEA Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hill testified in support of House Concurrent Resolution 6 (HCR 6). The resolution would urge Congress to fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These provisions of federal law unfairly punish public employees by reducing their earned Social Security benefits or spousal/survivor benefits when the employee also collects a public pension from employment that did not pay into Social Security. This has an enormous impact on public education employees in Ohio and other public servants because these positions are exempt from Social Security.

OEA’s testimony pointed out that the movement towards repeal is important and bipartisan. Legislation in Congress has over 300 cosponsors in the House, a majority of the body. Additionally, HCR 6 unanimously passed the Ohio House of Representatives in December (85-0). The resolution is currently pending in the Senate Government Oversight Committee. Click here to read OEA’s testimony in full. To contact your member of the Ohio Senate and urge their support of HCR 6, please click here.

REMINDER: Voter Registration Deadline and Early Voting Dates for March 19, 2024, Primary Election

We wanted to remind you that today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, is the deadline to register to vote for the March 19, 2024, Primary Election. Please see below for some important dates and links for information on voting in the upcoming Primary Election.

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, February 20, 2024 – Deadline to register to vote and update registrations in advance of the March 19, 2024, primary election. Boards of Election will be open until 9:00 PM for individuals to drop off registrations. See below links for how to check your registration status, register to vote, or update your registration online.
  • Wednesday, February 21, 2024 – Early voting for the 2024 Primary Election begins.  See links below for in-person early voting locations, dates, and times.
  • Monday, March 18, 2024 – Absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date if returned by mail.
  • Tuesday, March 19, 2024 – Primary Election: Polls are open from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM and absentee ballots may be returned by 7:30 PM to your Board of Elections if not returned by mail.

Important Links

  • To check your registration status, please click here.
  • To register or update your registration, please click here.
  • To find your county’s early voting location, please click here.
  • To find the schedule for early in-person voting, please click here.
  • To find out how to request a mail in ballot and vote by mail, please click here.

OEA Issues First Round of Candidate Recommendations for the 2024 Election

The OEA Fund State Council, which is comprised of the OEA Officers, and representatives of the various OEA District Associations, the OEA Board of Directors, and OEA-Retired that makes decisions for the OEA Fund (OEA’s Political Action Committee), met at the beginning of February to approve Friendly Incumbent endorsement recommendations for members of the Ohio General Assembly.

These recommendations include incumbent legislators from both parties. To qualify to receive a Friendly Incumbent recommendation, members of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate must meet all the following criteria:

  • They were recommended by OEA in their last campaign and are seeking re-election to that same office.
  • They have a good working relationship with OEA members and staff and support many of OEA’s key legislative priorities.
  • Have a score of greater than fifty (50) on the current OEA Scorecard.
  • They have not voted in favor of Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education Destruction Act, the largest attack on collective bargaining rights in Ohio since SB 5 in 2011.
  • Consideration of other extenuating circumstances affecting their race, standing, and relationship with OEA.

To find a list of OEA and NEA recommended candidates as of February 19, 2024, please click here.

We encourage you to contribute to the OEA Fund so that OEA can support candidates from both parties that support public education, the rights of educators, and collective bargaining in Ohio. To contribute, please click here. Also, OEA’s 2024 Screening and Endorsement process will begin in earnest post the 2024 Primary Election, please encourage your local association to participate in candidate screenings that they are eligible to participate in for Ohio House and Senate Districts in your area.

Call to Action: Urge your Legislators to Fully Fund the State Board, don’t increase educator licensure fees.

OEA is calling on state lawmakers to fully fund the State Board of Education, rather than pass a manufactured budget gap onto the backs of hardworking teachers by increasing licensure fees.

Fully funding the State Board will ensure that the Board can support the Resident Educator program, ensure the safety and wellbeing of students by conducting comprehensive, necessary background checks in a timely manner, help address educator recruitment and retention, and ensure timely completion of misconduct investigations so educator rights are protected without increasing teacher licensure fees.

Contact your state representative and state senator to urge them to fully fund the State Board of Education so that the cost of running the State Board is not passed onto teachers.

Click here to send your state representative and senator a letter. If you wish to call your legislators, you can find their official phone number by going to OEA’s Legislative Scorecard (https://scorecard.ohea.org). Put your address in the “Find Your Representative” search box and click on your legislators’ page to find their full contact information.

Voucher Accountability Bill Introduced 

On Monday, February 12, 2024, legislation was introduced to increase fiscal and academic accountability of private schools who accept vouchers. House Bill (HB) 407, jointly sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Bill Seitz (R- Cincinnati), would help to level the playing field between public and private schools. This is especially important given that there is now universal eligibility for EdChoice vouchers in Ohio.

Last December, the Representative Assembly adopted changes to the OEA legislative policies that support increased accountability for private schools that accept the EdChoice voucher. OEA supports policies to require regular audits of private schools accepting vouchers; prohibit discrimination in admissions; require voucher students to take the same state tests as their public-school peers; and issue comparable school report cards. 

HB 407 would require increased financial reporting; require schools to have a policy for how they make admission decisions; require most voucher students to take the same state tests; and require the Department of Education and Workforce to issue a similar report card for private schools that have 25% or more of its students on vouchers.

OEA supports these changes and thanks Representative Manning and Representative Seitz for proposing the bill. 

Anti-Lunch Shaming Bill Introduced in Ohio House

House Bill 408, jointly sponsored by Representative Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) and Representative Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus), would require a school district to provide a meal to a student who requests one. The bill eliminates “lunch shaming” policies by prohibiting the following practices: requiring a student to discard a meal because of the inability to pay; requiring a student to do chores for the meal; public identification of the student; and denying a meal to a student as a form of disciplinary action.  The bill also requires school districts to send student meal debt information to parents/guardians and not be given to the student. 

The bill is pending committee assignment. OEA supports the legislation and believes that school meals should be provided to all students at no cost. OEA also thanks Representative Brewer and Representative Mohamed for their proposed legislation.

New Bill will Accomplish OEA Goal of $50k State Minimum Starting Teacher Salary 

Former teacher and OEA member Representative Joe Miller (D-Amherst) introduced House Bill (HB) 411 last week. The bill will help recruit and retain high quality teachers by implementing OEA’s goal of raising the state minimum starting teacher salary to $50,000. 

Experienced teachers also benefit under HB 411, which raises all step increase minimums above the proposed $50,000 base salary on the eleven-step state minimum salary schedule (e.g., state minimum salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree at Step 11 would be increased to $70,900). Local Associations would retain the ability to bargain their own salary schedules above the state minimums. 

Recent OEA member advocacy successfully increased the state minimum starting teacher salary from $30,000 to $35,000. (HB 33 – 135th Ohio General Assembly).

For a copy of HB 411 click here. OEA thanks Representative Joe Miller for his work to fight for the dignity and respect of educators in Ohio with HB 411.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive.

Contact Your Member of Congress About the Need to Repeal GPO/WEP

Federal legislation is needed to repeal the unjust Social Security offsets that unfairly punish public service workers in states like Ohio. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) are provisions of federal law that reduce the earned Social Security, spousal, and survivor benefits of those who also collect a public pension from states that do not pay into Social Security. Because Ohio is a non-Social Security state, many teachers, education support professionals and other public servants are adversely impacted by GPO/WEP.

The Social Security Fairness Act (House Resolution 82 and Senate Resolution 597) proposes to fully repeal GPO/WEP. NEA and OEA strongly support the legislation.  U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is a primary sponsor of S. 597 and has submitted a bill to repeal GPO/WEP during the last several sessions of Congress.

HR 82 has overwhelming bi-partisan support with over 304 co-sponsors (more than half of Congress). However, action is needed to progress the bill forward. Specifically, we are calling on the House Ways and Means Committee to hold a “mark-up” session for the bill. This is an important next step.

Ohio has two members of this vital committee: Representatives Brad Wenstrup (R-2nd District) and Mike Carey (R- 15th District). We encourage OEA members in those districts to contact their representative and urge them to call for a mark-up of HR 82. To look up your congressional district, please click here.

To contact U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup, please dial 202-225-3164 

To contact U.S. Representative Mike Carey, please dial 202-225-2015 

OEA members in other districts can express their support for the bill by using the NEA action alert click here. 

For more information about the impact of GPO and WEP, please click here.

Ohio General Assembly Overrides Governor’s Veto of HB (House Bill) 68 

Last month, the Ohio General Assembly voted to override Governor DeWine’s veto of House Bill (HB) 68.  OEA is opposed to HB 68, and supported Governor DeWine’s veto and opposed the veto override of HB 68 by the Ohio General Assembly. HB 68 creates unnecessary regulations that limit student participation in high school and collegiate athletic teams. The bill would discriminate against some students by establishing an absolute prohibition on transgender female participation on teams designated only for female participants. OEA has long stood for policies that are inclusive of students regardless of race, class, gender, or identity. 

The proposed regulations in HB 68 conflict with existing policies adopted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and the National College Athletic Association (NCAA). Current OHSAA policy allows transgender female participation on a female-designated sports team under certain conditions but does not have an absolute bar on participation for these students. The NCAA policy calls for transgender student-athlete participation policies to be determined by the national governing body of each sport. OEA recommended that the State defer to the governing bodies of student athletics and not enact laws that contain unnecessary regulations that limit student participation. 

The Ohio House voted to override Governor DeWine’s veto of HB 68 by a vote of 65-28; the Ohio Senate did the same by a vote of 24-8.  Copies of the OEA’s letter urging the Ohio General Assembly to not override Governor DeWine’s veto of HB 68 may be found HERE (Ohio Senate) and HERE (Ohio House).

House Passes Resolution on GPO and WEP Repeal; Passes Bill Regarding STRS Board Elections and Student Teacher Eligibility

On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, the Ohio House voted unanimously in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 6 (HCR 6). The resolution, jointly sponsored by Representatives Angela King (R-Celina) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), urges Congress to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). GPO and WEP are provisions of federal law that unfairly punish public servants by reducing their earned Social Security, spousal, and survivor benefits when they also collect a public pension from states that do not pay into Social Security. Because Ohio is a non-Social Security state, many teachers, education support professionals, and other public servants are adversely impacted by GPO and WEP. OEA and NEA continue advocacy in Congress to repeal these unfair and punitive provisions of federal law. OEA strongly supports HCR 6 and is grateful that the Ohio House is calling for this needed change. To view OEA’s floor letter on HCR 6 click here. HCR 6 passed the Ohio House with a vote of 85-0. The resolution now heads to the Senate for its consideration.

Click here to send your member of Congress a letter urging them to support GPO and WEP repeal.

Also on Wednesday, the House passed another piece of legislation dealing with retirement issues. House Bill 78, jointly sponsored by Representatives Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Joe Miller (D-Amherst), makes some adjustments to the State Teachers Retirement System. The bill would allow rehired retirees to run for a retiree seat on the STRS Board. Additionally, the bill would provide STRS membership to student teachers who hold a pre-service teacher permit and earn compensation as substitute teachers. OEA supports HB 78. To view OEA’s proponent testimony on HB 78 from the June 13, 2023, Ohio House Pensions Committee click here. The bill passed the Ohio House 89-0 and will now go to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Please Continue your Advocacy Opposing SB 83, the Higher Education “Destruction” Act

As a reminder, Senate Bill 83 was favorably reported by the House Higher Education Committee with a narrow vote of 8 to 7. The bill was allowed to pass from committee because Representative Gayle Manning, who previously told OEA and partners that she opposed SB 83 but changed her vote to a yes vote days before the committee’s final consideration. In response to her decision, OEA sent Rep. Manning a letter expressing OEA’s disappointment with her “yes” vote on SB 83. OEA urges members to call her office to express their disappointment with her vote, urge her to publicly oppose SB 83, and ask that she vote “no” on SB 83 if it comes up for a vote before the full Ohio House. To connect with Rep. Manning’s office please call 614-644-5076.

We need to keep up our advocacy to make sure SB 83 is stopped in the Ohio House. Please send your state representative a letter urging them to oppose SB 83 by clicking here.

Senate Bill 83 Narrowly Passes out of the Ohio House Higher Education Committee

Less than 24 hours before the House Higher Education Committee was to meet, Chairman Tom Young (R-Washington Township) amended the committee agenda to place Substitute Senate Bill 83 on the agenda for a possible vote.  The following morning, Substitute Senate Bill 83 was passed by a vote of 8-7.  In an underhanded move, Chair Young prohibited committee members from offering bill amendments or making comments regarding the bill.  Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) who previously indicated that she was a “no” vote on SB 83 switched her vote and voted “yes” to favorably report the bill. OEA is deeply disappointed and dissatisfied with Representative Manning’s vote and ask that you call her office to express your disappointment in her vote.  Rep. Manning’s office number is 614-644-5076.  Representatives Gail Pavliga (R-Portage County) and Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) joined with the committee’s Democratic members in voting “no.”
 
Substitute Senate Bill 83, known as the Higher Education “Destruction” Act, is a sweeping piece of legislation that will eliminate collective bargaining rights of higher education faculty over certain working conditions and harm academic freedom on Ohio’s public university and college campuses. This bill represents the largest attack on collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 in 2011.
 
The bill now heads to the Ohio House Rules and Reference committee to determine its fate for full House consideration. OEA urges you to continue to make your voice heard on this unpopular bill. If you haven’t already, please contact your Ohio House member using the online Action Alert and urge them to oppose this bill. 

Senate Bill 83 Continues to Receive Substantial Opposition

Last week the Ohio House Higher Education Committee held a hearing on Substitute Senate Bill 83. Over 130 professors, students, concerned citizens and organizations submitted opposition testimony while there were only seven proponents to the measure. You may view OEA’s opposition testimony here. Additionally, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens stated that the bill doesn’t have enough support to get through the Ohio House. You may read the article here.

While the substitute bill removed an earlier provision which prohibited faculty and other higher education employees from striking, the measure retains language that prohibits higher education faculty unions from bargaining on evaluations, tenure, and retrenchment policies. Additionally, it includes language that micromanages higher education classrooms and threatens academic freedom. OEA believes that these policies are best developed locally by faculty and administration determining systems that work best for their campuses.

OEA remains focused on urging the Ohio House of Representatives to reject Substitute Senate Bill 83. Please contact your State Representative to urge them to oppose Substitute SB 83. To look up your State Representative’s contact information, please visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ and type in your address in the search bar under “Who Represents Me?” SB 83 is bad for students, higher education, and the future of Ohio.

OEA Launches Updated Legislative Scorecard

OEA is excited to announce its newly updated Legislative Scorecard. At last year’s Fall Representative Assembly, OEA was charged with updating its legislative scorecard per New Business Item (NBI) #FA-2022-1, known as the “Know Your Legislator” NBI. The 2023 Fall Representative Assembly, held on December 2, 2023, received a preview of the updated page during Vice President Jeff Wensing’s report.

The NBI required that:

OEA Staff and/or officers will rebrand, create strategies for promotion, and add to the functionality of the OEA Legislative Scorecard website to allow for increased member engagement in legislative advocacy and member lobbying. The increased functionality shall create the ability for reviewing important priority legislation OEA tracks that is relevant to education, the legislator/s who proposed it, and how legislators voted on it.

After OEA governance and staff work throughout 2023, OEA’s scorecard has been updated and is now live. The new page provides members with an updated, user-friendly interface to navigate and explore legislative insights and how actions of the General Assembly impact public education. It also includes extended data so members can dive deep into legislative actions, and real-time updates to see the latest changes to legislative policies and decisions made by legislators.

To access the page, please click here. To download a promotional flyer that you can share with your colleagues please click here. If you have any questions about the new scorecard, please contact OEA Government Relations at govtsrv@ohea.org.

Take Action on GPO/WEP Repeal

The Social Security Fairness Act (House Resolution 82 and Senate Resolution 597) proposes to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These are provisions of federal law that unfairly punish public service by reducing the earned Social Security, spousal, and survivor benefits of many retirees of public pension plans.

Together GPO and WEP deprive more than 2.7 million educators and other dedicated public servants of Social Security benefits. This includes more than 162,000 Ohioans who lose retirement benefits just because they dedicated their career to public service.

GPO and WEP discourage people from becoming educators, especially those in mid-career who stand to lose Social Security benefits they have already earned. That, in turn, can adversely affect the quality of the education our students receive and threatens the retirement security of hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.

Both OEA and NEA support the Social Security Fairness Act. The legislation has strong bi-partisan support in both chambers. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is a primary sponsor of S. 597 and has submitted a bill to repeal GPO/WEP during the last several sessions of Congress. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance has also signed on as a co-sponsor. Of the Ohio Congressional delegation, 11 out of the 15 members of the U.S. House from Ohio are co-sponsors of H.R. 82.

Momentum is building for H.R. 82 as it had a field hearing on November 20th. Now it is time that the House Ways and Means Committee schedule a “mark-up session” for the bill. We are asking OEA members to contact the Ohio members of the House Ways and Means Committee to encourage them to push for a mark-up session for HR 82.

Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-2nd District) and Congressman Mike Carey (R-15th District), both from Ohio, serve on the House Ways and Means committee. If you live in either of these districts, please consider calling your U.S. Representative and urge them to push for a mark-up session for H.R. 82.

To contact U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup, please dial 202-225-3164

To contact U.S. Representative Mike Carey, please dial 202-225-2015

If you don’t know what congressional district you live in, please go to: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

To send a letter to your members of Congress urging them to repeal GPO and WEP, please click here.

OEA Testifies on Academic Intervention Legislation

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, OEA offered interested party testimony on Senate Bill 162. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Andy Brenner (R- Delaware), would require school districts to provide academic intervention services to students who score “limited” on state assessments in math, English language arts, or both. These intervention services must be offered free of cost to the student and must not supplant the student’s core academic instructional time. The bill establishes that intervention services can be offered directly through the school, through a vendor, or a combination of both. The services can range from tutoring, additional instructional time, an extended school calendar, or other programs.

While supporting the intent of the legislation, OEA’s testimony raised several concerns about the bill. One concern is that the bill as introduced relied solely on a single test on a single day to identify students in need of intervention services. Educators have far more information about a student’s knowledge and capabilities than a single test score. During the hearing, a substitute bill was adopted that included language that allows schools to exempt students if they receive a grade of “C” or higher in the course and have scored at or above grade level on the last two diagnostic tests in the subject. This language was based on OEA’s recommendation.

A remaining concern about the legislation is that it does not apply to private schools that accept vouchers. OEA believes that students who attend private schools with tuition paid for by Ohio taxpayers should take the same tests as their public-school counterparts and the private schools should be held to the same requirements under the bill. Additional hearings on the bill and a potential committee vote are expected in December.

Senate Passes Bill Placing Insurance Limits on Dental Care

On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 115. The bill would prohibit dental insurance companies from having a contractual requirement with providers that limit charges for non-covered dental services. OEA opposes this bill as it will result in higher costs for members and their families. SB 115 passed with a vote of 22-8 and will now progress to the Ohio House for committee hearings and further consideration.

HB 214 – Legislation Requiring Local Professional Conduct

The Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 214 by a vote of 64-30 on November 15, 2023. The bill requires school districts, charter schools, and STEM schools to adopt a policy against using statements of commitment to or soliciting or requiring specified individuals to affirmatively ascribe to, specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles concerning political movements, or ideology.

OEA opposes HB 214 because it risks creating a state mandated political censorship maze across Ohio’s 600-plus school districts and charter schools is in no one’s interest, least of all students. Further, the OEA believes that professional conduct guidance for educators is better addressed through the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators, which is developed by the Educator Standards Board and adopted by the State Board of Education, the professional licensing board for educators in Ohio.

Before the Ohio House voted on the bill, Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) offered an amendment on the floor that would have required each local policy adopted under this division to comply with the licensure code of professional conduct. The House voted 62-32 not to consider the amendment. Joining Democrats voting to consider the amendment were two Republicans, Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Andrea White (R-Kettering). HB 214 was subsequently passed by a vote of 64-30, with Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) joining Democrats in voting ‘No.’

SB 168 – Ohio Senate Considers Wide-ranging “Deregulation” Proposals

OEA provided opponent testimony on SB 168 in the Ohio Senate Primary & Secondary Committee on November 14, 2023. The bill proposes wide-ranging regulatory statutory changes that intend to provide “regulatory flexibility” to schools and districts across the state. These changes would impact standards for hiring educators, teacher evaluations, professional development, dyslexia intervention training, nonteaching staff reductions, as well as eliminate numerous statutes the legislations deems “obsolete.”

Many of the changes contained in the bill would undermine the ability for Ohio’s students to have access to high-quality student services. To the extent some of the bill’s proposals seek to address educator shortages, OEA recommends avoiding approaches that lower hiring and licensure standards. OEA stands ready to work on comprehensive policies to address the root causes of education staff shortages (e.g. see OEA’s Educator Voice Academy recommendations on Teacher and Education Support Professional Recruitment and Retention) in ways that strengthen and support the education profession.

House Committee Adopts Substitute Bill to Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education “Destruction” Act Last week, the “dash 11” version of Senate Bill (SB) 83 was accepted in the Ohio House Higher Education Committee. Notably, the substitute bill removes a provision prohibiting faculty and other employees from striking. While this is welcome news, the bill retains language that is anti-labor that prohibits higher education faculty unions from bargaining on evaluations, tenure, and retrenchment policies (see exception below). OEA firmly believes that these policies are best developed locally by faculty and administration determining systems that work best for their campuses. Below is a summary of other key changes reflected in Substitute Senate Bill 83:
  • Adds an exception to the proposed prohibition against collectively bargaining on retrenchment policies to allow a higher education institution that has a collective bargaining agreement in effect on the bill’s effective date containing a provision on retrenchment to continue to bargain over retrenchment policies for new or renewed agreements for only faculty with between 30-35 years of service in a public retirement system.
  • Provides a broad definition of retrenchment which would make it easier for administrations to terminate academic programs and faculty positions.
  • Reduces the student evaluation portion of an annual faculty evaluation from 50% to 25%.
  • Adds an appeal process for final faculty evaluations.
  • Removes the requirement that institutions must change their mission statements to include certain language, and, instead, requires that language be included into a “statement of commitment.”
  • This language must include a declaration that it is “committed to not requiring, favoring, disfavoring, or prohibiting speech or lawful assembly.” Retains the prohibition on mandatory training and programs regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), unless it is required to comply with state and federal laws, professional licensure requirements, or to obtain or retain accreditation.
  • Removes the requirement that the Chancellor of Higher Education approve a request for an exemption from the prohibition on a mandatory DEI program and course.
  • Requires a state institution to provide a written report to the Chancellor summarizing all mandatory DEI programing and training at the state institution.
  • Requires institutions to establish complaint processes for perceived violations of the DEI policies, “intellectual diversity,” and “specified concepts.”
  • Removes references to “sexual orientation”, “gender identity,” or “gender expression” in the sections that require institutions to provide equal opportunity leaving only “race,” “ethnicity,” “religion,” and sex in those sections.
  • Allows community colleges to supply a “general syllabus” to satisfy the public syllabi component of the bill. A “general syllabus” for a course includes requirements for a calendar outlining what materials and topics will be and when they will be covered and a list of any required or recommended readings for the course.
  • Reduces the terms of office for state university board of trustee members from nine to six years. This provision only applies to state universities.
  • Requires a state institution, instead of the Chancellor, to develop a course with no fewer than three credit hours in American history or government.
OEA remains focused on urging the Ohio House of Representatives to reject Substitute Senate Bill 83. Please contact your State Representative to urge them to oppose Substitute SB 83. To look up your State Representative’s contact information, please visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ and type in your address in the search bar under “Who Represents Me?” REMINDER: NEA Action on Department of Labor Overtime Rules As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to expand overtime benefits, which are governed by the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA), to include earnings up to $55,000, currently, the overtime provision covers workers earning $35,000 and below. This change would impact an estimated 3.6 million workers nationwide, including education support professionals (ESPs) who make below $55,000, to qualify for overtime benefits. However, teachers and faculty are exempted from the current and proposed rules. This proposed rule has many benefits, but it should also include overtime protections for classroom teachers and faculty! The deadline to comment on the proposed USDOL rule is, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Click here to tell the Department of Labor that it is unfair to continue excluding dedicated teachers and faculty from overtime pay. OEA Testifies in Opposition to Bill that would Confuse Educator Professional Standards On October 17, 2023, OEA Secretary Treasurer Mark Hill delivered opponent testimony on House Bill (HB) 214 before the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee. HB 214 would cause unnecessary distraction and confusion for educators, students, administrators, and parents by requiring vague and amorphous local censorship guidelines in Ohio’s 600 plus school districts and hundreds of charter schools. To read OEA’s opponent testimony to HB 214 click HERE. After the hearing, House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Chairman, Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), called an interested party meeting with the bill’s sponsor, Representative Adam Holmes (R-Nashport), Democratic members of the Committee, and representatives of the school administrative groups, to discuss concerns with the bill and propose amendments. This interested party process resulted in the acceptance of a substitute version of HB 214 on October 24, 2023. While the substitute bill made some improvements, OEA remains opposed to the legislation in its current format. OEA Submits Written Opponent Testimony to School Bus Seat Belt Mandate Bill On October 31, 2023, OEA President Scott DiMauro provided written opponent testimony on House Bill (HB) 279 to the Ohio House Transportation Committee. HB 279 would require seat belts to be installed on all school buses currently in use and all future school buses purchased. OEA has historically opposed mandatory seat belts in school buses, as buses are designed to be extremely safe without seat belts with the design concept of “compartmentalization.” In many cases, seat belts on school buses can increase the safety risk to students and dangerously limit the ability of school bus drivers to get students out of a bus after an accident. Included with the written testimony were comments from OEA Education Support Professional (ESP) members expressing their concerns over the proposed legislation. OEA thanks Barb Armour and Jennifer Hein from Brunswick Educational Support Professionals Association, Stephanie Griffieth from Northeastern Local Association of School Employees (Clark County), and Margie Stevens from Lancaster School Support Association, for providing comments to support OEA’s opposition testimony on HB 279. To read a copy of OEA’s HB 279 opponent testimony and ESP member comments, click HERE.

NEA Action on Department of Labor Overtime Rules

The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to expand overtime benefits, which are governed by the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA), to include earnings up to $55,000. Currently, the overtime provision covers workers earning $35,000 and below. This change would impact an estimated 3.6 million workers nationwide, including education support professionals (ESPs) who make below $55,000.

Unfortunately, teachers and faculty would not benefit from this proposed change. Under the current and proposed rules, all teachers are exempted from overtime pay even if they earn a salary below the threshold. The only other workers who are excluded from the FLSA rules on overtime pay protections are doctors and lawyers. Both professions earn significantly more than teachers.

Excluding teachers from the FLSA’s protections will only serve to exacerbate the teacher shortage crisis at a time when teacher turnover has hit an all-time high. One of the main issues for the teacher shortage across the state is low pay and the “teacher pay penalty,” which is the gap between what teachers earn compared to similarly educated professionals.  Per an Economic Policy Institute Report, Ohio teachers make 14 percent on average less than those in similarly educated professions. And we know that teaching is not a profession contained only in a 40-hour work week. Many teachers work well past their contract workday. According to USDOE data, all full-time public-school teachers spend on average 52 hours per week on “teaching and all other school related activities,” while contracts only require 38.5 hours of work on average. This means that teachers do not receive compensation for a significant number of hours they spend working beyond their normal workday.

While the proposed rule has many benefits, it should also include overtime protections for classroom teachers and faculty to help close the teacher pay gap and address the teacher staffing crisis! Click here to tell the Department of Labor that it is unfair to continue excluding dedicated teachers and faculty from overtime pay.

U.S. Senator Brown Introduces Act Expanding Access to Locally Sourced Food in Schools

A group of bi-partisan legislators, including U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), introduced the Farm to School Act, which would support farmers and bring more fresh, locally grown foods to school lunchrooms across the country.

Senator Brown, joined by Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R) and Virgin Island Delegate, U.S. Representative Stacey Plaskett (D), introduced the Act during National Farm to School Month.  In a press release from Senator Brown’s office on October 25, 2023, Senator Brown emphasized the importance of passing the Act for both farms and schools in Ohio.

“Ohio farmers grow some of the best produce in the country and farm to school programs help connect students with those fresh foods…[this] legislation will increase locally grown foods in our school lunchrooms while strengthening farms and rural communities in Ohio and across the country.”

Read the full release here.

Earlier this year, OEA and coalition partners were instrumental in expanding access to free school meals for thousands of Ohio students with the passage of HB 33, the state’s biennial operating budget for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.  Under HB 33, students on the reduced meal schedule now qualify for free meals.  While this is a step in the right direction, OEA is committed to continuing to expand access to free meals for Ohio’s students. 

Senator Brown’s Farm to School Act supports our effort to expand student access to nutritious, free meals by ensuring that students have access to locally sourced, nutritious foods from Ohio farmers. The Act, if passed, would increase the Farm to School Grant Program funding from $5 million to $15 million per year, increase the maximum grant award to $500,000, and reduce barriers for applying for the grant by permitting the USDA the authority to modify or waive the current 25% non-federal matching requirement. Furthermore, the Act would help grantees improve procurement and distribution of local food and expand the scope of the program to include pre-schools, summer food service, and after-school programs.

A one-pager on the Farm to School Act of 2023 may be downloaded by clicking here.

U.S. Senator J.D. Vance Joins Senator Brown as a Co-Sponsor of Act to Repeal GPO/WEP

Ohio’s junior Senator, J.D. Vance, signed onto the bi-partisan Government Pension Offset/Windfall Elimination Provision (GPO/WEP) repeal legislation, known as the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597/ H.R. 82), after meeting with OEA’s NEA Directors in a meeting at the end of September. 

The Act, sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), would fully repeal the GPO and WEP. GPO and WEP impact more than 2.5 million Americans, and over 160,000 Ohioans, including many educators and their families.  WEP reduces Social Security benefits of educators who may have entered the education profession as a second career or that are compelled to take a part-time or summer job to make ends meet. GPO reduces (or eliminates) the Social Security spousal or survivor benefits of people who also get a pension based on federal, state, or local government employment (this includes educators in OPERS, SERS, and STRS) not covered by social security. To find out more about how GPO and WEP impacts workers in Ohio and nationally, please visit NEA’s resource library. GPO and WEP discourage people from becoming educators, especially those in mid-career, who stand to lose their Social Security benefits they have already earned.

OEA thanks U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown for continuing to be a strong advocate for educator retirement security and applauds U.S. Senator Vance and other members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation for signing onto the Act to repeal GPO and WEP. However, there are still four members of Ohio’s U.S. House Delegation that have yet to sign onto the legislation as a co-sponsor. These members are U.S. Representatives Warren Davidson (R-8), Jim Jordan (R-4), Bob Latta (R-5), and Brad Wenstrup (R-2). Please email your legislator to either urge their continued support of or to co-sponsor the Social Security Fairness act to fully repeal both GPO and WEP by clicking here.

Redistricting Commission Approves New Legislative Maps

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new legislative districts for the Ohio House and Ohio Senate. These district maps, if upheld, will be used in the upcoming 2024 election. Additionally, because the proposal received bipartisan support, the maps will remain in effect until after the 2030 census unless the current redistricting process is changed.

The approved maps give a massive advantage to Republicans, with 61 of 99 House districts and 23 of 33 Senate districts favoring Republican candidates. This represents even larger majorities than the districts used in 2022 which were ruled unconstitutional for disproportionately favoring one party. However, Democratic members of the Commission voted in favor of the new maps after securing some changes to those initially proposed. The prevailing thought is that new maps are likely to be upheld given changes on the Ohio Supreme Court since the last election.

Approval of these legislative districts happened against the backdrop of a planned campaign for a new constitutional amendment to take the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians altogether. A group called Citizens Not Politicians is planning an initiative campaign for the 2024 ballot that would replace the Ohio Redistricting Commission with a bipartisan commission of citizens tasked with drawing state legislative and congressional districts. The proposal is based on the premise that voters should pick their politicians, not the other way around. The OEA Board of Directors officially endorsed the Citizens Not Politicians ballot campaign at its September 23, 2023, meeting. More information about the campaign may be found here.

U.S. Senator Brown Introduces Legislation to Increase Federal Educator Tax Deduction; OEA and NEA Officially Endorse Brown’s Re-election

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) recently introduced the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation that seeks to quadruple the amount educators can deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses. The current federal deduction for teachers is $250 and would increase to $1,000 under the legislation.

Senator Brown stated the following on the legislation, “Ohio educators shouldn’t have to dip into their too-small paychecks simply to do their jobs. We need to allow teachers to deduct more of those costs from their taxes, so they can ensure Ohio students get the education they deserve.” Please click here to read a press release from Senator Brown’s office on the proposal.

OEA and NEA are pleased to be supporting the bill.  It is also endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

The OEA Fund (for Children and Public Education) State Council (which is comprised of the OEA Officers, representatives from the OEA District Associations, the Board of Directors, and OEA-R) screened and recommended to the NEA PAC Council the endorsement of Senator Sherrod Brown in his re-election bid to the U.S. Senate next year. On Thursday, September 21, 2023, the NEA PAC Council confirmed the OEA-Fund State Council’s recommendation. Please note that all declared candidates from both major parties were invited to screen before the OEA Fund State Council, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown was the only candidate to respond to the invite to screen.

Substitute SB 49 Would Rework Ohio Law Regarding Excused Student Absences

The Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee is now considering a new version of SB 49 (R-Reynolds) that reworks Ohio law governing excused student absences and makes changes to how the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is calculated on state report cards. The previous version of SB 49, as passed by the Ohio Senate, had been limited to providing students up to three excused absences for religious expression days. Religious expression days remain part of substitute SB 49 as a “legitimate excuse” for student absences. OEA is reviewing the changes to the bill.

The substitute version of SB 49 introduces several changes related to school attendance and graduation reporting:

  • It prevents schools from counting the first 60 hours of a student’s nonmedical legitimate excuse absences in a school year when determining excessive absences but requires them to count the 61st hour and subsequent hours as excessive absences.
  • It allows students absent for religious expression days to participate in interscholastic athletics on those days, with other absences for legitimate excuses subject to the school’s discretion regarding athletic participation.
  • The first 60 hours of legitimate excuse absences are considered excused and not factored into habitual truancy determinations.
  • “Legitimate excuse” is defined as an approved reason for a student’s absence, including illness, family illness, quarantine, death of a relative, medical appointments, religious expression days, college visits, military enlistment reporting, foster care placement, student homelessness, deployment activities of a parent, guardian, or custodian, 4-H and FFA activities, exceptional farm work, family business inability to employ help, and other circumstances determined by school officials as good and sufficient cause for absence.
  • The Department of Education and Workforce cannot include absences with legitimate excuses when calculating the state report card’s chronic absenteeism indicator for schools.
  • The four-year adjusted cohort graduate rate is changed from a performance measure factored into the state report card’s Graduation component to report-only data that doesn’t affect the performance rating.
  • A new performance measure, a four-year graduation measure, is established for the state report card’s Graduation component. It’s calculated similarly to the adjusted cohort graduation rate but excludes students with IEPs who qualify for a diploma but choose not to receive one and continue receiving education services.
OEA Summary of Final Budget Bill On July 3, 2023, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 33, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025. OEA members, staff, and partners had been involved in the budget debate since the beginning of the year. And because of our combined advocacy, we were able to secure major gains in education funding and positive policy changes for public education, educators, and students in Ohio. Because of our work to build a bloc of pro-public education, bi-partisan legislators in the Ohio House, the final budget bill contains the House-passed version of the Fair School Funding Plan.  This version updates the base cost inputs to FY 2022 and continues years three and four of the phase in of the plan (this was OEA’s top budget priority for the 135th General Assembly). It is estimated that this will increase public education funding by nearly $1 billion over the two-year period. We also were able to have an economically disadvantaged pupil cost study included in the final version of the bill. More details of the education funding changes are included in OEA’s summary of the as-passed version of HB 33. Additionally, because of OEA member engagement and advocacy we were able to obtain the following positive public education policy changes:
  • The act increases the state minimum teacher salary from $30,000 to $35,000, creates a “Grow Your Own Teacher” program to help high need schools recruit and train qualified educators from their own staff and community, and makes other improvements to staff recruitment and retention policies.
  • The HB 33 conference committee removed the inclusion of Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education Destruction Act, from the final version of the bill.
  • The act returns local control to Lorain City Schools. OEA advocated also for the removal of Youngstown City Schools and East Cleveland City Schools from their academic distress commissions, however, this was not included in the final version of HB 33.
  • The act expands the free breakfast and lunch program to any student who qualifies for reduced meals, making major advances to combat childhood hunger.
  • And finally, after years of advocacy from OEA members across the state, the Ohio General Assembly included OEA’s ask to end mandatory retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.  Parents and educators, not standardized test scores, will now determine whether a student should be retained or promoted under the program. Finally, the act provides for additional supports for students under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and creates a safe harbor provision allowing parents and educators to determine whether a student needs to be retained in the 2023-2024 school year.
These gains in funding and improvements to education policy were only possible because of the thousands of members who wrote letters to and called their elected officials, as well as the members who participated in OEA Lobby Days throughout this budget cycle. We would be remiss not to mention that while the state budget contained many positive changes, the Ohio Senate was able to include provisions that OEA vocally opposed throughout the budget process.  Namely, these include:
  • The expansion of the income based EdChoice voucher program to universal eligibility for K-12 students and provides reduced voucher amounts for families over 450% of poverty.
  • Senate Bill 1, which limits the role of the State Board of Education by shifting most of its powers and duties to a new cabinet agency named the Department of Education and Workforce.
While we still have a lot of work ahead to address major issues facing public education in Ohio, it is because of your advocacy we were able to make big gains for public education in HB 33. Your continued engagement and advocacy will be necessary to continue to create sound, comprehensive policy solutions to educator recruitment and retention challenges, navigate the new education governance landscape, push for accountability and transparency for private schools receiving vouchers, and advance needed policies to address the growing staff and student mental health crisis. So please stay tuned on ways you can participate in OEA legislative advocacy and engagement as the General Assembly returns from its summer recess in September. Please click here to read OEA’s summary of the as-passed version of HB 33.  You can also download the district-by-district funding spreadsheets, here, as well as those for Joint Vocational districts.

Important Reminder for the August Special Election

On August 8, 2023, the only thing on your ballot will be Issue 1, which corrupt politicians and greedy special interests put on the August ballot in the hopes that we do not vote. If Issue 1 passes, we will lose our freedom and right to determine the future of our state when politicians choose to not listen to the will of the people. OEA urges all members to vote “NO” on Issue 1 to defend majority rule and the sacred principle of one person, one vote.

Please note that today, Monday, July 10, 2023, is the deadline to update your voter registration or to newly register to vote for the August 8, 2023, special election. Thousands of Ohio voters were purged from voting lists this year, so we are urging all voters to check their voter registration before the deadline at the end of today.

After you have confirmed, updated your registration, or newly registered to vote, please make sure you create your plan to vote No on Issue 1. Making your plan to vote No on Issue 1 is simple. Early voting starts tomorrow (Tuesday, July 11, 2023), and you have multiple methods to cast your ballot:

If you plan to vote early by mail, request an absentee ballot here.
If you plan to vote early in-person, find the early vote hours and location for your county.
If you plan to vote on Tuesday, August 8 (Election Day), find your Election Day polling location here.
As a reminder, Ohio just changed its Voter ID rules, click here to find Ohio’s new Voter ID requirements. (Note: Voter ID is required for in-person voting but you can still vote without ID by voting absentee and providing the last four digits of your Social Security Number when you vote early in-person.)

Final Budget Bill Includes Fair School Funding Plan, Increase in State Teacher Minimum Salary, and Universal Expansion of the EdChoice Voucher Program 

On Friday, June 30, 2023, the Ohio General Assembly finished its work on House Bill 33, the state budget for FY 2024 and FY 2025.  The Conference Committee on House Bill 33 worked out the differences between the House and Senate. The final bill was passed by a vote of 25-6 along party lines in the Senate and 67-30 in the House.

The following are the outcomes on OEA priority issues contained within the HB 33 Conference Committee report:  

  • School Funding – The Conference Committee adopted the House-passed version of the Fair School Funding Plan. This version updates the base cost inputs to FY 2022 and continues years three and four of the phase in of the plan. These changes will increase public education funding by nearly $1 billion over the next biennium. OEA supports this provision.
  • Teacher Salary – Increases state minimum starting teacher salary from $30,000 to $35,000. OEA supports this provision.
  • Voucher Expansion – The Conference Committee adopted the Senate-passed proposal which expands the EdChoice voucher program to universal eligibility for K-12 students and provides reduced voucher amounts for families over 450% of poverty.  OEA opposes this provision.  
  • K12 Education Governance – The Conference Committee report includes the provisions of Senate Bill 1.  The language in the bill would limit the role of the State Board of Education by shifting most its powers and duties to a cabinet agency. OEA opposes this provision.
  • Mandatory Student Retention – The Conference Committee made modifications to the  student retention rule under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee by permitting a student to be promoted to the fourth grade if requested by the student’s parent, in consultation with educators. The provision will require intensive reading instruction and high-dose tutoring for students until they reach grade level in reading skills. Further, the bill provides safe harbor for students who were to be retained in the upcoming school year. While this does not include all of HB 117 as passed by the House, it ends the punitive practice of mandatory retention based solely on test scores. OEA supports this provision. 
  • School Meals – The Conference Committee adopted House-passed language to make school breakfast and lunch accessible to more children by having the state cover the cost between free and reduced-priced meals. OEA supports this provision. 
    Licensure:
    • OEA supports the provision that streamlines the Resident Educator program, provides additional support to early career educators, and allows unlimited attempts to pass the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA). 
    • OEA opposes the changes to the teacher licensure grade bands to preK-8 and 6-12 (from preK-5, 4-9, or 7-12) and permits a school district or community school to employ an educator to teach not more than two grade levels outside of the grade band designated on the educator’s license for not more than two school years at a time, subject to renewal. 
    • OEA opposes the provision that permanently eliminates the requirement that substitute teachers have a post-secondary degree. 
    • OEA opposes the establishment of an alternative military educator license outside of the already existing alternative licensure pathway. 
  • Grow Your Own Teacher Programs – OEA supports the creation of the Grow Your Own Teacher Program, which provides low-income high school seniors and certain employees scholarships of up to $7,500 for up to four years who commit to teaching in a qualifying school for at least four years after graduating from a teacher training program (allocates $15 million to support participation in the program).
  • Social Studies Graduation Requirements – OEA supports the removal of the Senate-passed provision that would have allowed high school students to substitute a half credit of financial literacy for a half credit of social studies, which would have reduced social studies graduation requirements for some students. 
  • Higher Education – The Conference Committee removed the provisions of Senate Bill 83 from the budget bill.  These provisions were an attack on academic freedom and collective bargaining rights in Ohio’s public colleges and universities. OEA supports the removal of SB 83 from the final budget bill.  
  • Academic Intervention Services – The Conference Committee removed a Senate provision that would have required academic intervention services for any student who scored limited on a state test in math, science, or English language arts. OEA supports the removal of this provision.
  • Academic Distress Commissions – OEA supports permanently returning local control to Lorain City Schools. OEA advocated for the addition of Youngstown City Schools and East Cleveland City Schools in the amendment that removed Lorain City Schools from state takeover. OEA is disappointed that they were not included in the final Conference Committee report but will continue to advocate for the permanent release of all districts from state takeover. 
  • Economically Disadvantaged Cost Study – The Conference Committee includes an economically disadvantaged cost study.  OEA supports this provision.  

New district funding spreadsheets produced by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission (LSC) detailing the HB 33 Conference Committee funding plan are available here.    

The legislature granted through July 3, 2023, a budget extension to give Governor DeWine time to review the provisions that are subject to potential line-item vetoes. A detailed summary of HB 33 will be provided to OEA members and staff in the coming weeks. 

Budget Bill Heads to Conference Committee, Urge Your Legislator to Support Public Education in Final Budget Negotiations

On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, the Ohio House refused to concur with the Senate Amendments to House Bill (HB) 33, the state operating budget for FY 24 and FY 25, with a vote of 23 – 71.  HB 33 now heads to conference committee for final negotiations between the Ohio House and Senate. Conferees from the Ohio House include Finance Committee Chair Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), Committee Vice Chair Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.), and Committee Ranking Member Representative Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake). Conferees from the Ohio Senate include Finance Committee Chair Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), Vice Chair Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), and Ranking Member Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron). The HB 33 Conference Committee met on Thursday, June 22, 2023, to conduct its first organizational meeting and hear testimony from the Office of Budget and Management, and the Legislative Services Commission.

As the Conference Committee works out differences between the budgets passed by the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate, OEA calls on elected leaders to come together across party lines to create a budget that supports the needs of Ohio’s public schools. To send a letter to your legislators urging them to support OEA’s Conference Committee priorities, please click here.  If you can do so, please join OEA members and allies from across Ohio at the Ohio State House Rotunda on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at 3:30 PM for a rally sponsored by our partners at the Ohio Organizing Collaborative to Fund Kids Not Cuts! Rally for Public Education. Details of the rally may be found here.

Ohio House Passes Bill to Eliminate Mandatory Student Retention

On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 117 by a vote of 89-4. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Phil Robinson (D-Solon), would eliminate mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. OEA firmly believes that high-stakes decisions about students should not be based on standardized test scores. HB 117 will allow educators and parents to have a say on retention decisions. Further, the bill reduces state required testing by eliminating one administration of the 3rd grade ELA test.

The language of HB 117 was also included in the version of the state budget bill (HB 33) as passed by the House. The provision was removed by the Senate and is a subject for the conference committee on the bill.  It is time to end the punitive practice of mandatory student retention. Enactment of this change is a high priority for OEA.

Migration Journey Model Curriculum Bill Gets Sponsor Testimony

OEA supports HB 171, which received testimony from the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Plain Township), before the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. HB 171 requires the state board of education to update the model curriculum for social studies in grades kindergarten to twelve to include age- and grade appropriate instruction in the migration journeys, experiences, and societal contributions of a range of communities in Ohio and the United States. Rep. Lightbody’s HB 171 sponsor testimony can be viewed here.

Trans Sports Ban and Gender Transition Prohibition Passed by Ohio House

HB 68 was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 64-28 on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Republican Representatives Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) and Jamie Callender (R-Concord) joined Democrats in voting to oppose passage of the bill.  HB 68 would prohibit gender transition services for minors and ban transgender females playing on all-female sports teams at the high school and collegiate level. OEA opposes HB 68 because the bill contributes to hostile and unsafe environments for LGBTQ+ students. HB 68 now goes to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

State Seeks to Regulate School-Parent Communication

HB 8 was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 65-29 on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Republican Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord) voted with Democrats to oppose passage of the bill. OEA opposes HB 8 based on concerns that the bill targets LGBTQ+ students and staff, disregards statutory protections established under Title IX for LGBTQ+ students, and potentially exposes educators and school districts to costly litigation. HB 8 now goes to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Ohio Senate Passes Budget Bill

Last week, the Senate Finance Committee accepted a 2,100-page omnibus amendment to House Bill (HB) 33, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. The bill passed the Ohio Senate Finance Committee on June 14, 2023, along party lines. The Ohio Senate passed the bill the following day, on June 15, 2023, with a vote of 24-7, also along party lines. The Senate’s version of the bill is dramatically worse for public education and Ohio’s students than the version passed by the Ohio House earlier this year.

The Senate Finance Committee accepted a standalone amendment from Senator Cirino (R-Kirtland) which folded the provisions of Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education “Destruction” Act, into the budget bill. These provisions represent the largest attack on collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 in 2011 and will censor honest and truthful education in our institutions of higher learning.

Also added to the bill was an amendment that would require school districts to provide academic intervention services to any student who scores “limited” on any state assessment in math, science, or English language arts. These services can be provided directly by the district or through a vendor but must be free of charge for the student. OEA believes that this provision will place an outsized importance on standardized test scores over classroom work and creates an unfunded mandate for school districts.

Several additional provisions regarding school vouchers were added to the bill. Among them is a change in law that will allow private schools to charge tuition over the voucher amount to students under 200% of the federal poverty level. This, coupled with universal eligibility for vouchers, belies the notion that privatization has anything to do with providing opportunities for poorer students. With these changes to HB 33, the Senate is prioritizing providing taxpayer funded vouchers to upper-income families who already send their children to private schools over adequately funding public schools that serve 90 percent of Ohio’s students.

On a positive note, the bill now contains a provision that dissolves the Lorain City School District (Lorain CSD) academic distress commission (ADC) and academic improvement plan immediately upon the effective date of HB 33 (policy provisions effective 90 days after Governor signs bill).

The Ohio House is expected to not concur with the changes made to HB 33 by the Ohio Senate, sending the bill to conference committee for final negotiations. As the budget heads to conference committee, OEA’s top priorities remain enacting the Fair School Funding plan as passed by the Ohio House, stopping the assault on unionized college employees and higher education, enacting provisions to address Ohio’s educator recruitment and retention challenges, and stopping the expansion of school vouchers. Now is the time for Ohio’s policymakers to appropriate funding and enact policies that support public school students and educators.

OEA will continue to keep members informed throughout the process and provide ways to make your voice heard on these critical issues.

More information regarding major provisions of the omnibus amendment can be found here.

OEA calls on the Ohio House to not concur with Senate changes to HB 33. Please call the Statehouse switchboard at 1-800-282-0253 and ask to be connected with your State Representative’s office to urge that they vote “NO” on concurrence with the Senate changes to HB 33.

Trans Sports Ban (HB 6) Joined with Gender Transition Prohibition Bill (HB 68)

Before being voted out of committee, legislation that would prohibit gender transition services for minors (HB 68) was amended to include provisions from HB 6, a bill that would ban transgender females playing on all-female sports teams at the high school and collegiate level. OEA opposes both bills because they contribute to hostile and unsafe environments for LGBTQ+ students.

Senate Budget Plan Fails to Prioritize Ohio’s Public-School Students and Educators

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the Ohio Senate Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of House Bill 33 (the state operating budget for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025). The Senate’s version of the bill is dramatically worse for public education and Ohio’s students than the version passed by the Ohio House. Seemingly, whenever there was a choice to be made, the Senate made the wrong one. Please be on the lookout for an action alert in the coming days to urge members of the General Assembly to support OEA’s positions on priority items in the budget.

Below is a summary of some key issues in the Senate’s version of the budget.

School Funding

The substitute bill maintains the House’s updated data used to calculate the base cost in the formula (FY18 data to FY22 data) and continues the phase-in percentages to be 50% in FY 24 and 66.67% in FY 25. However, the Senate made various adjustments to the formula that when compared to the House proposal decreases support for Ohio’s public schools by $245.6 million in FY 24 and $295.8 million in FY 25. New district funding spreadsheets produced by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission (LSC) detailing the Senate funding plan are available here.

OEA strongly supports the Fair School Funding Plan as passed by the Ohio House.

Teacher Minimum Salary and other Recruitment and Retention Issues

The substitute bill removes various provisions passed by the Ohio House that are designed to support students by alleviating the educator shortage. OEA opposes the following changes made by the Ohio Senate:

  • Removes House-passed increases to the state minimum teacher salary schedule that includes a raise in the starting salary from $30,000 to $40,000.
  • Removes House-passed “Grow Your Own” Teacher Program that supports low-income high school seniors and certain employees with higher education scholarships of up to $32,000 after graduating from a teacher training program.
  • Removes House-passed teacher loan repayment program that would have provided $40,000 maximum awards to eligible teachers who teach for five consecutive years in hard-to-staff schools.
  • Removes House-passed requirement to establish a Teacher Apprenticeship Program leading to professional licensure.
  • Removes House-passed requirement that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services include teachers on its list of in-demand jobs.
    Vouchers

The substitute bill includes universal eligibility for private school vouchers. The bill would make all K-12 students, regardless of their economic status or quality of their local schools, eligible for taxpayer funding for private school tuition. The proposal would provide full voucher amounts of $6,165 for grades K-8 and $8,407 for grades 9-12. Voucher amounts for first-time recipients would be subject to a sliding scale with reduced amounts for students from households with incomes above 450% of poverty ($135,000 a year for a family of four).

When compared to the version of the bill passed by the House, this increase in eligibility costs an additional $370 million over the biennium. This shows a clear diversion of resources away from support for public school students to paying for private school tuition for higher income Ohioans. The Senate is failing to prioritize 90% of Ohio’s students who attend public schools.

Third Grade Reading Guarantee

The substitute bill removed language in the House-passed version that eliminated mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. The removed language also would reduce state-mandated testing by eliminating one administration of the third grade ELA test. OEA firmly believes that high-stakes decisions about students should not be based on test scores. The House-passed language would allow educators and parents to make decisions in the best interests of students and allow more time for teaching and learning in the classroom by reducing state testing. The Senate’s change is a return to the status quo that is harmful to our students.

K-12 Education Governance

The bill included the provisions of Senate Bill 1 which transfers the powers and duties of the State Board of Education (SBOE) to a cabinet-level agency under the Governor called the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). SBOE would retain duties in the areas of educator licensure, teacher evaluation, educator discipline, and school territory transfers. All other duties would be transferred to DEW. This undercuts the authority of the partially elected Board whose meetings and deliberations are open to the public. This transfer of power does not have buy-in from key education stakeholders and will limit the ability of educators and members of the public to provide meaningful input on academic standards, rulemaking, and education policy.

Licensure

The substitute bill contains numerous provisions around educator licensure. On the plus side, the Senate maintains the bulk of House-passed reforms to the Ohio Teacher Residency (OTR) Program and Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA), including a shortening of the resident educator license to 2 years (program already reduced to two years) and prohibiting limits on the number of times an educator can take the RESA. OEA does not support changing teacher license grade bands to PK-8 and 6-12 (current grade bands are PK-5, 4-9, and 7-12). OEA does not support the Senate change that would allow unlicensed individuals employed under the “Troops to Teachers” law to teach in core subject areas (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Languages, Fine Arts). OEA also opposes the Senate-added provision that permits a student to substitute one-half unit of financial literacy instruction for one-half unit of social studies instruction to meet the financial literacy requirement for graduation. A more detailed summary of the Senate’s substitute bill can be found here.

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to make another round of changes to the bill next week before sending the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. OEA anticipates that the provisions of Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education “Destruction” Act which represents the largest attack on collective bargaining since Senate Bill 5, will be included into the budget bill.

Once passed by the Ohio Senate, the amended budget bill will go to the Ohio House for concurrence. It is highly likely that the House will not concur with the Senate’s changes to HB 33. The House and Senate will then name members to a conference committee to work out the differences between the separate versions of the budget bill. By law, the final budget must be passed by the end of June. However, it is possible that the legislature can pass continuing resolutions to extend the deadline if final resolution takes longer.

Reminder: Next OEA Member Lobby Day

OEA’s next Member Lobby Day is on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The upcoming lobby day will focus on member advocacy at the Ohio Senate. Members participating will be encouraged to speak with their senators about the Fair School Funding Plan, voucher programs, educator recruitment and retention, and other important legislation before the Ohio General Assembly that impacts public education, educators, and the students you serve.

The window to RSVP closes soon, so please make sure you click here to RSVP your attendance. The lobby day will start with a briefing from OEA Officers and staff at 9:30 AM in at the OEA HQ, located at 225 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 45208. Breakfast and refreshments will be provided. OEA will also cover the cost of parking in a nearby parking garage and provide a voucher for lunch.

Finally, if you want to get up to speed on the issues and receive talking points in advance, please consider joining the virtual pre-lobby day briefing on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 4:00 PM. To RSVP for the pre-briefing, please click here.

If you have any questions about OEA’s upcoming lobby day, please email OEA Government Relations at govtsrv@ohea.org. We hope to see you next week!

Educating for Ohio’s Future Coalition Statehouse Day of Action

House Bill 171, sponsored by Representative Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), proposes to update the model curriculum for social studies in grades K through 12 to include age- and grade appropriate instruction in migration journeys, experiences, and societal contributions of a range of communities in Ohio. OEA supports this bill and has signed on to the Educating for Ohio’s Future Coalition which seeks to advocate for the passage of HB 171.

The coalition is hosting a Statehouse Day of Action on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Parents, students, educators, and community members from across the state will visit the Ohio Statehouse to meet with their representatives to talk about the importance of an updated K-12 social studies curriculum.

Click here to sign up for the coalitions Statehouse Day.

Bill to Restrict the Voice of Higher Education Employees Passes in Ohio Senate

On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, Senate Bill 83 (R-Cirino), a bill that proposes sweeping changes to the practices and policies at Ohio higher education institutions, passed the Ohio Senate by a vote of 21-10. Joining Democrats in opposition to the bill were Republican Senators N. Manning, Blessing, and Reynolds.

Senate Bill 83, and its House companion legislation House Bill 151, represent the largest attacks on collective bargaining rights since Senate Bill 5 in 2011. These bills prohibit collective bargaining in state institutions of higher education with regard to faculty performance evaluation systems, tenure (due process) and retrenchment policies, as well as post-tenure review policies (which under the bill could lead to censure, remedial training, for-cause termination, or any other action permitted by the institution’s post-tenure review policy). The bills also seek to silence the voice of workers by taking away the right to strike for higher education employees.

Additionally, both bills propose to micromanage state institutions of higher education by usurping the authority of boards of trustees and administrators who oversee the daily operations of these institutions by requiring changes to mission statements, faculty workload policies, syllabi requirements, and bans mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training and courses in favor of government interference and one-size-fits-all state mandates.

Senate Bill 83 now heads to the Ohio House for consideration. It is also expected that some of the bill’s provisions will be amended into House Bill 33, the state budget bill that is currently pending in the Ohio Senate.

Meanwhile, over in the Ohio House Higher Education Committee, House Bill 151 received opponent testimony. Over 150 individuals submitted testimony in opposition to the bill. You may view OEA President Scott DiMauro’s testimony here.

Please send your legislator a letter urging their opposition to SB 83 and HB 151 by clicking here.

Bill Requires Social Studies Task Force to Consider Right-Leaning Standards

OEA opposes House Bill (HB) 103, legislation that requires an Ohio Social Studies Task Force to re-write Ohio’s K-12 social studies standards to conform with the right-leaning “American Birthright: The Civics Alliance’s Model K-12 Social Studies Standards.” The Ohio General Assembly would have to approve the standards before they take effect.

OEA was first to testify in opposition to HB 103 at the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee hearing on May 16, 2023. The bill also attracted opposition testimony from more than three-dozen individuals and organizations, including the Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS).

The “American Birthright” standards do not meet the standards and best practices of Social Studies teachers. Neither the OCSS nor the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) endorses or supports the use of these standards.

Further, HB 103 is a divisive distraction. The “American Birthright” standards have been criticized as a tool to confuse the ideological views of adults with the learning needs of students. These suggested standards are also seen as narrowing the social studies curriculum to tell one separate story, instead of our united story. Distracting educators with divisive political conflicts are not in the best interest of students.

Write Your Member of Congress and Ask them to Support Federal Legislation to Repeal GPO/WEP

Legislation aimed at the repeal of the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision (GPO/WEP) has received wide bipartisan support in both chambers of U.S. Congress. Known as the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597/H.R. 82), the legislation has support from 263 cosponsors in the U.S. House and 40 in the U.S. Senate. GPO/WEP deprive more than 2.5 million Americans, including educators, of Social Security benefits they have earned.

Just two weeks ago, educators from all 15 states affected by GPO/WEP, including from Ohio, lobbied members of Congress to encourage their support for the repeal of GPO/WEP.

Please join these members and encourage your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator to support the Social Security Fairness Act by clicking here.

OEA Announces Next Member Lobby Day for June 6, 2023

OEA’s next Member Lobby Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6, 2023. OEA Member Lobby Days provide an excellent opportunity for members to meet with their legislators to discuss key education policy issues currently before the General Assembly.

Participating members will receive a briefing from OEA Officers and OEA Government Relations Staff prior to their legislative visits. The Lobby Day Briefing will be held in the Presidents Room at the OEA Headquarters at 9:30 AM.

To find out more about the June 6, 2023, member lobby day and how to RSVP, please click here.

SJR 2 Narrowly Passes the Ohio House. Campaign Launched to Vote No in August on the Amendment

Down to the final day, the Ohio House narrowly passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2). The measure passed 62-37 (60 votes required). Before passage, the resolution was amended to specify that it would go to the August 8, 2023, Special Election. This is of note because just months ago the legislature eliminated August special elections in most cases and had not passed a bill to reinstate them. This will likely face a legal challenge. Additionally, the legislature has not passed any funding to pay for the costs of holding an additional statewide election.

The resolution seeks to amend the constitution and weaken the voice of Ohio voters by requiring greater than 60% of the vote to pass future constitutional amendments. Further, it would make it almost impossible for citizen-led initiatives to make it to the ballot by setting onerous signature gathering requirements in every county.

OEA has joined with hundreds of other organizations to stand up for the rights of Ohio voters. We need our members to mobilize to defeat this proposal at the ballot in August. This amendment shreds our Constitution, ending majority rule in Ohio and taking away our right to decide what happens in our state. It undermines the sacred principle of ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE! Protect our freedom and stand up to this undemocratic, unfair, unpopular, and unnecessary amendment! Vote NO in August! We need your voice to win!

Click here to learn more about how to get involved in the One Person, One Vote Campaign.

OEA President DiMauro Testifies on State Budget Bill in Ohio Senate

OEA President Scott DiMauro provided testimony on May 10, 2023, before the Senate Education Committee on Substitute House Bill 33, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. The testimony highlighted the following:

  • The need for the Senate to retain House-passed changes to the school funding formula.
  • Request that the Senate provide a mechanism that ensures when updates to the capacity measures in future years occur, the base cost components of the funding formula will also update.
  • Opposition to the EdChoice voucher proposed eligibility expansion.
  • Request that the Senate maintain the House-passed increase in state minimum starting teacher salary from $30,000 to $40,000 and consider increasing the minimum teacher salary to $50,000.
  • Input on the provisions of the budget bill addressing literacy and evidence-based reading instruction.
  • Request support for language added by the Ohio House that would repeal mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
  • Request support for the provision that provides state funding to cover the cost between free and reduced-priced meals and request that the Senate add a provision to cover universal breakfast in Ohio schools.
  • Advocating for support for a variety of provisions included in the bill that address growing teacher shortages.

You can view OEA’s testimony by clicking here.

Ohio House and Ohio Senate Adopt Substitute Bills to Higher Education “Reform” Proposals

On May 15, 2023, the Ohio Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee adopted a substitute bill to Senate Bill 83 (R-Cirino).  The substitute bill includes the following changes outlined below:

  • Revises the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) provisions to allow for certain exemptions.  Exemptions must be approved by the chancellor of higher education and be required for compliance with federal law, licensure, accreditation, or cooperative agreements.
  • Removes the provision requiring intellectual diversity rubrics for classes and clarifies that the bills intent is not to prohibit faculty or students from classroom instruction, discussion, or debate as long as faculty are committed to expressing and allowing the expression of intellectual diversity.  The bill maintains the requirement that institutions develop disciplinary measure against faculty and staff who interfere with “intellectual diversity rights.”
  • Changes the requirement for syllabi to contain biographical information about faculty to instead require “professional qualifications” of faculty.
  • Revises language to clarify that prohibitions on policies designed to segregate based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression apply only to credit-earning classroom settings, formal orientation ceremonies, and formal graduation ceremonies.  This removes the concern that the bill’s language would have applied to student organizations, athletic teams, and housing.
  • Clarifies that Chinese students can attend and pay tuition and fees to Ohio higher education institutions.
  • Allows Ohio higher education institutions to have academic relationships with Chinese institutions.  Requires that “safeguard requirements” are met and that the relationship must be approved by the Chancellor in consultation with the Attorney General.
  • Removes the bill’s provisions from applying to private institutions of higher education.

Substitute Senate Bill 83 also adds new policy provisions including:

  • Specifies that tenure, faculty evaluations, workload, and retrenchment are not appropriate subjects for collective bargaining for future contracts and that policies developed by the board of trustees would prevail over any conflicting provision(s) of a collective bargaining agreement.
  • Requires a board of trustees to develop policies on tenure and retrenchment and to update those policies every five years.
  • Reduces trustee terms from nine to four years beginning for trustees appointed on or after January 1, 2024.
  • Includes new language on endowments and donor intent similar to legislation from last General Assembly.

Substitute Senate Bill 83 maintains the ban on strikes by employees of higher education, maintains annual faculty evaluations with 50% of the assessment from student evaluations, retains the 30 credit hour minimum workload policy, prohibits using diversity statements in hiring and promotion decisions, requires specific syllabi requirements and making them public and searchable, requires post tenure review and requires that students complete a three-hour course in American government or history.

OEA anticipates that Substitute Senate Bill 83 will be passed out of committee next week. It is also expected that some or all of the bill’s provisions will be amended into House Bill 33, the state budget bill that is currently pending in the Ohio Senate.

Additionally, House Bill 151, companion legislation to Senate Bill 83, received sponsor and proponent testimony on May 10, 2023 in the Ohio House Higher Education Committee.  The committee also accepted a substitute bill to HB 151 to mirror Substitute Senate Bill 83.

New Bill Requires Social Studies Model Curriculum to Include Migration Journeys

OEA supports House Bill 171, introduced on May 15, 2023 by state Representative Mary Lightbody (D-Plain Township). The bill requires that no later than July 1, 2024, the state board shall begin to update the model curriculum for social studies in grades kindergarten to twelve to include age- and grade appropriate instruction in the migration journeys, experiences, and societal contributions of a range of communities in Ohio and the United States, including all of the following: (a) African American communities; (b) Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; (c) Arab, African, and North African immigrant, refugee, and asylee communities; (d) Appalachian communities; (e) Jewish communities; (f) Latin American communities; (g) Native American communities. The bill has not yet been assigned to committee.

Bill to Establish State Regulation of School-Parent Communication and Relationships Receives Opposition Testimony

OEA opposes House Bill 8, joint sponsored by Representative D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Representative Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), which unnecessarily entangles state government in regulating communications and relationships between parents and educators. Government mandates on these matters interfere with the professionalism of educators and weaken the principle of local control of public schools. OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing provided opponent testimony on HB 8 before the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee on May 9, 2023. You may view Vice President Wensing’s testimony here.

Single-Sex Sports Bill Passed By Ohio House Higher Education Committee

House Bill 6, sponsored by Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), was passed out of the Ohio House Higher Education Committee on May 10, 2023. The bill passed on a mainly party-line vote, with Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) voting No with the committee’s Democrats. OEA opposes HB 6, which requires schools participating in PK-12 and higher education athletic competitions to designate separate single-sex athletic teams based on the sex of the participants without accommodation to LGBQT+ students. HB 6 is unnecessary. The Ohio High School Athletic Association and the National College Athletics Association have already established guidelines for participation in interscholastic and collegiate sporting that address issues raised by HB 6. The Ohio Education Association has long stood for policies that are inclusive of students, regardless of race, class, gender, or identity. OEA President Scott DiMauro provided opponent testimony on HB 6. You may view President DiMauro’s testimony here.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal Coming Down to Final Days

Earlier this week, the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee again passed a resolution that would weaken the voice of Ohio voters by requiring a vote of over 60% to pass future constitutional amendments. The Committee passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2) after having passed a similar resolution the previous week. Neither has yet been brought up in the full House for a vote. Legislation that would call for a special August election to rush the proposal to the ballot, Senate Bill 92, was scheduled for a committee vote on Wednesday but the meeting was cancelled.

All of this means that it is coming down to the final week. The resolution and legislation enabling an August special election would need to be passed by the Ohio House on or before May 10th, 90 days before the proposed August 8, 2023, special election. Opposition to the unpopular and undemocratic proposal continues to grow. OEA members joined hundreds of others for a day of action at the Statehouse on Wednesday. This week five former Ohio Attorneys General from both parties came out in opposition—joining four former Ohio Governors from last week.

We need to keep the pressure up to defeat this! Click here to write to your Representative urging them to vote no on HJR 1/SJR 2 and to oppose an August 8, 2023, special election. You can also call your legislator by dialing 1-800-282-0253 and ask to be connected to your state representative. Urge them to oppose an August 8, 2023, special election and to vote no on HJR 1/ SJR 2.

House-Passed School Funding District Simulations Released

The Ohio House recently released school district funding simulations reflecting the changes in the House passed version of Substitute House Bill 33, the budget bill for FY 2024 and 2025. The simulations reflect the continued implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan (years 3 and 4) with updated base cost inputs from Fiscal Year 2022. Please note that the spreadsheets for JVSDs have not been released. Click here for the simulations. The budget bill is currently pending in the Ohio Senate.

OEA Testifies in Support of HB 117

OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing testified in favor of House Bill 117, sponsored by Representative Phil Robinson (D-Solon) and Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The bill would repeal mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Additionally, the bill would reduce some state-mandated testing by eliminating the fall administration of the third grade ELA test. OEA strongly supports HB 117. The language was also included in the budget bill (HB 33) as passed by the Ohio House.

You can view OEA’s testimony by clicking here. Additionally, five OEA members provided testimony as proponents of HB 117. Melinda Lindauer (retired), Faith Elleman (Lebanon), Heidi Beradinis (Wayne Local), and Jennifer Bindus (Aurora) testified in person and Melissa Kmetz (Lakeview Local) provided written testimony. You can download all provided testimony on HB 117 by clicking here.

Social Studies Standards Bill Gets First Hearing

House Bill 103, sponsored by Representative Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Representative Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville), received a first hearing in the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on May 2, 2023. The bill would create a nine-member Ohio Social Studies Task Force which must develop statewide academic standards in social studies for grades K-12 based on “American Birthright: The Civics Alliance’s Model K-12 Social Studies Standards.” The task force would be required to report the proposed standards to the Ohio General Assembly for further consideration. OEA opposes the HB 103 proposal to bypass the State Board of Education process for developing and adopting Ohio’s subject-based learning standards. Further, the Ohio Council for the Social Studies opposes use of “American Birthright” documents as a basis for making changes to Ohio’s Learning Standards for Social Studies.

Ohio House Passes State Budget Bill (HB 33)

On Tuesday, April 25, the Ohio House Finance Committee made further changes to the state budget bill, via an omnibus amendment, before sending the Substitute House Bill 33 to the full Ohio House.

After House floor deliberations on Wednesday, April 26, the Ohio House passed Substitute House Bill 33 by a vote of 77-19.  OEA commends the Ohio House for their bipartisan collaboration in crafting a state budget bill that provides significant financial investment for public schools, increases the minimum teacher salary, and repeals the retention provision of the third grade reading guarantee among other items.

New district funding spreadsheets detailing the House-passed version are not yet available. It is important to note that we are halfway through the state budget process and funding and policy provisions are likely to change.  Attention now shifts to the Ohio Senate where budget hearings are underway.    

Details of the major policy changes contained within the amendments made to the budget bill since last week’s legislative watch are outlined below.

  • Requires by July 1, 2024, the Ohio Department of Education to develop one or more measures to demonstrate the performance of vouchers students that enable parents to compare the performance of voucher students against that of students enrolled in public schools.
  • Prohibits private schools participating in the EdChoice Voucher program from requiring a student’s parent to disclose, as part of the school’s admission procedure, whether the student’s family income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. 
  • Requires the Department of Education to determine penalty fees related to transportation based upon the number of students affected rather than the total daily transportation payment amount.
    Appropriates $100 million in FY 2024 for the Career-Technical Construction Program.  This restores the $200 million appropriation in FY 2024, as under the executive budget proposal.
  • Changes the definition of “three-cueing approach” to mean “any model of teaching students to read based on meaning, structure, syntax, and visual cues” rather than “an instructional method that encourages students to predict words based on story structure, pictures, typical word order, letter sounds, or other contextual cues.”
  • Qualifies special education programs operated by a county board of developmental disabilities and facilities offering juvenile day treatment services for reimbursements for reduced price school meals.
  • Removes from the bill a provision that required a presidential primary election to be held in May, the same as other primary elections in Ohio, rather than being held in March.

You may view a summary of the provisions included in Substitute House Bill 33 here. 

Advocacy Efforts Continue to Defend the Rights of Ohio Voters

The House may vote next week on a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed by Ohio voters, would make it more difficult to pass future amendments by requiring 60% of the vote. This ill-conceived amendment would weaken the voice of Ohio voters strip away with basic principle of majority rule. For over one hundred years Ohioans have had the right to amend the constitution to address key issues when the legislature fails to act upon them. Disturbingly, the legislature is attempting to rush the proposal to the ballot by proposing a special August election.

This week, four former Ohio Governors voiced their opposition to House Joint Resolution 1 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 as well as the push for an August special election. Ted Strickland (D), Bob Taft (R), John Kasich (R), and Richard Celeste (D) all were quoted in the press in opposition.

There are several ways that you can help to fight back against this undemocratic, unfair, unpopular, and unnecessary proposal. On Wednesday, May 3rd, educators, other union members, and other allies working to defeat these proposals are holding a day of action at the Statehouse. OEA members who are able are encouraged to attend. Click here for more information.

Click here to email your state representative and urge them to oppose these proposals. You can also call your legislator by dialing 1-800-282-0253 and ask to be connected to your state representative. Urge them to vote “No” on House Joint Resolution 1 or Senate Joint Resolution 2.

OEA Members Testify Against Universal Voucher Bill

On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, OEA President Scott DiMauro provided testimony in opposition to House Bill 11. This bill would create a new universal voucher program for K-12 students providing taxpayer funds to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling. The proposal would blow an enormous hole in the state budget with an estimated cost of $1.1 billion a year just to pay for students who already attend private schools. This would undercut funding for the approximately 90% of Ohio’s students who attend public schools.

The hearing on Tuesday was the third hearing on HB 11 and the first opportunity for opponents to testify. OEA members Dan Heintz (Chardon) and Christopher Monteiro (Columbus) also testified before the committee in opposition. Several other OEA members took the time to add their voices in opposition to HB 11 and stand up for Ohio’s public schools by providing written testimony.  

To learn about how you can provide testimony on priority legislation that OEA supports or opposes, please contact OEA Government Relations at govtsrv@ohea.org

House Adopts Substitute Budget Bill; Increases Funding for Public Schools and Raises State Teacher Minimum Salary

Earlier this week, the House Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of House Bill 33, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. OEA is delighted that the substitute bill includes OEA’s recommendation on updating the base cost inputs of the school funding plan by using FY 2022 data instead of outdated data from FY 2018. By updating the base cost components, it is estimated that the average per student base cost will increase from $7,352 in the current fiscal year to $8,241 in FY 2024. This represents a 12.1% increase from the current per-pupil amount. The proposal continues the phase-in (years three and four of a six-year phase in) of the formula at 50% and 66.67% in FY 2024 and FY 2025 respectively. This increases state funding to public schools by nearly $1 billion over the biennium.

OEA is also pleased that the substitute bill proposes to raise the state minimum teacher salary from $30,000 to $40,000, increases subsequent minimum salary steps using the same multipliers in the state minimum salary schedule, and includes other policy provisions to address Ohio’s teacher recruitment and retention challenge. The proposed $10,000 increase in the state minimum teacher salary is a critical step to reaching OEA’s goal of $50,000 for starting salaries.

Other positive changes that OEA supports in the substitute bill are:

  • Eliminates the mandatory retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and also eliminates the fall administration of all third-grade English language arts assessments, beginning with the 2023-24 school year.
  • Requires public and private schools to provide a meal at no cost to a student who is eligible for a reduced-priced meal. Appropriates an additional $8.4 million for this purpose.
  • Authorizes and appropriates $500,000 for an economically disadvantaged student cost study.
  • Changes the deadline for which teachers need to complete their dyslexia professional development (please see bill summary for more information)

However, the substitute bill increases eligibility for the income based EdChoice voucher program. The bill raises eligibility to 450% of poverty ($135,000 for a family of four) compared to 400% in the executive budget proposal and 250% under current law. OEA is opposed to expansion of voucher eligibility and continues to advocate for amendments that would bring additional accountability to Ohio’s voucher programs.

You may review an OEA summary of the provisions contained within the substitute bill here. House Bill 33 is expected to have additional changes and a vote next week in the Ohio House.

Over 500 Individuals Submit Opposition Testimony to Senate Bill 83: The Higher Education “Destruction” Act

This week, OEA President Scott DiMauro, Columbus State Education Association President Adam Keller, and other witnesses testified in opposition to Senate Bill 83. The bill sponsored by Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirkland) is a sweeping piece of legislation that proposes an unprecedented level of political interference and micromanagement of Ohio’s colleges and universities.

SB 83 is a series of contradictions on freedom of speech, claiming to promote intellectual diversity while simultaneously dictating the content and manner in which certain topics can be discussed. It would ban the types of training that ensure all students, no matter their backgrounds, can succeed.

The untenable mandates in SB 83 would shift money, time, and attention from student learning to bureaucracy. It would make it harder to attract students and faculty to Ohio’s institutions of higher learning, and in the long run, Ohio will become even less competitive economically.

Moreover, SB 83 attacks workers’ rights by attempting to ban the right to strike by any union representing faculty or staff on a campus. Under the guise of not wanting to disrupt student learning, the true intent of this portion of SB 83 is to weaken the power of campus workers to advocate for fair working conditions, which are students’ learning conditions.

You may access copies of the written testimonies and watch President DiMauro’s and CSEA President Keller’s remarks here.

Please continue to write your senator and ask that they oppose SB 83 by clicking here.

Amendment to Weaken Voice of Voters Passes Senate; House Committee Reports out its Version of the Amendment

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2). If approved by voters, the proposal would make it harder for Ohioans to pass future Constitutional amendments by requiring a 60% majority. SJR 2 would also make it harder for a citizen-led initiative to qualify for the ballot by requiring signatures from 5% of voters in all 88 counties and eliminating the 10-day cure period for signatures. SJR 2 passed the Ohio Senate on a party-line vote of 26-7.

OEA is opposed to this proposal as it weakens the voice of Ohio voters and undoes the basic principle of majority rule. Click here to read OEA’s opposition testimony.

The Senate also passed legislation, Senate Bill 92, that would create an August special election to bring the Constitutional amendment before voters. This comes just months after the legislature eliminated August special elections in most cases. SB 92 passed the Senate 25-8 with Senator Nathan Manning (R- North Ridgeville) joining Senate Democrats in opposition.

On the House side, House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1), a separate version of the same proposal was narrowly passed out of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee. Wednesday marked the third hearing on the proposal. It was the first opportunity for opponents to HJR 1 to testify and well over 100 witnesses submitted testimony. However, after hearing from only 6 witnesses, the committee moved a vote on the measure. The committee passed HJR 1 by a vote of 7-6, with Representative Brett Hillyer (R- Uhrichsville) and the Democratic members of the committee in opposition.

It is unclear when the House will bring either HJR 1 or SJR 2 to the Floor for a vote. Click here to contact your state representative and express your opposition to this undemocratic, unfair, unpopular, and unnecessary proposal.

Share your comments on the Student Interaction with Peace Officers Model Curriculum Draft

Please share your comments on the April 2023 version of the Draft – Student Interactions with Peace Officers Model Curriculum. The deadline for public comment on the rule is on April 24, 2023. To offer public comment, please click here. Your voice is needed!

Ohio General Assembly Returns from Spring Break; OEA Opposed Legislation to Receive Hearings

The Ohio General Assembly returns from legislative spring break next week. Several bills which OEA opposes are scheduled to receive hearings. It is imperative that OEA members make their voices heard in opposition by sending letters to members of the General Assembly on the following bills:

House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1) & Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2)

HJR 1 and SJR 2, the proposals to amend the Ohio Constitution, if passed by the voters would require all subsequent constitutional amendments to receive 60 percent of the vote to be enacted. It will hearings next week. On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee will hear proponent and interested party testimony on HJR 1. The House committee will also consider possible amendments to HJR 1. Also on Tuesday, the Senate General Government Committee will hear opponent testimony on SJR 2. OEA will provide opposition testimony to SJR 2 on Tuesday. The following day, the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee will hear opponent testimony on HJR 1 – OEA will also provide in-person opposition testimony to HJR 1 during Wednesday’s hearing.

The Senate Committee will meet at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in the Senate South Hearing Room. The House Committee will meet at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Statehouse Room 116, near the museum in the Statehouse Crypt.

Our partners around the We Are Ohio Table and other coalitions in opposition to HJR 1 and SJR 2 are asking for individuals to attend the hearings to show our collective opposition to HJR 1 and SJR 2.

Please also use OEA’s Action Alert in Opposition to HJR 1 and SJR 2 to send a letter to your legislators urging that they oppose these undemocratic, unfair, unpopular, and unnecessary constitutional amendments.

Senate Bill 83

OEA opposes SB 83, Senator Cirino’s (R-Kirkland) proposal to make sweeping changes to a wide range of higher education laws, including restricting faculty and staff collective bargaining rights. OEA will deliver opposition testimony on SB 83 before the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee which will meet on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 4:00 PM in the Senate South Hearing Room. OEA and our allies are asking members to attend the hearing if able.

Please also use OEA’s Action Alert in Opposition to SB 83 to send a letter to your Senator urging that they oppose SB 83.

Continue to Send Letters in Opposition to Universal Voucher Proposals

While we have not received notifications on a hearing for Senate Bill 11, Senator O’Brien’s (R-Ashtabula) or House Bill 11, Representative Riordan McClain (R-Nevada) and Representative Marilyn John (R-Shelby), the universal voucher bills, please continue to send letters using OEA’s Action Alerts in opposition to universal voucher expansion to urge your legislators’ opposition to HB 11 and SB 11.

Take Action Against Proposals to Weaken Voice of Ohio’s Voters

Two proposed constitutional amendments seek to weaken the voice of voters. It’s time to stand up and fight back. House Joint Resolution 1 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 (HJR 1 and SJR 2) would make it much harder to pass citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in our state by requiring a supermajority of 60% of the vote.

Legislators are considering rushing these issues to the ballot with an August special election. We must come together to protect the fundamental right of Ohio voters to decide critical issues at the ballot box. Click here to take action and urge your legislators to oppose HJR 1 and SJR 2.

SJR 2, sponsored by Senators Robert McColley (R- Napoleon) and Theresa Gavarone (R- Bowling Green), received two hearings before the Senate General Government Committee. A similar proposal, HJR 1, has been introduced in the House. Either proposed amendment, if passed by both chambers, would go before Ohio voters. If a majority of voters pass the amendment, all future constitutional amendments would require a 60% majority to pass.

Senators McColley and Gavarone have also introduced Senate Bill 92 which would allow for a special August election to put the statewide ballot issue before voters. Senate Bill 92 also received two hearings this week. The bill appropriates $20 million for the purposes of holding the special election. Just months after the legislature passed a law eliminating August special elections, they are now considering rushing a constitutional amendment to the ballot in August.

The legislature is slated to take a two-week recess and return in mid-April. For an issue to go onto the ballot, it would need to be passed 90 days prior to any election (early May for an August election). Now is the perfect time to contact your legislators and express opposition to these proposals that weaken the voice of Ohio’s voters. Click here to take action today.

Ohio Senate Bill 49: Senate Education Committee Approves Student Religious Expression Days

On March 28, 2023, the Ohio Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee unanimously passed legislation that would provide K-12 public school students with three excused absences a school year for religious expression days. SB 49 requires that students be provided alternative accommodations for examinations or other academic requirements missed due to a religious expression day absence approved in accordance with the bill.

OEA has been advocating for changes to SB 49 that are beneficial to educators and students. SB 49 is sponsored by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester). OEA has an “Interested Party” position on the bill. The next step for SB 49 would be a vote before the full Ohio Senate, which has yet to be scheduled.

  • The Ohio Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), added the following amendments to SB 49 requested by OEA:
  • Requires the school principal, instead of the classroom teacher, to approve religious expression day absence requests.
  • Requires a student’s parent or guardian, instead of the student, to provide written notice for religious expression day accommodation requests.
  • Permits school principals to verify written requests for excused absences by contacting the parent or guardian whose name appears on the written request and to deny requests that a parent or guardian disputes having signed.
  • Requires school principals, upon approval of a parent or guardian’s request for religious expression day absence(s) in accordance with the bill, to require the appropriate classroom teacher(s) to provide alternative academic accommodations for examinations or other academic requirements.
  • Require school districts to annually communicate the district’s policy and general procedure for requesting religious expression day accommodations to parents and guardians in a manner determined by the school district, instead of placement of the notice on all classroom syllabi.

SB 49 also provides that absences approved as student religious expression days shall not be considered unexcused absences under Ohio Revised Code Section 3321.191, a state law that requires parental notification if a student supersedes specified amounts of unexcused student absences.

OEA President DiMauro Testifies on State Budget Bill

This week, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified on HB 33, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. In the testimony, President DiMauro highlighted the following:

  • The need to update and fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan.
  • Opposition to the proposed elimination of the school bus purchase program.
  • Opposition to the EdChoice voucher proposed eligibility expansion and proposed increase in funding for the Quality Community Schools Support Fund.
  • OEA’s recommendations on teacher recruitment and retention, including increasing the state minimum teacher salary from $30,000 to $50,000.
  • Input on the provisions of the budget bill addressing literacy and evidence-based reading instruction.
  • Opposition to the requirement that each student, as a condition of graduation, to provide evidence of having completed and submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  • Advocating for changes to various licensure provisions within the bill.

You may access a copy of the written testimony and watch President DiMauro’s remarks here.

First Hearing Held on Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Weaken Voice of Ohio Voters; Senate Eyes August Special Election

House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1) is a proposed constitutional amendment that, if adopted, would require a 60% majority of votes to pass future constitutional amendments. This proposal undermines the basic principle of majority rule and would weaken the voice of Ohio voters to decide issues through the democratic process. OEA is joined by over 170 organizations opposed to HJR 1 deeming it unfair, undemocratic, unpopular, and unnecessary.

On Wednesday, March 22, the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee held a first hearing on HJR 1 with Representative Brian Stewart (R- Ashville) offering sponsor testimony. In addition to increasing the threshold for passing a constitutional amendment, HJR 1 would also make it harder for citizens to get an issue on the ballot by requiring signatures of five percent of the voters in every county.

Also, this week the Senate introduced its own version of the measure, Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2). Additionally, a bill was introduced (Senate Bill 92) which would allow for an August special election on the matter even though the legislature eliminated such elections last year. The bill appropriates $20 million for that purpose.

U.S. House GOP Public Education Attack Bill Heads to the U.S. Senate

This week, U.S. House GOP leadership is continuing the national attacks on public education with a deceitful piece of legislation, HR 5 (the falsely named “Parents Bill of Rights”), that will actually undermine local control of schools, insert the federal government as a national school board, facilitate further book bans and lead to more censorship of teaching honest and accurate education. It is aimed at stoking more targeting of certain groups of students and educators, including the LGBTQ+ population.

This bill, a top 3 legislative priority for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is the federal version of what we saw in House Bills 322, 327, and 616 from the 134th Ohio General Assembly, that would have devastating consequences for students, educators, and communities. The bill will do absolutely nothing to address actual needs of students and issues most important to parents and educators like ensuring individualized support for students, focusing on mental health needs, addressing educator shortages, and preventing gun violence.

Today the U.S. House approved HR 5 with a 213-208 vote. It is unlikely that HR 5 will be considered in the U.S. Senate.

Ohio’s U.S. House Delegation voted 10-5 for the bill along party lines:

Yea/Aye Votes:

Representatives Balderson (R-12), Carey (R-15), Davidson (R-8), Johnson, (R-6), Jordan (R-4), Joyce (R-14), Latta (R-5), Miller (R-7), Turner (R-10), and Wenstrup (R-2)

Nay/No Votes:

Representatives Beatty (D-3), Brown (D-11), Kaptur (D-9), Landsman (D-1), and Sykes (D-13)

For further information on the bill, please see the below resources from NEA:

Read NEA’s two-page backgrounder on HR 5

Watch NEA’s quick video about the bill

Draconian Higher Education “Catch-All” Bill Introduced in Ohio Senate

On Tuesday, March 14, Senate Bill 83 was introduced by Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland). OEA is opposed to the legislation that proposes to make sweeping changes to a wide variety of issues regarding higher education. Senator Cirino indicated that SB 83 is the result of conversations with higher education experts, students, and trustees. The bill is scheduled for sponsor testimony before the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee, pending committee referral, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 11:00 AM. Among other provisions the bill contains the following:

  • Prohibits employees of any state institutions of higher education from striking.
  • Requires faculty to have annual performance evaluations, including student evaluations that will account for at least 50% of the teaching evaluation component.
  • Requires a post-tenure review if the tenured faculty member does not meet performance expectations.
  • Requires institutions of higher education to incorporate the following concepts into their mission statement:
    • It will educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry.
    • Its duty is to equip students with the intellectual skills they need to reach their own, informed conclusions on matters of social and political importance.
    • Its duty is to ensure that no aspect of life, outside or within the classroom, requires, favors, disfavors, or prohibits speech or action to support any political, social, or religious belief.
  • Prohibits requiring diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) courses or training for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Requires universities to guarantee free speech protection and intellectual diversity.
  • Requires a syllabus to include the instructor’s name and biographical information, description of course requirements and major assignments/exams, reading list, and description of each lecture or discussion.
  • Requires a three-credit course in American Government or History course with enumerated required readings.

You may view a summary of all the provisions of Senate Bill 83 here.

House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1 to Receive Sponsor Testimony Next Week

House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, formerly HJR 6 in the last General Assembly, will receive its first sponsor testimony on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 8:30 AM, at the Ohio Statehouse in hearing Room 17. If you can attend, please show up. We plan to pack the hearing room in coordination with our partners at We Are Ohio. HJR 1 undermines the principle of one person, one vote and removes our right to make needed changes to the Ohio Constitution by a majority vote. This initiative is undemocratic, unfair, unpopular, and unnecessary.

OEA is partnering with We Are Ohio to promote our efforts to pack the committee room and show HJR 1’s sponsors that Ohioans will show up to protect our freedoms and rights. Please click here to download the WAO flyer that contains information on the hearing date, time, and location.

Legislature Considering Harmful Voucher Expansion Proposals 

Several proposals in the Ohio legislature seek to advance massive expansions in eligibility for school vouchers. Voucher programs use public taxpayer money to pay for private school tuition for K-12 students. This comes at the expense of the approximately 90% of students who attend Ohio’s public schools. Rather than expanding voucher eligibility, now is the time to fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan to meet the needs of Ohio’s students.

Legislative proposals to expand voucher eligibility include:

  • HB 33- Governor DeWine’s executive budget proposal calls for an increase in the eligibility for the income-based EdChoice voucher program from 250% of federal poverty guidelines ($75,000 for a family of four) to 400% ($120,000 for a family of four).
  • SB 11- Sponsored by Senator Sandra O’Brien (R- Rome), SB 11 allows for universal eligibility under the EdChoice voucher program. All K-12 students, regardless of family income, would be eligible for vouchers. The bill also increases the homeschooling tax credit from $250 to $2,000. The fiscal note on the bill estimates an annual cost of $536 million a year just to pay the cost of vouchers for students who currently attend private schools.
  • HB 11- Sponsored by Representatives Riordan McClain (R- Nevada) and Marilyn John (R- Shelby), HB 11 is a universal voucher bill that would make all K-12 students eligible for a new “backpack scholarship.” If enacted, the bill would provide funds for tuition at private schools and for homeschooling. Unlike current voucher programs, HB 11 would pay for tuition at both chartered and non-chartered private schools. Largely unregulated non-chartered schools are not eligible to participate in EdChoice. The estimated cost of HB 11 is expected to be much higher than other proposals because of this.

Click here to contact your legislators and urge them to oppose harmful provisions such as universal vouchers.

Senate Passes Bill Changing Powers and Duties of State Board of Education

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 1 by a 26-7, party-line vote. The bill, sponsored by Senator William Reineke (R- Tiffin), would change the powers and duties of the State Board of Education and transfer most of them to a newly created cabinet-level department under the Governor. The bill creates the Department of Education and Workforce which would oversee most education policy in the state. The State Board of Education would continue to exist, but its duties would largely be limited to licensure, educator discipline, evaluation and school district territory transfers.

In testimony before the Senate Education Committee, OEA outlined a number of concerns with the proposal. SB 1 proposes a dramatic shift in the way that education is overseen and supported in Ohio. OEA urged lawmakers to work collaboratively with education stakeholders so that any changes were well understood. Further, OEA urged that the voice of educators be protected and that educators have a meaningful impact on policy decisions. Specifically, OEA asked the bill to be amended in the following ways:

  • Leave rule making authority with the State Board of Education. This offers open hearings, a public process, and more transparency.
  • Leave the development of academic standards and model curriculum with the State Board of Education. Educators have a key role in developing content standards. The deliberative process of SBOE allows for public input and transparency.
  • Build in stakeholder group representation (including OEA) during the transition period and thereafter.
  • Remove provisions that lift oversight and prohibit further rules regarding home education.

An amendment was adopted by the committee to allow more public input during the rulemaking process and allow for public meetings to hear stakeholder concerns. Otherwise, SB 1 is largely unchanged. The bill will now go to the Ohio House for hearings. The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee has had a number of hearings on House Bill 12, which is companion legislation to SB 1.

School District Funding Spreadsheets Released

The Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) recently released funding spreadsheets for school districts under House Bill 33, the Governor’s budget proposal for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.  The spreadsheets for school district estimates and JVSD estimates show total state foundation aid for traditional districts increasing minimally by 2.1% in FY 2024 and 1.5% in FY 2025. It is important to note that these spreadsheets will change as modifications are made to the bill throughout the budget debate.  

OEA believes the Ohio General Assembly must prioritize state funding for public schools.  While the proposal contained in House Bill 33 continues the phase-in (years 3 and 4) of the Fair School Funding Plan, it does not provide needed updates to the base cost components.  The salary inputs used are from FY 2018 while the property and income values are based on more current data.  This results in the local share of funding education unfairly increasing and the state responsibility decreasing.  OEA is urging legislators to make necessary updates to the components of the funding model and fully implement the plan this biennium.

House Bill 33 – State Operating Budget Additional Policy Review

OEA Government Relations staff continued its review of House Bill 33 (Edwards), the state operating budget proposal for State Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. The review, linked here, contains summaries of various policy changes contained within HB 33 related to public education. As of today, the district-by-district spreadsheets that will indicate what each school district is estimated to receive from the Governor’s proposal in both years of the budget have yet to be released. Once they have been released, OEA Government Relations will share analysis of the district spreadsheets in a future budget edition of the Legislative Watch. For other information on how HB 33 impacts public education in Ohio, please refer to the budget editions of the Legislative Watch released on February 4, 2023, and February 7, 2023.

Senate Bill 14 – Allows Certain Veterans to Teach Without Educator License

Senate Bill 14, sponsored by Senator Frank Hoagland (R-Mingo Junction), would allow military veterans meeting certain eligibility criteria to teach in Ohio’s classrooms without receiving the training and preparation otherwise necessary to obtain a professional educator license. The bill received first hearing sponsor testimony in the Ohio Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee on February 7, 2023. OEA opposes the bill but welcomes brave and dedicated servicemembers into Ohio’s classrooms when they are appropriately trained and licensed to teach. Additionally, OEA recommends that the General Assembly pursue a comprehensive set of solutions, like the policy recommendations from the OEA Educator Voice Academy Cadre on Teacher Recruitment and Retention, to recruit and retain qualified, committed educators for every public-school student in Ohio.

House Leadership Announces “Priority Bills”

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R- Kitts Hill), held a press conference to unveil twelve priority bills for the 135th General Assembly.

Among the listed bills was House Bill 10, sponsored by Representatives Jaime Callender (R- Concord) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D- Cleveland), that expresses the intent of the General Assembly to continue to phase-in the Fair School Funding plan, and, “if practicable” fully phase it in sooner. However, the bill does not call for updating the base cost components of the plan which is critical to ensure that the funding plan is keeping up with the true cost of educating students. OEA appreciates the commitment to the Fair School Funding Plan and looks forward to working with members of the Ohio General Assembly to make improvements to the plan. 

Also listed as a priority bill was House Bill 11, sponsored by Representatives Riordan McClain (R- Nevada) and Marilyn John (R- Shelby), dubbed “the backpack bill”, which would create a universal voucher program where every K-12 student would be eligible to receive funds to pay for private school tuition or home education. OEA opposes the adoption or expansion of voucher programs. HB 11 would divert resources from public schools attended by 90% of Ohio’s students to provide vouchers to current private school students.

Additionally, House Bill 1, sponsored by Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), proposes to create a flat income tax rate of 2.75%.  Ohioans who make under $26,050 would continue to pay no income tax. To pay for the proposed income tax changes, the bill eliminates the state payment to local governments for the 10% and 2.5% tax rollbacks.  The elimination of these payments would result in an estimated $1.2 billion loss for school districts and other local government entities.  The bill also changes the local real property assessment percentage from 35% to no greater than 31.5%.   OEA is opposed to the bill. 

Below is a brief description of other bills mentioned that deal with education:

  • HB 6- Single-Sex Sports Teams: Requires schools, state institutions of higher education, and private colleges designate separate single-sex teams and sports for each sex. OEA is opposed to this bill.
  • HB 8- Parental Notification: Requires public schools to adopt a policy on parental notification on student health and well-being and instructional materials with sexually explicit content. OEA is opposed to this bill.
  • HB 9- Teacher Education Programs: Includes OEA supported reforms to the Resident Educator Program and Summative Assessment; supports “Grown Your Own Teacher Programs”; establishes a loan repayment program for eligible teachers.
  • HB 12- Reform the Department of Education: This bill would limit the powers of the State Board of Education and create a new cabinet level agency called the Department of Education and Workforce Development.

Also among more than 50 bills introduced in the House on Wednesday was House Joint Resolution 1, sponsored by Representative Brian Stewart (R- Ashville). This is a proposed constitutional amendment that, if adopted, would require 60% of the vote to approve future constitutional amendments on the ballot. OEA opposes this proposal as it undercuts majority rule and weakens the ability of Ohio voters to decide key issues.

OEA will continue to keep members apprised of key issues as they move through the legislative process and issue action alerts for you to make your voice heard on these important issues.

Senate Bill 47: Prohibits Certain Types of Paid Leave for Union Political Activity or Lobbying

SB 47, introduced by Senator Stephen Huffman (R-Tipp City), has been introduced and assigned to the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee. OEA opposes SB 47, which prohibits public employers from providing, or agreeing to a provision in a collective bargaining agreement, that provides paid leave or any other form of compensation for a public employee to engage in either: (1) Political activities performed by, or on behalf of, an employee organization that involve advocating for the election or defeat of any political candidate; (2) Lobbying activities performed by, or on behalf of, an employee organization that involve attempting to influence the passage or defeat of federal or state legislation, local ordinances, or any ballot measure.

Senate Bill 49: Student Religious Expression Days

SB 49, introduced by Senator Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), received first hearing sponsor testimony in the Ohio Senate Education Committee on February 14, 2023. SB 49 requires each public school to adopt a policy that reasonably accommodates the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of students, which includes three excused absences for religious expression days. OEA is reviewing the bill.

Congressional Bills Push for Teacher Pay Increases

OEA’s efforts to increase the minimum teacher salary will be joined by federal efforts to increase teacher pay with two separate bills in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the American Teacher Act, which was reintroduced by Representative Frederica Wilson (D-FL) last week, would incentivize states and school districts to increase the minimum teacher salary to $60,000 and provide yearly adjustments for inflation through a new federal grant program.

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced at a town hall on Monday evening that he intends to introduce the Pay Teachers Act. Joined by NEA President Becky Pringle, Sen. Sanders emphasized the need to increase teacher pay to “attract the best and brightest young people in our country into teaching [and ensure that] those young people [are] proud of the profession they have chosen.”

Both the American Teachers Act and the Pay Teachers Act elevate what NEA President Pringle called a “teacher pay crisis” at the Sanders town hall as one of the primary reasons for ongoing staffing shortages across the country.  These Bills help elevate the focus on the educator staffing crisis and provide support from the national level to OEA’s efforts to address the educator staffing shortage in Ohio.  OEA continues to advance the recommendations of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Educator Voice Academy during the 135th General Assembly to secure legislative initiatives to recruit and retain qualified, committed educators for every public-school student in Ohio.

OEA Participates in Ohio Children’s Budget Coalition Advocacy

OEA is a proud member of the Ohio Children’s Budget Coalition (OCBC). The Coalition was established in 2018 and is a partnership of organizations committed to prioritizing the needs of children in Ohio’s state policy and budget decisions. Recently, OCBC released the FY 2024-2025 Biennial Budget Issue Book, Creating a Vision of Child Well-Being for Ohio. OEA was proud to author two of the issue briefs regarding school funding and recommendations to recruit and retain well-qualified teachers and support professionals. Additionally, through the Coalition, OEA President Scott DiMauro participated in a briefing with the Governor’s Office of Children’s Initiative where he reviewed the School Funding and Educator Shortage issue brief policy recommendations. You may view the entire OCBC issue book at POLICY ISSUE BRIEFS (ohiochildrensbudget.org).

DeWine Releases Executive Budget Proposal

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, Governor DeWine unveiled his budget priorities during his State of the State address. Following the speech, he released his Executive Budget Blue Book for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025. DeWine stated that his goal in this budget is to ensure that all Ohioans are educated and have the tools needed to live up to their potential.

Below is a review of the governor’s proposal for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Department of Youth Services, Deaf and Blind Education Services, and the State Library. Please note that there are few details at this point as the actual budget language has yet to be released. OEA is also waiting for the release of the district-by-district spreadsheets. OEA Government Relations staff will share additional information as it becomes available.

Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections

Institution Education ServicesFY 2024 – $46,106,500 – 24.7% increase
FY 2025 – $51,157,600 – 11.0% increase
Education ServicesFY 2024 – $4,660,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $4,660,000 – 0.0%
Prisoner ProgramsFY 2024 – $400,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $400,000 – 0.0%
Adult Education Programs*FY 2024 – $9,796,802 – 0.3% increase
FY 2025 – $9,822,473 – 0.3% increase
All Funds – DRCFY 2024 – $2,330,539,100 – 7.9% increase
FY 2025 – $2,465,701,200 – 5.8% increase

* Portions of funding available to DRC for GED test reimbursements (funded through ODE).

Department of Youth Services

Education Education ServicesFY 2024 – $3,718,100 – 42.9% increase
FY 2025 – $3,915,300 – 5.3% increase
EducationFY 2024 – $1,263,900 – 4.8% decrease
FY 2025 – $1,046,900 – 17.2% decrease
Vocational EducationFY 2024 – $1,482,700 – 1.7% increase
FY 2025 – $1,482,700 – 0.0%
RECLAIMFY 2024 – $205,308,400 – 19.6% increase
FY 2025 – $206,110,900 – 0.4% increase
All Funds – DYSFY 2024 – $283,078,500 – 13.9%increase
FY 2025 – $284,013,300 – 0.3% increase

Deaf and Blind Education Services

  • Governor DeWine’s budget recommendations will create the Ohio Deaf and Blind Education Services by restructuring the budgets of the Ohio State School for the Blind and Ohio School for the Deaf. The restructured budget will provide flexibility to better serve fluctuating needs of the schools’ student populations.
  • Provides $0.5 million each fiscal year for additional academic supports, including an additional high school teacher for each school. The teachers will support students in obtaining diploma seals, including the OhioMeansJobs-Readiness Seal, to meet Ohio’s graduation requirements. Teachers will receive evidence-based professional development for identifying and instructing students with dyslexia, and the schools will replace outdated curriculum with high-quality instructional materials.
  • Provides $0.4 million each fiscal year to support five additional classroom instructional aides at the School for the Deaf. The additional aides support teachers and assist students with reading, writing, language, and self-care.
  • Provides funding for a nurse supervisor to oversee the 24-hour care of students living on campus. The budget also provides a new tour bus for fieldtrips for the schools.
Blind School Education ProgramFY 2024 – $313,952 – 3.1% increase
FY 2025 – $315,608 – 0.5% increase
Deaf School Education ProgramFY 2024 – $300,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $300,000 – 0.0%
Blind School State GrantsFY 2024 – $260,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $260,000 – 0.0%
Deaf School State GrantsFY 2024 – $195,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $195,000 – 0.0%
Blind School Federal GrantsFY 2024 – $1,058,848 – 7.7% decrease
FY 2025 – $1,061,679 – 0.3% increase
Deaf School Federal GrantsFY 2024 – 570,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – 535,030 – 6.1% increase
Library for the Blind (via State Library)FY 2024 – $1,274,194 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $1,274,194 – 0.0%
Early Childhood EducationFY 2024 – $53,000 – 0.0%
FY 2025 – $53,000 – 0.0%
Employee Food Service ChargesFY 2024 – $22,000 – 109.5% increase
FY 2025 – $22,000 – 0.0%
All Funds – D & B Ed ServicesFY 2024 – $33,352,431 – 116.3% increase
FY 2025 – $33,741,531 – 1.2% increase

State Library

All Funds – State LibraryFY 2024 – $24,981,491 – 6.1% increase
FY 2025 – $24,981,491 – 0.0%

DeWine Releases Executive Budget Proposal

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, Governor DeWine unveiled his budget priorities during his State of the State address. Following the speech, he released his Executive Budget Blue Book for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025. DeWine stated that his goal in this budget is to ensure that all Ohioans are educated and have the tools needed to live up to their potential.

Below is a review of the governor’s proposal for K-12 Education, Higher Education, and Developmental Disabilities. A second budget overview for state agencies will be released Tuesday of next week. Please note that there are few details at this point as the actual budget language has yet to be released. OEA is also waiting for the release of the district-by-district spreadsheets. OEA Government Relations staff will share additional information as it becomes available.

K-12 Education

School Funding
DeWine’s budget proposal continues to implement the Fair School Funding Plan established in the last budget cycle. The Fair School Funding Plan provides a predictable student-centered formula that is based upon how much it costs to educate a child and how much a local community can afford to contribute to these costs.
OEA will continue to advocate for the Ohio General Assembly to make necessary updates to the components of the funding model and to fully implement the plan this biennium.

School Choice
After the positive news of plans to continue implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan, DeWine announced that he was proposing a huge expansion in eligibility for the income-based EdChoice voucher program. The proposal would increase eligibility from 250% of the federal poverty level ($75,000 for a family of four) to 400% ($120,000 for a family of four). OEA strongly opposes the expansion of this voucher program that drains needed resources from the 90% of students who attend public schools.

Additionally, the budget appropriates $125 million in each fiscal year, an increase of 131.5% from FY 2023 levels, for the Quality Community Schools Support line item. The stated intent of the increase is to provide the highest performing charters schools with an additional $3,000 per economically disadvantaged student. The plan also increases the per-pupil charter school facilities funding from $500 to $1,000 per pupil.

Literacy
The Executive budget proposal provides approximately a $114 million increase in FY 2024 ($115,823,591) for literacy improvement. The appropriation decreases in FY 2025 to $58.3 million, a 49.6% reduction from FY 2024. The stated use for these funds is to “ensure all schools are using high-quality instructional material aligned with evidence-based reading instruction and intervention.” Additionally, the funds will support ODE to create professional development coursework for literacy instruction, provide funds for schools to incorporate this training, and support up to 100 additional literacy coaches in schools and districts with the lowest reading proficiency.

Additional Provisions

  • The proposal eliminates the school bus purchase program.
  • The proposal invests $200 million in FY 2024 for career technical capital improvements and $50 million in each year for career technical education equipment.
  • The budget provides for $194 million in both FY 2024 and 2025 for school resource officers in every school building.
  • The proposal provides $15 million to increase access to College Credit Plus by providing high school teachers with additional training needed to instruct college courses at high school campuses.
  • The proposal provides an $8.3 million increase in FY 2024 ($23,480,788) over FY 2023 funding levels for the Ohio Educational Computer Network. In FY 2025, this appropriation ($20,273,329) decreases by $3.2 million.
  • The budget increases auxiliary services reimbursement for non-public schools by 2.7% in FY 2024 ($162,927,159) and 2.4% in FY 2025 ($166,853,704).
  • The proposal provides $7.5 million in each FY for school-based health care centers.
  • The budget shifts funding support for Early Childhood Education from the Ohio Department of Education to the newly proposed Department of Children and Youth. Additionally, the proposal provides $11.3 million in each year of the biennium to increase those credentialed for early childhood mental health in order to provide screening services for needed care and treatment.
K-12 GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2024 – $9.0 billion – 6.4% increase
FY 2025 – $9.2 billion – 2.1% increase
K-12 All FundsFY 2024 – $15.1 billion – 5.6% decrease
FY 2025 – $13.6 billion –10.4% decrease

Higher Education

DeWine’s higher education recommendations prioritize access for students. He proposed a $100 million increase in each of the years for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG), a needs-based program. Students beginning as freshman in the Fall of 2023 whose families adjusted gross income is $87,000 or less will be eligible for the OCOG. Award amounts are also expected to increase.

The newly proposed Ohio College Access Grant would be awarded to students who attend Ohio community colleges and state university regional branch campuses. The Governor’s Merit Scholarship would provide renewable $5,000 scholarships to every student in the top five percent of their high school graduating class to attend an Ohio college or university.

Additionally, the budget funds programs that seek to address barriers to college completion. Mental health support is funded at $10.0 million in each year of the biennium, Access Challenge at $40 million in each year, and a mentoring scholarship program funded at $13.5 million over the biennium.

State Share of InstructionFY 2024 – $2.138 billion – 3.0% increase
FY 2025 – $2.202 billion – 3.0% increase
Ohio College Opportunity GrantFY 2024 – $216.2 million – 92.2% increase
FY 2025 – $346.0 million – 60.1% increase
Governor’s Merit ScholarshipFY 2024 – $18.0 million – New
FY 2025 – $34.2 million – 90.0% increase
Ohio College Access GrantFY 2024 – $14.2 million – New
FY 2025 – $26.6 million – 85.8% increase
Teacher Apprenticeship ProgramFY 2024 – $120,000 – New
FY 2025 – $3.66 million – 2,929.4% increase
Central State SupplementFY 2024 – $12.0 million – 3.0% increase
FY 2025 – $12.4 million – 3.0% increase
Shawnee State SupplementFY 2024 – $5.5 million – 3.0% increase
FY 2025 – $5.7 million – 3.0% increase
GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2024 – $3.0 billion – 9.5% increase
FY 2025 – $3.3 billion – 9.0% increase
All FundsFY 2024 – $3.3 billion – 16.4% increase
FY 2025 – $3.4 billion – 2.2% increase

Developmental Disabilities

Multi System YouthFY 2024 – $7.0 million – 75.0% increase
FY 2025 – $7.0 million – 0.0% increase
Part C Early Intervention*FY 2024 – $23.4 million – 0.0% increase
FY 2025 – $23.4 million – 0.0% increase

*This line item is transferred from Developmental Disabilities to the newly proposed Department of Children and Youth.

Technology FirstFY 2024 – $6.0 million – New
FY 2025 – $6.0 million – 0.0% increase
Employment FirstFY 2024 – $2.7 million – 0.0% increase
FY 2025 – $2.7 million – 0.0% increase
GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2024 – $833.0 million – 2.0% increase
FY 2025 – $910.5 million – 9.3% increase
All FundsFY 2024 – $4.4 billion – 4.0% increase
FY 2025 – $4.6 billion – 5.2% increase

OEA Lays Out Legislative Priorities for the 135th General Assembly

The new legislative session will bring challenges, but also presents a tremendous opportunity to address the needs of Ohio’s students and educators and invest in public education. OEA has developed a list of legislative priorities for the 135th General Assembly that will be the focus of our advocacy efforts with legislators. These priorities are aimed at providing needed support to Ohio’s educators and students.

Ohio is in a strong fiscal position and has the opportunity and obligation to fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan. Further, Ohio’s policymakers must take bold action to address the educator shortage in our schools. Below is a list of the issues identified as top legislative priorities for the OEA:

  • Fully Fund the Fair School Funding Plan
  • Recruit and Retain Qualified, Committed Educators for Every Public-School Student in Ohio
  • End the Expansion of Private School Voucher Programs
  • Repeal Mandatory Student Retention Under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee
  • Support Student and Staff Well Being
  • Protect the Voice of Educators – Support Unions and Defend Collective Bargaining Rights

You can view the document in its entirety by clicking here. OEA is sending the Legislative Priorities document to Governor DeWine and all members of the General Assembly. It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list of legislative issues. OEA will continue to work toward passing legislation that advances the legislative policies adopted by our members as well as combating legislative proposals that would be harmful to students, schools, and educators. 

2021-2022 | 134th Ohio General Assembly

HJR 6 Does Not Advance in Lame Duck

A proposal that would weaken the voice of Ohio voters by making it much more difficult to pass citizen-led constitutional amendments failed to advance in lame duck session. House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR 6) was a proposed constitutional amendment that if passed would require 60% of the vote in order to pass future constitutional amendments. 
 
OEA is among a broad coalition of groups that have signed on in strong opposition to this proposal. The coalition held a Statehouse rally and press event on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. The message to the legislature was that HJR 6 is unfair, undemocratic, unpopular, and would hurt Ohio’s voters. 
 
HJR 6 was voted out of the House Government Oversight Committee on a party line vote. However, the resolution was never scheduled for a vote on the House floor as it did not have the votes needed for passage. It is likely that a new version of the proposal will be introduced when the legislature begins its next session in January. 

Anti-Honesty in Education Censorship Bills Fail to Pass in 134th Ohio General Assembly 

OEA member advocacy and work with coalition partners has stopped the passage of harmful censorship bills that would have targeted educators for teaching honesty in education. Despite a two-year sustained effort by anti-honesty in education legislators and anti-public education groups such as the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), OEA and its allies stopped numerous bills seeking to attack educators and students. Harmful proposals that never made it out of committee include several bills that would have implemented severe anti-honesty in education censorship with harsh penalties for educators (HB 322, HB 327, HB 616), along with legislation that would have required constant posting of classroom instructional materials on school district websites (HB 529) for review by curriculum critics. While it is possible these anti-honesty in education attacks could reappear in the next Ohio General Assembly (135th 2023-2024), OEA remains prepared to provide strong opposition to these types of attacks. 

Efforts to Gut State Board of Education Fails on House Floor

A proposal to drastically reduce the powers and duties of the State Board of Education fell short of passage in the final hours of the legislative session. Senate Bill 178 would have moved most of the oversight of education in Ohio away from the State Board of Education and into a newly created cabinet-level department under the Governor. The bill passed the Senate last week and had three hearings in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee. 
 
Rather than passing the bill out of committee, the Senate amended a separate bill (HB 151) to include the proposal. However, when HB 151 came to the House for a vote to concur with Senate amendments, the vote fell short of the 50 votes needed for passage.  
 
OEA testified in the House in opposition to SB 178. OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing stated that the substance of the bill left many unanswered questions and that such a drastic change should not be rushed through in the waning days of session.
 
It is likely that a similar proposal will be considered next year. OEA believes it is worth taking a hard look at how Ohio’s schools are governed and supported at the state level. However, collaboration is key. Collaboration was sorely lacking in the rushed process of the last few weeks. Stakeholders need to be at the table. The voices of Ohio’s educators need to be heard, valued, and central to any change. That is how we will get the best results for Ohio’s students. 

Ohio General Assembly Approves Spending Bill

Earlier this week, the Ohio General Assembly approved House Bill 45, a tax amnesty measure, that was amended to include over $6 billion in spending on various programs.  The majority of the funds appropriated are federal pandemic relief funds.   

OEA is pleased with the increase in the phase-in percentage, to 33%, for the Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) component of the Fair School Funding model.  This results in approximately $56 million in additional support in FY 2023 for school districts to better meet the needs of economically disadvantaged students.
 
The major education related provisions of the bill are listed below. 

  • $1.75 billion in Federal Coronavirus School Relief funds.  
  • Increases the phase-in percentage for disadvantaged pupil impact aid from 14% to 33.33%, resulting in an increase in State General Revenue Fund support of approximately $56 million for FY 2023.  
  • $112 million in federal funds to be used by the Facilities Construction Commission to award competitive grants of up to $100,000 per school buildings for security and safety enhancements.  
  • Makes the following changes to the Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account Program (this was one of Senate President Huffman’s lame duck priorities):  
    • Extends the ACE Program through FY 2024;  
    • Increases the amount of the account from $500 to $1,000 in FY 2023 and FY 2024;  
    • Increases the family income eligibility from at or below 300% of the federal poverty level to at or below 400% of the family’s adjusted gross income;  
    • Qualifies a student whose resident district ranked in the top 10% of the school districts according to the chronic absenteeism rate in the most recent school year;  
    • Qualifies a student whose resident district operates one or more school buildings designated as low performing under EdChoice; and  
    • Qualifies students in the Cleveland Municipal School District.    
  • Revises how the number of miles driven for school bus service are factored into the calculation of school district transportation payments. 
  • Allows a school district, community school, or chartered nonpublic school to conduct a raffle to raise money for the school district or school.

The bill is pending signature by Governor DeWine. 

HB 554 – Expired Educator Licenses Can Be Immediately Renewed for At Least Two Years 

The Ohio General Assembly approved House Bill 554 this week, a bi-partisan bill co-sponsored by Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Rep. Mary Lightfoot (D-Westerville). HB 554 allows individuals with expired educator licenses to immediately receive a two-year temporary educator license from the State Board of Education. The two-year temporary license can be renewed into a 5-year professional educator license if the individual completes either 18 continuing education units (180 contact hours) or 6 semester hours of coursework in the area of licensure, or in an area related to the teaching field, during the period of the two-year temporary license. The Governor is expected to sign the bill, which will become effective 90 days after his signature. 

A variety of unrelated amendments were added to the bill before passage, including:  

  • A provision that includes all children identified as “developmentally delayed” into Category 2 of the special education funding formula (which will increase funding), which currently is limited to preschool children with developmental delays. 
  • Expands the definition of a “child with a disability” to include children ages three through nine who are experiencing a developmental delay, rather than the current law which defines developmentally delayed children ages three through five. 
  • Requires that children attending preschool as of the bill’s effective date who are identified as having a developmental delay and turn six years old on or before June 30, 2023, be permitted to remain in preschool and continue to be identified as having a developmental delay through June 30, 2023. 
  • Permits state universities to develop policies regarding the use of the university’s logos by student organizations. 
  • Requires any secondary school or college that participates in the College Credit Plus (CCP) program to permit children of military families enrolled in CCP who must withdraw due to their parents stationing orders the option to complete the coursework remotely or withdraw without academic or financial penalty. 
  • Removes registered behavior technicians and certified behavioral analysts who are under supervision or in training status from the list of individuals who may provide intervention services under the Autism Scholarship Program. 
  • Requires the Department of Education to prescribe standards to allow transfer students to use their pretransfer state assessment scores to meet the high school graduation requirements at their new school. 

Legislature Passes Bill that Limits Voting Rights

In the final days of session, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill that made numerous changes to Ohio elections. House Bill 458 was originally drafted to eliminate August special elections in most cases. The bill was amended in the Senate to include a strict photo ID requirement for voters, and a shorter deadline to return absentee ballots by mail, among other changes. The bill passed the Senate 24-7 and the House voted to concur with Senate amendments by a vote of 55-32. 
 
OEA opposed the bill. Legislative policies adopted by OEA members state opposition to a strict voter ID law as this can limit the ability of voters without a driver’s license (such as students, the elderly, and the disabled) to exercise their right to vote. Additionally, OEA legislative policies oppose elimination of the August special election as it limits the ability of local school districts to seek levies in order to meet community needs. Further, the bill reduces the time for absentee ballots sent before election day to be received by the board of elections from ten days to four. This will lead to some voters, including members of the military serving overseas, having their votes not counted due to slowed mail delivery. 

Bill to Repeal Retention Under the TGRG Not Enacted

House Bill 497, sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Phil Robinson (D- Solon), was not brought up for a vote in the Ohio Senate. The bill called for elimination of mandatory retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and a reduction in state testing. The bill passed the House in June with broad, bipartisan support (82-10). Further, the State Board of Education recently voted 18-1 in favor of a resolution urging passage of the bill. Despite this, the bill received two hearings in the Senate but was not brought up for a vote. 

OEA strongly supports this proposed bill. Educators know that basing high-stakes decisions on standardized test scores is not in the best interests of students. OEA will continue to advocate for this important measure in the next General Assembly.

HB 509 – School Psychologist Licenses Moved from ODE to State Board of Psychology 

House Bill 509 (Occupational Licenses) was amended prior to passage this week to create a new school psychologist license granted by the State Board of Psychology, specifically for practice in school settings. The State Board of Psychology will continue to issue a school psychologist license for practice outside of school settings. The school psychologist license issues by the State Board of Education will be phased out. The bill requires the State Board of Education and State Board of Psychology to coordinate implementation of the changes described above not later than January 1, 2025.

OEA Testifies Against HJR 6

There continues to be strong opposition to a proposal that would make it much harder for voters to amend the Ohio Constitution. House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR 6) would require a supermajority of 60% of the vote to pass a citizen-led initiative. HJR6 would make it much more challenging to pass amendments to advance the interests of students and educators, including a potential constitutional amendment to fully and fairly fund Ohio’s public schools.

OEA President Scott DiMauro testified in opposition to HJR 6 on Wednesday. Click here to read OEA’s testimony. Opponents vastly outnumbered supporters of the proposal over two days of hearings. A vast and growing coalition of over 150 groups has signed to fight the proposal. HJR 6 is truly unfair, undemocratic, and unpopular. It seeks to silence the will of the people by blunting the ability of Ohio citizens to advance issues that the legislature is either unable or unwilling to address.

HJR 6 is still under consideration in the House Government Oversight Committee, which could hold a vote as early as Monday. Click here to urge your State Senator and State Representative to oppose HJR 6.

Senate Passes Bill Shifting Education to Governor

Despite a rushed process that didn’t allow for meaningful stakeholder input, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 178 by a vote of 22-7. The bill, sponsored by Senator William Reineke (R-Tiffin), is a proposal to limit the powers and duties of the State Board of Education and create a new cabinet-level agency called the Department of Education and Workforce. The new department would be under the Governor and oversee most issues currently under the purview of the State Board of Education and the Ohio Department of Education.

OEA President Scott DiMauro testified as an interested party in the legislation. Mr. DiMauro stated that it is worth reviewing the best way to oversee and support education; however, the process should be timely. Stakeholders should have the opportunity to share concerns and have them addressed. OEA cautioned against passing the bill during the lame-duck session’s waning days.

Senate Bill 178 had four hearings—three allowing for public testimony. Two of those hearings occurred after a 2,100-page substitute bill was adopted. Only the final hearing allowed for opponent testimony. Opponents outnumbered proponents 25 to 18, with seven testifying as interested parties. Like OEA, interested parties outlined significant questions or reservations. The only change to the substitute bill adopted by the committee was to make the effective date earlier.

With little time left in the legislative session, the bill will head to the Ohio House.

Ohio Senate Committee Replaces Trans Sports Gender Exam with Birth Certificate Requirement

On December 6, 2022, the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee removed a provision in House Bill 151 (HB 151) that would have allowed gender exams to verify the biological sex of trans athletes seeking to play single-sex sports. Instead, the new language would require a school, athletic conference, interscholastic athletics organization, state institution, or private college to determine a disputed participant’s sex based on the sex that appears on the participant’s original birth certificate. Separately, HB 151 contains reforms to the resident educator program and summative assessment intended to streamline and improve the experience of early career educators. The trans sports language amended by the Senate was added to the bill in a last-minute House floor amendment. OEA is opposed to adding this amendment to HB 151 and believes this issue should be addressed through individual sports leagues and athletic associations, such as the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which already has a process regarding trans athlete participation.

The following is a summary of the Ohio Senate trans sports provisions in HB 151:

  • Permits students of the female sex to participate within male sports divisions of interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics.
  • Expressly prohibits students of the male sex from participating in female sports divisions and teams.
  • Removes the requirement that, when disputed, a student’s sex be determined using a signed physician’s statement indicating the participant’s sex. Instead, it requires a school, athletic conference, interscholastic athletics organization, state institution, or private college to determine a disputed participant’s sex based on the sex that appears on the participant’s original birth certificate.
  • Removes the provision of the bill that authorizes an athletic participant to file a civil action if the participant is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers harm because of a violation of the bill’s single-sex participation requirements or if the participant is subject to retaliation for reporting such a violation.

OEA Opposes Proposal to Require Supermajority for Citizen-Led Initiatives

Democracy in Ohio is facing a new attack with the constitutional amendment proposed by Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville). House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR 6) would make it much harder to pass citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in our state by requiring a supermajority of 60% of the vote. This would make it much more difficult to pass amendments to advance the interests of students and educators, including a potential constitutional amendment to fully and fairly fund Ohio’s public schools.  

For more than 100 years, Ohioans have had the power to set the policy agenda for our state and enshrine rights into our state constitution through direct democracy. Citizen-led constitutional ballot initiatives are never undertaken lightly. To place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, citizen groups are required to collect nearly half a million verified signatures from at least half of Ohio’s counties. Changing the rules so only 40% of voters can block the will of the rest of the state’s citizens when these issues are on the ballot is unfair and wrong. A substitute version of HJR 6 would apply the 60% threshold to passage of citizen-led initiatives and constitutional amendments proposed by the legislature. 

OEA strongly opposes HJR 6 and is joined by over 140 groups who signed a letter of opposition. Organized labor, voting rights groups, civil rights organizations, religious organizations—groups on the left, right, and center of the political spectrum—have expressed opposition to this proposal. We cannot allow politicians in Columbus to ignore the will of the people. We must come together to protect the fundamental right of Ohio’s voters to decide critical issues at the ballot box.  

Click here to urge your legislators to oppose HJR 6. 

OEA Cautions Against Rush to Restructure Education Governance in Lame Duck Session 

Senate Bill 178, sponsored by Senator William Reineke (R-Tiffin), is a proposal to limit the powers and duties of the State Board of Education and create a new cabinet-level agency called the Department of Education and Workforce. The new department would be under the Governor and oversee most issues currently under the purview of the State Board of Education and the Ohio Department of Education.  

On Wednesday, November 30, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee expressing reservations about the proposal and the speed at which it is being considered. A day earlier, the committee accepted a substitute bill that is over 2,100 pages. The original bill was a single sentence. The full Senate may vote on the proposal as early as next week. 

President DiMauro stated in his testimony, “SB 178 proposes a significant shift in the way education is overseen and supported in Ohio. I do not believe that this type of change should be enacted in the waning days of session. Stakeholder input is needed.”  

Click here to read OEA’s full testimony.

SBOE Urges Elimination of Mandatory Student Retention Under the TGRG

On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the State Board of Education passed a resolution calling upon the General Assembly to end the harmful practice of mandatory retention of students under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. OEA has long advocated for such a change because high-stakes decisions about students should not be based on standardized test scores. The Board’s resolution passed by a wide margin of 18-1.

Passage of this resolution is further evidence of broad, bipartisan support for ending mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. House Bill 497, which passed the House in June by a vote of 82-10, would accomplish this. Passage of HB 497 would allow for educators and parents to make determinations about student retention based on the best interests and abilities of the student. 

In order to become law, HB 497 needs to be passed by the Ohio Senate before the end of the year. Click here to urge your Senator to support this important bill.

Proposal Would Limit Powers of State Board, Make Education and Workforce a Cabinet Agency

Senator William Reineke (R- Tiffin) is sponsoring a bill to severely limit the powers and duties of the State Board of Education. Senate Bill 178 as introduced was a single sentence expressing the intent of the General Assembly to “reform the functions and responsibilities of the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Education.” During sponsor testimony before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee, Reineke outlined the provisions of a forthcoming substitute bill.

The bill would restructure the Department of Education and create a new cabinet level agency under the Governor. The Department of Education and Workforce would have a director appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.  The department would be divided into two divisions: Primary and Secondary Education, and Career Technical Education. This new department would be generally responsible for enforcing and adopting rules under the Ohio Administrative Code.

The State Board of Education would continue to exist with no change in its structure or membership. However, the functions of the Board would be limited to implementation and enforcement of rules regarding teacher licensure; review and rendering disposition of cases involving educator or staff conduct; and review and decisions of school district territory transfers. In all other matters the Board could make recommendations to the newly formed department. The Board would also continue to appoint the Superintendent of Public Instruction, but he or she would serve as Board Secretary and an advisor to the Director of the Department of Education and Workforce.

OEA has concerns about this type of change being considered in the limited timeline of lame duck session. The needs and concerns of all stakeholders must be heard and addressed to ensure that students, educators, and schools receive the support and resources they need for success. Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), Chair of the Senate Education Committee, has stated that the bill will receive several hearings and may be voted on by the Senate in the coming weeks.

Changes to Elections and Voting Rights Poised to Move in Lame Duck

A substitute version of House Bill 294 was unveiled this week. The bill, sponsored by Bill Seitz (R- Green Township) and Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth), would make several changes to election laws and voting rights. The bill would require voters to use a photo ID. Current law allows voters who do not have a state issued ID to use utility bills or bank statements as identification. The bill would also eliminate August special elections. Other changes include prohibiting the Secretary of State from sending unsolicited absentee ballot requests to Ohio voters and removing language to allow the BMV to update voter information.

OEA’s legislative policies support the ability of citizens to freely and easily exercise their right to vote. Specifically, we have a policy to oppose strict photo ID laws for voters as they can serve as an unnecessary hurdle for voters including college students, the elderly, poor and disabled. OEA also has a policy opposing elimination of the August special election as it limits the opportunities for school districts to seek levies.

HB 554 (R-Bird/D-Lightbody) – Expedited Pathway for Renewing Expired Educator Licenses

After being passed unanimously by the Ohio House of Representatives before summer recess, HB 554 received its first hearing in the Ohio Senate Education Primary & Secondary Committee on November 15, 2022. OEA supports HB 554, which is designed to be one piece in the larger puzzle of reducing teacher shortages.

HB 554 does the following:

  • Requires the State Board of Education, upon application, to issue a nonrenewable, two-year temporary educator license to individuals with expired professional teacher’s certificates or professional educator licenses.
  • Requires the State Board to issue a professional educator license with any applicable endorsements to an individual who, during the duration of the temporary license, completes either 18 continuing education units (180 contact hours) or 6 semester hours of coursework in the area of licensure or in an area related to the teaching field. The professional educator license and any endorsements are valid for teaching in the same subject areas and grades for which individual’s expired certificate or license was issued.

HB 748 – Requires Local Board Policy on Professional Conduct

HB 748 (R-Bird) received first hearing bill sponsor testimony on November 15, 2022 in the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Committee. HB 748 would require local boards of education to adopt a policy declaring that the board expects all professional staff members to maintain high standards with respect to co-worker relationships and in the performance of the staff member’s professional duties. OEA has concerns with including professional conduct requirements in Ohio law, which will create confusion with professional conduct guidance already provided in the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct that is approved by the State Board of Education.

HB 748 requires local school boards to adopt policies that prohibit school employees from doing the following:

  • Engaging in political, partisan, ideological, or religious advocacy by compelling a student to adopt, affirm, or adhere to a specific political, partisan, ideological, or religious belief;
  • Unfairly evaluating a student’s work because it does not reflect a specific political, partisan, ideological, or religious belief.

Advocacy Continues to Repeal Mandatory Student Retention

This week the State Board of Education’s Legislative Committee unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the legislature repeal mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. The resolution is expected to be considered by the full Board at its November meeting.

House Bill 497 is legislation currently pending that would end mandatory student retention under the Third Grade Guarantee. The bill, jointly sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Phil Robinson (D- Solon), passed the Ohio House 82-10 and is now pending in the Senate. OEA supports this bill based on a belief that high-stakes decisions about students should not be based on standardized test scores. Repealing the mandatory retention requirement would allow educators and parents to make decisions about what is best for students.

On Monday, OEA held a virtual press conference in support of repealing mandatory retention and passage of House Bill 497. Speakers included OEA member Karen Carney, Representative Gayle Manning, State Board of Education member Dr. Christina Collins, and Furman University Professor Dr. Paul Thomas. They noted that the evidence shows student retention has not improved reading proficiency and has been harmful to students.

OEA is urging members of the Ohio Senate to pass House Bill 497 before the end of the year.

Senate Bill 361 Introduced — Allows Military Veterans to Teach Without Educator License

SB 361 (R-Hoagland) was introduced on October 3, 2022, and has yet to be assigned to committee. OEA opposes SB 361, which allows certain military veterans to teach in Ohio’s classrooms without receiving the training and preparation otherwise necessary to obtain a professional educator license. OEA welcomes brave and dedicated servicemembers into Ohio’s classrooms when they are appropriately trained and licensed to teach. In fact, Ohio already has an avenue for former service members to become licensed teachers through the Troops to Teachers program. More details are available in the OEA Government Relations SB 361 Bill Summary.

Educator licenses protect the interests of students and taxpayers. OEA opposes elimination of the requirement to hold an educator license for any reason, whether it be for individuals with a military background or another criteria. Elimination of the requirement to hold an educator license is a band-aid approach to the teacher shortage that cuts corners when it comes to serving the best interests of Ohio students. The teacher shortage in Ohio should be addressed with systemic changes that attract aspiring educators (including military veterans) and retain them in the profession (which is more likely if they are properly trained and licensed), while also ensuring all students receive the classroom instruction they deserve.

OEA’s comprehensive recommendations for addressing the teacher shortage in Ohio can be found in the recently released OEA Educator Voice Cadre Report on Teacher Recruitment and Retention (OEA Educator Voice Academy recommendations).

Bill that Dilutes Training Requirements for Armed School Staff Clears Ohio Legislature

Despite significant opposition from educators, parents, law enforcement, and concerned citizens, the Ohio Senate passed House Bill (HB) 99. The bill passed by a vote of 23-9 and Senators Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) joined Democrats in opposition. The Ohio House of Representatives later concurred with Senate Amendments by a vote of 56-34. Representatives Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) joined Democrats in opposing the bill.

This bill would gut training requirements for teachers and other school staff members who are authorized by their local school districts to carry guns in school buildings. Additionally, it would reverse the 2021 Ohio Supreme Court ruling in Gabbard v. Madison Local School District Board of Education that upheld that armed educators need to complete over 700 hours of training.

Prior to the Senate floor vote, the Ohio Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee adopted a substitute bill. That bill would prescribe initial state training requirements to not exceed 24 hours and no more than 8 hours to be completed for requalification. The bill does allow for a local school district to require training to exceed these state maximums. Additionally, the bill creates the Ohio Mobile Training team within the Ohio Department of Public Safety to develop the curriculum and provide training to those individuals authorized to carry weapons in a school safety zone and support school districts in other items related to school safety.

OEA remains strongly opposed to HB 99 and urges Governor DeWine to veto the bill. OEA believes that state minimum training requirements must be rigorous, and that parents and the community must be adequately informed. HB 99 remains woefully inadequate in these measures.

You can contact Governor DeWine to urge him to veto HB 99 at 614-466-3555.

  • An analysis of the bill can be found here
  • Read OEA’s press release here
  • Find OEA’s HB 99 veto letter here
  • View OEA’s HB 99 testimony here

School Security Grants

On Wednesday, June 1, both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 687, the capital appropriations bill. The measure contains $100 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support school security grants.

Grants can be up to $100,000 per school building and will be awarded by the Ohio School Facilities Construction Commission. Guidelines for these grants will be adopted in consultation with the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Public Safety.

Governor DeWine is expected to sign HB 687.

Bill to End Student Retention Under Third Grade Reading Guarantee Clears House

On Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the Ohio House approved House Bill 497. The bill, jointly sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Phil Robinson (D- Solon), would eliminate student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Additionally, HB 497 would reduce state-mandated testing by limiting the 3rd grade English Language Arts test to a single administration each year.

OEA strongly supports HB 497. High-stakes decisions about students should not be based on a test score. Further, reducing the time spent on standardized testing will free up more time for teaching and learning in the classroom.

HB 497 passed the Ohio House by a vote of 80-10. This bipartisan bill will now head to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

HB 616: “Divisive Concept/Don’t Say Gay” Bill Gets First Hearing Testimony From Bill Sponsors

House Bill 616 received first hearing bill sponsor testimony in the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The committee heard testimony from the bill sponsors, Rep. Mike Loychick (R-Bazetta) and Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township). The bill has no co-sponsors.

HB 616 doubles-down on state censorship of “divisive topics” from HB 327 and adds parts of Florida’s recently passed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. Violations of “divisive topics” and “don’t say gay” prohibitions could result in educator license revocation and withholding of state funding for schools.

OEA opposes HB 616 and other similar legislation, such as HB 327 (R-Fowler/R-Grendell). Educators and students deserve the freedom to teach and learn without fear of state censorship, intimidation, and punishment based on vague government prohibitions on speech and ideas. All Ohio children deserve an honest and reflective education that empowers them to become critical thinkers and future leaders.

Take action to protect educators and students. Use the OEA HB 616 Action Alert to send an email to your state representative asking them to oppose this harmful legislation:

OEA Requests Line-Item Veto of HB 583 Amendments on Charters and Vouchers

Before passing a bill to extend a temporary law that provides flexibility in hiring substitute teachers, the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee added numerous amendments on other subjects. OEA is requesting a line-item veto of two HB 583 amendments that undermine accountability for charter school sponsors and expand the state’s financial obligations under the income-based voucher program to families that no longer qualify.

HB 529 Gets Proponent Testimony Hearing – Requires Web Posting of Instructional Materials

The Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee held a second hearing on HB 529 on May 24, 2022. OEA opposes HB 529, which requires schools to post instructional materials on its website.

HB 151 – OEA Opposes Transgender Sports Ban Amendment

On June 1, 2022, Ohio House Republicans took a clean bill that sought to help early career educators and added the controversial transgender sports ban from HB 61 at the eleventh hour. OEA opposes the transgender sports ban addition to HB 151 and asks the Ohio Senate to remove this provision when it considers the bill.

Time and time again, certain members of the Ohio General Assembly use backdoor tactics to pass unsupported and controversial legislation. Instead of waging divisive culture wars, the Ohio General Assembly should focus tackling the real problems faced by Ohio’s public schools.

House Bill 616 has been scheduled for a first hearing in the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 3:00 PM, in Room 114 of the Ohio Statehouse. The committee will hear testimony from the bill sponsors, Rep. Mike Loychick (R-Bazetta) and Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township). The bill has no co-sponsors.

HB 616 doubles-down on state censorship of “divisive topics” from HB 327 and adds parts of Florida’s recently passed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. Violations of “divisive topics” and “don’t say gay” prohibitions could result in educator license revocation and withholding of state funding for schools.

HB 616 applies to school districts, charter schools, STEM schools, and private schools that enroll students in a state voucher program. Higher education institutions would be prohibited from including “divisive topics” in continuing education credits or professional development programs for educator license renewal.

OEA opposes HB 616 and other similar legislation, such as HB 327 (R-Fowler/R-Grendell). Educators and students deserve the freedom to teach and learn without fear of state censorship, intimidation, and punishment based on vague government prohibitions on speech and ideas. All Ohio children deserve an honest and reflective education that empowers them to become critical thinkers and future leaders.

Take action to protect educators and students. Use the OEA HB 616 Action Alert to send an email to your state representative asking them to oppose this harmful legislation.

House Bill 616 is an attack on students, educators, public schools, and Ohio’s collective future. The Ohio Education Association (OEA) denounces HB 616 and vows to continue the fight to ensure students have the freedom to learn and thrive.

HB 616 doubles-down on the worst parts of Ohio HB 327, the anti-freedom ‘divisive concepts bill,’ by adding the worst parts of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill into the new proposed language, which applies to school districts, charter schools, STEM schools, and private schools that take state vouchers.

The bill was introduced on April 4, 2022, and is jointly sponsored by Rep. Mike Loychik (R-Cortland) and Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). There are no co-sponsors and the bill has yet to be assigned to an Ohio House legislative committee.

OEA and its allies will remain vigilant in fighting against legislation designed to threaten and silence students and educators, whether it is HB 616 or similar bills like HB 322 and HB 327 that have failed to make progress in the Ohio General Assembly.

In addition to harmful state censorship that undermines honesty in education, HB 616 targets LGBTQ students and their allies with a “don’t say gay” mandate. This comes at a time when LGBTQ students are three to four times more likely than non-LGBTQ students to report persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and even self-harm – not because of who they are but because of the hostility directed at them.

Join with OEA to advocate for truth in education, safe learning environments for students, and secure working conditions for educators.

TAKE ACTION: OEA Action Alert – HB 616 – Click here. Please invest a few minutes and send an email letter to your state representative asking them to oppose this harmful bill.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

  • OEA HB 616 Bill Summary – Click here
  • OEA HB 616 Talking Points – Click here

Redistricting Update:  The Fight for Fair Maps Continues

The Ohio Redistricting Commission has passed three versions of district maps for the Ohio General Assembly that have been rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court. It appears that could soon increase to four.

Previous plans, passed by Republicans on the Commission without Democratic support, were ruled to have been in violation of the 2015 Constitutional amendment passed by Ohio voters aimed at ending partisan gerrymandering.  The Court ruled that the plans unduly favored Republicans, in violation of the Constitution. The Court ordered the Redistricting Commission to start over and come up with a new plan by the end of day on Monday, March 28.

Things appeared to be somewhat different this time. The Commission brought in two independent mapmakers to work on drawing maps that comply with the Constitution and the Court’s order. Their work was streamed live to the public on the internet. Governor DeWine hinted that he would show some leadership and publicly stated that they would follow the Court’s order. All of that proved to be an illusion.

Hours before the Court’s deadline, the Republican majority on the Commission opted to jettison the work of the independent mapmakers they hired. Instead, they voted on a plan with minor tweaks to the last plan that they had passed—one that has already been ruled unconstitutional. Unsurprisingly, the Court is now asking members of the Commission why they shouldn’t be held in contempt.

It appears that the May 3rd primary election will go forward for offices other than the Ohio House and Ohio Senate. A challenge to the Congressional districts that were adopted by the Redistricting Commission will not be heard in time to prevent them from being used in the 2022 election.

Federal judges may ultimately rule on when a primary for General Assembly candidates will be held and what district boundaries will be used. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio reserves the right to intervene, perhaps by moving the primary to August 2nd, if the state doesn’t reach a resolution by April 20th.

OEA VP Wensing Testifies in Support of Bill to Eliminate Student Retention Under TGRG

On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing testified as a proponent of House Bill 497. The bill seeks to eliminate the retention provision of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Further, the bill would reduce the number of times that the state-mandated 3rd grade ELA state achievement test is administered.

OEA supports House Bill 497 because legislative policies adopted by our members oppose using standardized test scores to make high-stakes decisions about students. OEA also supports the reduction of testing in the bill as it will help to restore some time for teaching and learning in the classroom.

Click here to read Vice President Wensing’s full testimony. Several OEA members also provided testimony in support of the bill: Jennifer Bindus (Aurora), Sean McCullough (Licking Heights), Maureen Knostman (Dublin), and Michelle Cooper (Dublin).

To urge your state representative to support HB 497, click here.

HB 583: Extends Temporary Licensure of Substitute Teachers; Includes $338 Million Federal Funds for School Lunches

The Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 583 this week. The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for consideration. HB 583 does the following:

  • Extends a temporary law measure through the 2023-24 school year that permits an individual to obtain a one-year substitute teaching license if the following conditions are met: 1. Meets the district’s or school’s own education requirements (rather than those prescribed by the State Board of Education); 2. Is deemed to be of good moral character; and 3. Successfully completes a criminal records check. This temporary standard for licensing substitute teachers has been in place since the 2020-21 school year due to Covid-related staffing challenges that exacerbated pre-existing shortages of substitute teachers.
  • Requires the chairpersons and ranking members of the Primary and Secondary Education committees of the House and Senate to form a study committee to address the shortage of substitute teachers and report its findings and present them to the House and Senate Primary and Secondary Education committees by October 30, 2022.
  • Appropriates $338 million of federal funds for FY 2022 for the National School Lunch Program.

State Legislative Maps Heading Back to Court

On Saturday, January 22, 2022, the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed revised state legislative maps. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the first, highly partisan maps passed by the Commission were unconstitutional because they were gerrymandered in favor of Republican candidates. The Court said the maps violated the provision of the voter-approved constitutional amendment that districts should closely correspond with the Ohioans’ voting preferences.

Once again, the revised maps were passed by a 5-2 party line vote. Although the revised maps come closer to the Court’s stated measure of Ohioans’ voting preferences (54% Republican to 46% Democrat), they still fall short. Fifty-seven of 99 House seats and 20 of 33 Senate seats were drawn to favor Republicans. Further, the Democratic leaning districts were highly competitive while the Republican districts were significantly less competitive.

Plaintiffs objected to the new maps Tuesday. In the filing made by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and other groups, they argue that the proposed maps still fail to comply with the Constitution. The plaintiffs also argue that there were plans submitted to the Commission that would comply with the Court’s order, but the Commission ignored them. The Court has ordered the Redistricting Commission to file a response to the complaint by noon Friday.

Ohio Supreme Court Rejects Highly Partisan General Assembly Maps

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling that invalidates the highly gerrymandered state legislative districts that were adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission on a partisan basis. In 2015, Ohio voters passed a Constitutional amendment aimed at ending partisan gerrymandering.  In a 4-3 ruling, the Court stated that the plan failed to comply with provisions in the Constitution that the Commission attempt to match the statewide voting preferences of Ohio voters.

Over the past 10 years, voters in Ohio have favored Republicans over Democrats by a margin of 54% to 46%. However, the maps adopted by the Commission were drawn to give Republicans a two-thirds majority of the seats in both the House and the Senate. The Supreme Court invalidated the maps on the basis that the Commission did not attempt to correspond closely with the overall voting preferences of Ohioans.

OEA President Scott DiMauro praised the decision saying, “OEA applauds the wisdom of the Ohio Supreme Court to strike down gerrymandered maps that would have denied Ohioans a real voice at the Statehouse. This is a huge victory for Ohio voters and for Ohio schools, which are greatly impacted by the decisions of the state’s elected lawmakers.”

The majority opinion was written by Justice Melody Stewart and joined by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Justices Jennifer Brunner and Michael Donnelly. The three members who dissented and favored upholding the maps were Justices Sharon Kennedy, Patrick Fischer and Patrick DeWine.

The Court ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to reconvene and produce new maps within 10 days. Plaintiffs would then have three days to file any challenges to the revised maps.

Ohio Supreme Court Strikes Down Congressional Map

On Friday, January 14, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling striking down the highly partisan Congressional district map adopted by the Ohio General Assembly without Democratic support. Similar to the rejected General Assembly districts, the map failed to meet the requirements of a Constitutional amendment passed by voters aimed at ending partisan gerrymandering.

The 4-3 decision was written by Justice Michael Donnelly and joined by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Justices Jennifer Brunner and Melody Stewart. The Court ruled that the adopted plan violated the provision that a map could not unduly favor a political party. Despite a statewide voter preference of 54% Republican, the invalidated map would have favored Republicans in 12 of 15 Congressional districts.

Ohio lawmakers have 30 days to agree to new Congressional districts. If they cannot do so, the Ohio Redistricting Commission will have 30 days to do so.

Bill Introduced to Re-Establish STRS COLA

Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) has introduced Senate Bill 280. The bill would require the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) to pay an annual 2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to eligible retirees. Under current law, the STRS Board has authority to adjust the COLA amount as necessary to preserve the fiscal integrity of the system. The bill would require at least a 2% annual COLA beginning on July 1, 2022.

After the Great Recession, STRS was projected to run out of money, which forced the adoption of pension reform legislation. Active teachers had their contributions increased, were forced to work longer and collect less in retirement. Retired teachers had the COLA reduced to 2% and the STRS Board further acted to freeze the COLA when the economy didn’t recover quickly enough. Thanks to shared sacrifice, and sound financial stewardship that has improved investment returns, STRS funding is now over 80%. The STRS Board is now in a position to consider restoration of the COLA as well as changes to benefit active teachers such as eliminating the age 60 requirement or decreased employee contributions.

SB 280, as currently written, would mandate a 2% annual COLA going forward without providing a way to pay for it. Actuaries project that such a change would increase STRS unfunded liabilities by over $13 billion—roughly a 66% increase. Because the legislation does not contain any mechanism for the state to cover this needed funding, it may put the benefits of active teachers at risk.

To be clear, retired teachers need and deserve cost-of-living adjustments. At the same time, the long-term ability of STRS to pay pensions to all its members is critical. Just as shoring up the funding of STRS has taken shared sacrifice, the improved funding should benefit active and retired teachers alike.

Bill Introduced to Require Teachers to Post Syllabi Online

HB 529, introduced by state Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville, would require school districts, charter schools, public colleges (with respect to courses taught to secondary students through the college credit plus program), and private schools to post on its publicly accessible web site an internet link or title to all of the following used by each school, course, or classroom: every textbook, a course syllabus that includes a list of all “instructional materials” and activities to be “used for student instruction” in each instructional course, a written summary of each instructional course, the state academic standards related to each instructional course. OEA is currently reviewing the bill, which has not been assigned to committee yet. OEA remains concerned about any additional burdens being thrust upon members during these incredibly stressful times.

Urge DeWine to Veto Unconstitutional Redistricting Plan

Despite passage of a Constitutional amendment aimed at ending partisan gerrymandering, the Ohio legislature has passed a Congressional that heavily favors Republican candidates. In 2018, Ohio voters passed redistricting reform. The Constitution calls for an open and bipartisan process for drawing districts. That did not happen. Instead, Republican leadership rammed through a map that unduly favors their party in violation of the Constitution. The statewide voting preference of Ohioans is roughly 55% Republican and 45% Democrat. However, the proposed map would favor Republicans in 80% of the districts.

An amended version of SB 258 emerged on Monday night and was passed by the Senate on Tuesday (24-7) and by the House on Thursday (55-36). The bill is now headed to Governor DeWine for his signature. Gerrymandering, done for the benefit of either party, subverts our democracy. 

If signed by Governor DeWine, the Congressional map would be in effect for four years instead of ten because it did not have bipartisan support. There is also certain to be a court challenge to the proposal.

Bill to Change Training Requirements for Armed School Staff Passes Ohio House
House Bill 99, a bill that would significantly decrease the current training hour requirements for armed school staff, passed out of the Ohio House by a vote of 59-33. Former educator, and Republican Representative Gayle Manning joined Democrats in voting no.

Prior to passage, Representative Leland (D-Columbus) offered an OEA supported amendment that would have strengthened training requirements and public notification portions of the bill.

OEA continues to be opposed to House Bill 99. The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for deliberation.

House Bill 99 Passes out of House Committee

House Bill 99, sponsored by Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township), passed out of the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee by a party-line vote of 7-5. The bill would exempt a “person authorized to go armed within a school safety zone” from satisfactorily completing an approved basic peace officer training program. This would reverse the 2021 Ohio Supreme Court ruling on Gabbard v. Madison Local School District Board of Education.

Substitute House Bill 99 would prescribe state training requirements at a maximum of 20 hours of initial training and 4 additional hours to be completed annually. OEA believes this level of firearms training remains inadequate and will ultimately jeopardize the safety of students and staff.

Additionally, the measure requires a board of education or governing body of a school to notify the public that they have authorized one or more persons to go armed within a school of the board or governing body. However, the bill does not expressly state how often the governing body should notify the public and if school districts who have already authorized this policy are required to notify the public.

Representative David Leland (D-Columbus) offered two OEA supported amendments that were tabled. These amendments would have enhanced the notification provisions and removed the maximum training hour requirements and instead allow the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission to determine the hours sufficient for training of armed school personnel.

OEA remains opposed to the bill.

OEA Continues to Oppose House Bill 99 – Training Requirements for Armed School Staff

House Bill 99, sponsored by Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township), would exempt a “person authorized to go armed within a school safety zone” from satisfactorily completing an approved basic peace officer training program. This would reverse the 2021 Ohio Supreme Court ruling on Gabbard v. Madison Local School District Board of Education that required personnel entering a school to go through peace officer training.

In October 2021, a substitute bill was introduced. The change represents marginal improvement to the original version of the bill. OEA is pleased that the measure requires the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) to create a training program for people to carry guns in schools. However, OEA remains concerned and opposed to the training hour requirements in the bill. The new bill version would prescribe state training requirements at a maximum of 20 hours of initial training and 4 additional hours to be completed annually. OEA believes this level of firearms training remains inadequate and will ultimately jeopardize the safety of students and staff. Additionally, the measure requires a board of education or governing body of a school to notify the public that they have authorized one or more persons to go armed within a school of the board or governing body. However, the bill does not expressly state how often the governing body should notify the public, nor does it clarify if school districts who have already authorized this policy are required to notify the public. OEA has requested that this provision be amended to require annual notification to the public, including notification from school districts who have already authorized personnel to carry guns in schools, and post these notifications on the district’s website.

The bill is currently pending in the House Criminal Justice Committee.

Republicans Unveil Proposed Congressional Maps

Despite a statewide ballot issue that enshrined a Constitutional amendment aimed at ending gerrymandering, Republican leaders in the Ohio General Assembly have introduced new Congressional maps heavily tilted in their party’s favor. The House and Senate Republicans introduced separate plans this week that would each likely result in 13 of 15 Congressional districts being represented by Republicans. Ohio currently has some of the most heavily gerrymandered maps in the country and the new ones would shockingly be even worse.

In 2018, voters overwhelming passed Congressional redistricting reform that called for fair districts and an open, bipartisan process. Thus far, instead we have seen missed deadlines and no cooperation between the two parties. The partisan maps unveiled this week would break Ohio’s largest urban counties among multiple Congressional districts. This dilutes the voice of Ohio communities of color and results in up to 86% of the seats would favor Republicans in spite of that party winning approximately 55% of the statewide vote.

The General Assembly has until the end of November to pass a Congressional redistricting plan. If a plan is passed with a three-fifths majority (including at least one-third of each party) it will go into effect for 10 years. Without bipartisan support, only a simple majority is needed but the districts will only be in effect for four years. Further, those districts must not unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

OEA is part of a coalition advocating for fair maps called Equal Districts. The coalition is holding a Statehouse Lobby Day on Tuesday, November 16. Members who are able to attend are encouraged to do so. More information is available by clicking here.

HB 327 – Anti-Freedom in the Classroom Bill Undermines Honesty in Education

OEA opposes HB 327. Despite some recent changes to the bill, HB 327 continues to prohibit K-12 schools, state institutions of higher education, state agencies, and political subdivisions from teaching, instructing, promoting, or providing professional development in certain “divisive concepts” listed in the bill. OEA also opposes HB 322, a similar bill that is receiving less attention from the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee.

Violations of murky state censorship prohibitions in HB 327 would threaten students with loss of graduation credit, schools with cancellation of state funding, and educators with suspension/revocation of state licenses. HB 327 also threatens financial harm to educators and schools with exposure to uncapped civil liability damages in lawsuits brought by parents alleging violations of state censorship regulations.

Educators and students deserve the freedom to teach and learn without fear of state censorship, intimidation, and punishment. Instead of more state regulations in the classroom, let’s trust educators, administrators, and school board members to do the jobs they were trained and elected to do on behalf of students.

To send an email to your state Representative, click HERE.

For a guide on how to prepare and submit HB 327 opponent testimony to the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee, click HERE.

For a summary of the current version of HB 327 click HERE.

SB 1 – Ohio House Passes Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement and Extends Substitute Teacher Hiring Flexibility

The Ohio House of Representatives has passed SB 1 (9.29.21), a bill that creates a half-unit financial literacy requirement for graduation. The bill also extends for the 2021-22 school year temporary flexibility for districts to hire substitutes that do not have a four-year degree. The next step for SB 1 will be a Senate vote to concur in House changes to the bill, most likely to occur next week. OEA has engaged with stakeholders as an Interested Party on SB 1.

SB 1 does the following:

  • Requires students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2022, to complete a half-unit of instruction in financial literacy as part of the required high school curriculum.
  • Overall graduation requirement of 20 units remains the same. Students can take the financial literacy course by using a half-unit of elective credit (out of 5 elective units) or in lieu of one-half unit of instruction in math. The math course cannot be Algebra II, or its equivalent, or a course for which the State Board requires an end-of-course examination (algebra I and geometry).
  • Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, an educator license validation in financial literacy will be required to provide financial literacy instruction for high school credit. Exempted from this validation requirement are those who have a license or endorsement required to provide instruction in social studies, family and consumer sciences, or business education. For individuals that obtain a financial literacy validation, a school district must cover up to $500 of the cost and the district is reimbursed by state funds.
  • Substitute Teacher Amendment: Extends through the 2021-22 school year temporary flexibility for districts to hire substitutes that do not have a four-year degree. The rationale for this extension are substitute shortages exacerbated by Covid-19. This provision contains an “emergency clause” and therefore would go into effect immediately if the Senate concurs in House changes and the Governor signs the bill.

HB 322 and HB 327 – “OEA leaders, members lead challenge to bills designed to kill academic freedom and honesty in the classroom”

OEA President Scott DiMauro and other OEA members presented opponent testimony this week on legislation that would prohibit teaching certain “divisive concepts.” Instead of censorship and fear, President DiMauro called for honesty in education and trusting educators to do their jobs.

Copies of President DiMauro’s opponent testimony can be viewed at the following links: HB 322 and HB 327

A video of President DiMauro’s opponent testimony on HB 322 and HB 327 can be viewed HERE.

You can take action by using the OEA Action Alert to send an email letter to your State Representative and for guidance on submitting written-only testimony to the committee.

Lawsuit Challenges General Assembly Maps as Unconstitutional

Several voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit arguing that General Assembly maps adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission are unconstitutional. Earlier this month, the Commission adopted maps on a party-line vote. The suit alleges the maps violate provisions in the Ohio Constitution adopted by voters in 2015 to reform redistricting and end partisan gerrymandering.

Specifically, the lawsuit focuses on Article XI Section 6 of the Ohio Constitution which states, “No general assembly district plan shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party” and “the statewide proportion of district whose voters, based on statewide state and federal partisan general election results during the last 10 years, favor each political party shall correspond closely to the statewide preferences of the voters of Ohio.”

Over the past ten years, voters in Ohio have favored Republicans over Democrats by a margin of approximately 55% to 45%. However, the maps adopted by the Commission were drawn to give Republicans a two-thirds of the seats in both the House and the Senate—a veto-proof majority.

Over 71% of Ohio voters passed redistricting reform. Hundreds of Ohioans testified about the need for fair maps and fair representation. However, the Redistricting Commission process was marked by delays and a lack of transparency. The maps adopted by the Commission broke both the letter and the spirit of the law. The party-line vote results in maps that, if upheld, would be in effect for only four years.

The lawsuit challenging the maps was brought by the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and six Ohio voters. The lawsuit was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court which has sole jurisdiction over the General Assembly redistricting process.

SB 1 – Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement and Substitute Teacher Flexibility

The House Education Committee unanimously passed SB 1 this week. The bill creates a half-unit financial literacy requirement for graduation and also extends for the 2021-22 school year temporary flexibility for districts to hire substitutes that do not have a four-year degree. The next steps for SB 1 will be a floor vote in the Ohio House and then a concurrence vote in the Ohio Senate. OEA has engaged with stakeholders as an Interested Party on SB 1.

SB 1 does the following:

  • Requires students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2022, to complete a half-unit of instruction in financial literacy as part of the required high school curriculum. Overall graduation requirement of 20 units remains the same. Students can take the financial literacy course by using a half-unit of elective credit (out of 5 elective units) or as a substitute for a half-unit of Algebra II.
  • Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, each public school and chartered nonpublic school must require an individual to have an educator license validation in financial literacy to provide financial literacy instruction for high school credit. Exempted from this validation requirement are those who have a license or endorsement required to provide instruction in social studies, family and consumer sciences, or business education. For individuals that obtain a financial literacy validation, a school district must cover up to $500 of the cost and the district is reimbursed by state funds.
  • Extends through the 2021-22 school year temporary flexibility for districts to hire substitutes that do not have a four-year degree. The rationale for this extension are substitute shortages exacerbated by Covid-19.

Redistricting Commission Produces a more Gerrymandered Map than Current One, Defying the Will of the People

On Thursday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission introduced legislative maps created by staffers for the Senate and House Republicans. These maps were adopted by the Commission 5-2 on a party-line vote as a “starting point.” This plan is wholly inadequate and fails to meet the demands of the Constitutional amendment passed by voters to end partisan gerrymandering.

In 2015, Ohioans voted overwhelmingly to approve an amendment to the state Constitution on redistricting. The amendment created the bipartisan Redistricting Commission and established rules for drawing legislative districts. A bipartisan agreement is needed for the maps to go into effect for 10 years. Otherwise, a simple majority of members of the Commission can enact a four-year map.

There are two fatal flaws with the current proposal. First, the Constitution calls for the statewide proportion of districts favoring each political party correspond closely with the statewide preferences of the voters (i.e. representational fairness). In statewide elections over the last 10 years, Republicans have averaged approximately 55% of the vote while Democrats have averaged 45% of the vote. Therefore, the districts that favor each party should fall roughly on those lines. The proposed plan under consideration brazenly would have two-thirds of the House and Senate districts favoring Republicans—a veto-proof supermajority. Secondly, the Constitution requires that the plan comply with federal law. The Voting Rights Act requires that communities of color have real pathways to political representation. The staffers who produced the map testified that they were instructed by legislative leaders not to take race or ethnicity into account in drawing district lines. This will likely dilute the political voices of minority populations in Ohio – a violation of federal law.

Members of the Commission maintain that they still want a 10-year map and will work over the next few days for a compromise. The Constitutional deadline is September 15th. It is critical for state leaders to put politics aside and give the voters of Ohio what they voted for—fair maps. Time is running out.

What Can You Do? Take Action to tell the Commission We Demand Fair Maps:

  1. Click here to send an email demanding fair maps.
  2. Provide written testimony by sending it to testimony@redistricting.ohio.gov or attend a Commission hearing:
    Sunday at 4pm – Dayton
    Washington Township Recreation Center
    895 Miamisburg Centerville Rd
    Dayton, Ohio 45459
    –
    Monday at 4pm – Cleveland
    Corporate College East
    4400 Richmond Rd
    Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
    –
    Tuesday at 10am – Columbus
    Ohio Statehouse
    1 Capitol Square
    Ohio House Finance Hearing Room (Room 313)
    Columbus, OH 43215

If you have questions or need information about how to testify, contact Robert Davis in OEA Government Relations: davisr@ohea.org

Redistricting Commission Blows by First Deadline for District Maps

The Ohio Redistricting Commission, the body tasked with drawing new district lines for the state legislature, has missed its first deadline to produce maps. Under an amendment to the Ohio Constitution passed in 2015, the Commission had until September 1 to vote on an initial map and then hold public hearings on it. At this point, no map has been voted on nor have any further public hearings been scheduled. The Commission then has until September 15 to vote on a final map.

Redistricting reform passed with support of over 70% of Ohio voters to bring about fairer maps, rather than ones drawn specifically to favor one party over another through gerrymandering. Last month the Commission held 10 public hearings where citizens testified with a strong message of calling for an open and bipartisan process that lives up to the letter and spirit of the Constitutional amendment. Several OEA members provided testimony including OEA President Scott DiMauro and Vice President Jeff Wensing. Click here and here to read their testimony.

The Redistricting Commission is comprised of seven members: Governor Mike DeWine (R), Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), Auditor Keith Faber (R), Speaker of the House Bob Cupp (R), House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D), Senate President Matt Huffman (R), and Senator Vernon Sykes (D). In order for a map to take effect for 10 years, it would take a majority vote of the Commission with both of the Democrats voting for it. A simple majority of members can pass a map, but it would only be in effect for four years.

Redistricting Commission Releases Schedule for Regional Hearings

The Ohio Redistricting Commission has released a schedule of ten regional hearings around the state from August 23-27. The hearings provide an opportunity for the public to provide input to the Commission tasked with redrawing district lines for the Ohio General Assembly.

Ohio voters twice passed redistricting reform measures. Fair districts are vitally important and Ohio citizens should be provided with ample opportunities for meaningful input in the process. For too long, partisan gerrymandering has subverted our democracy.

OEA urges our members to participate in these public hearings. We note that the bulk of the public hearings take place during the school day at the beginning of the new year making attendance difficult for many of our members. However, the Commission will accept written testimony from those unable to appear in person. The hearings are as follows:

Monday, August 239:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Cleveland
Monday, August 232:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Youngstown
Tuesday, August 249:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Dayton
Tuesday, August 242:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Cincinnati
Wednesday, August 259:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Zanesville
Wednesday, August 252:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Rio Grande
Thursday, August 269:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Lima
Thursday, August 262:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Toledo
Friday, August 279:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Akron
Friday, August 272:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Mansfield

If you have an interest in testifying (either in person or submitting written testimony), contact Robert Davis in OEA Government Relations davisr@ohea.org for more information.

OEA Analysis of Recently Signed State Budget
OEA’s Government Relations staff has compiled an analysis of the education-related provisions included in House Bill 110, the budget for FY 2022 and FY 2023. Please click here to read the analysis.  You can also download the district-by-district funding spreadsheets, as well as those for Joint Vocational Districts.

Final Budget Bill Includes Fair School Funding Plan, Pathway Out of State Takeover
On Monday, June 28, 2021, the Ohio General Assembly finished its work on House Bill 110, the state budget for FY 2022 and FY 2023.  The final bill was produced by a Conference Committee that worked out the differences between the House and Senate. The final bill was passed by a vote of 32-1 in the Senate and 82-13 in the House.

Of great importance was the inclusion of the Fair School Funding Plan in the final bill. This was OEA’s top budget priority. The Fair School Funding plan was a product of years of work by policy makers and school finance experts that garnered bipartisan support. The plan is based upon the costs of providing a high-quality education. It will reduce the reliance on local property taxes. The bill directly funds charter school and voucher students, ending the pass-through funding model that deducts from local school districts. When fully implemented, it will provide a formula is student-centered, equitable, adequate, transparent, and ensures the funding needed to provide all kids the future they deserve.

Of concern is that the final budget applies the formula to only this two-year budget. Intent language to fully phase in the formula over six years and several studies to further refine aspects of the formula were removed. Clearly, our work is not over, and it will be important to continue to advocate for the resources to fully implement the Fair School Funding plan and make it historic promise a reality for Ohio’s students.

Another positive aspect of the bill was the inclusion of language that was in the Senate version establishing a pathway out of state takeover for Lorain, Youngstown, and East Cleveland. The failed state takeover law has been a harmful experiment for students, educators, and communities. The distractions and dysfunction caused by state takeovers increases the difficulty of developing comprehensive supports that help students overcome barriers to learning caused by poverty. All three districts and communities under an ADC/CEO deserve to regain local control.

On the priority issues of vouchers and charter schools the news was less welcome. The expanded eligibility for EdChoice vouchers, removal of the statewide cap and increased voucher amounts in the Senate version were retained. The Senate’s provision that allows brick and mortar charter schools to open anywhere in the state was also included. The final bill did not include language to allow charter schools to be operated by a sectarian school or religious institution. However, the bill did include tax credits of up to $1,000 on private school tuition.

The bill must be signed by Governor DeWine by June 30 and is subject to potential line-item vetoes. OEA will provide members additional information as this occurs. Fuller analysis of HB 110 will be provided over the coming weeks.

HB 82: Reworked Report Card System Contains Major Changes Called for by OEA
Eliminates A-F Letter Grades; Creates Student Opportunity Profile

The Ohio General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a reworked version of the state report card system for school districts/buildings that seeks to address numerous flaws with the current approach. The updated report card system was amended into House Bill 82, a bill supported by OEA that allows students to opt out of the statewide administration of the ACT and SAT tests in their junior year (with parental consent). House Bill 82 now heads to the Governor, who is expected to sign the bill.

The updated report card system in House Bill 82 contains major changes called for by the OEA. These include the elimination of misleading A-F letter grades beginning with the report card for the 2020-21 school year. The new rating system will be based on a five-star system (including half-stars) accompanied by trend arrows and brief explanatory descriptors. The bill also includes the creation of an ungraded Student Opportunity Profile with twenty-two indicators proposed by OEA beginning with report card for the 2022-23 school year.

A summary of the updated report card system can be found here.

Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee accepted an omnibus amendment House Bill (HB) 110, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023. The bill passed the Ohio Senate Finance Committee along party lines and passed the Ohio Senate with a vote of 25-8. Prior to passage, Senator Fedor offered an OEA supported amendment to restore the Fair School Funding Plan as passed by the Ohio House. The amendment was tabled.

The Senate version of the bill includes a provision establishing a process by which certain school districts subject to an academic distress commission (ADC) may be relieved from the oversight of its ADC. The provision applies to all districts currently with an ADC (Lorain, East Cleveland, and Youngstown) rather than just Lorain as under a previous version of the bill. OEA supports this provision.

Additionally, the Senate version of the bill appropriates $125 million in federal funds over the biennium to establish education savings accounts for after-school child enrichment. Eligible students are ages 6-18 from households with family income under 300% of poverty level. Students can attend public or private school or be homeschooled. Each eligible student would be granted $500 and provided on a first come-first served basis until funds run out. These funds can be used for expenses such as tutoring, classes, camps, field trips, etc.

As the budget heads to conference committee, OEA’s top priority remains enacting the Fair School Funding plan as passed by the Ohio House. Now is the time for Ohio’s policymakers to enact the funding for schools that our students need and deserve. It is also important that the bill include language to end academic distress commissions in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland. Additionally, we are calling for the elimination of the voucher and charter school expansion language in the Senate’s version of the budget. OEA will continue to keep members informed throughout the process and provide ways to make your voice heard on these critical issues.

More information regarding major provisions of the omnibus amendment can be found here.

Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of House Bill 110, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023. Disappointingly, the Senate version of the bill removes the House-passed Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) and replaces it with a lower base per-pupil of $6,110. The Senate plan equates to a $90 per pupil increase from the per-pupil amount enacted two years ago and is considerably less than a fully phased in base per-pupil of the FSFP (statewide average is $7,200). The Senate school funding plan also fails to address any of adequacy or equity issues that have long made Ohio’s broken school funding system unconstitutional. OEA continues to advocate for the adoption of the Fair School Funding Plan that when fully phased-in would provide an additional $1.8 in funding for schools.

The Senate’s substitute version of the budget maintains the House’s action to directly fund voucher programs and charter schools. This is very positive as it will end the practice of “pass through funding” that deducts voucher amounts and charter school funding from the state funds that a district receives. This funding method has forced local taxpayers to subsidize voucher students and resulted in lower funding for public school students.

However, the Senate’s version would eliminate the current cap on EdChoice vouchers, increase the eligibility for EdChoice vouchers, and increase the maximum amount of each voucher to an amount that for high school vouchers would exceed the per pupil state aid public school students receive in 80 percent of Ohio School Districts. These changes would result in higher costs and even more taxpayer money going to private schools. OEA opposes these changes.

Other major policy highlights contained within the Senate substitute measure are outlined below:

  • Removes Student Wellness and Success Funds from the school funding formula and reinstates a standalone program. Appropriates $650 million over the biennium for this purpose.
  • Allows new start up charter schools to open anywhere in the state (not just “challenged districts,” i.e. the Big Eight urban districts and districts with certain “low performing” ratings on the state report card). Charters are direct funded by the state under FSFP.
  • Allows charter schools to be operated by a sectarian school or religious institution or to be sectarian in their programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations.
  • Includes Academic Distress Commission language from SB 165, which establishes a pathway for Lorain City Schools (does not apply to Youngstown or East Cleveland City Schools) to exit state control under the state takeover law.
  • Removes a variety of educator licensure disciplinary provisions that would have undermined due process for license holders.
    Provides a 5% income tax cut over the biennium resulting in a loss of $874 million in income tax revenue. Losing this revenue will hamstring Ohio’s ability to adequately fund our schools and other important programs.
  • Eliminates the provision from the Executive budget that would have required students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to graduate.
  • Permits parents to opt-out of the administration of the ACT/SAT starting with the class of 2026.
  • Permits students to use relevant final course grades of B or higher to qualify for citizenship or science diploma seals.

New district funding spreadsheets (School district and JVSD) produced by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission (LSC) detailing the Senate funding plan are available. Additionally, you may see how the current school funding system affects your district and how much better districts would fare under the Fair School Funding Plan at https://www.allinforohiokids.com/

HB 110 is expected to have additional amendments and a vote next week in the Ohio Senate.

OEA Testifies in Support of Testing Reduction Legislation

This week, OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing and several other OEA members testified in support of House Bill 73. The bill is designed to help reduce the amount of standardized testing for Ohio’s students to allow more time for teaching and learning in the classroom.

Wensing highlighted OEA’s enthusiastic support for HB 73 including provisions that would reduce the number of state-required tests, establish district workgroups to review the amount of district-required testing, and eliminate the retention provisions of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. You can read the testimony here.

OEA members Dan Heintz (Chardon EA) and Rob Schofield (Avon Lake EA) also testified as proponents of the bill. Written testimony was also provided by Erin Stevens (Pickerington EA), Kara Jankowski (West Carrollton EA), and Matthew Jablonski (Elyria EA). If you would like information on providing testimony in support of HB 73, contact OEA lobbyist Robert Davis at davisr@ohea.org

SB 145 – OEA Provides Senate Education Committee Feedback on Report Card Bill

Bills under consideration in the House (HB 200) and Senate (SB 145) seek to address numerous flaws with the current state report card system for school districts and buildings.

OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing provided “Interested Party” testimony on SB 145 in Senate Education Committee on May 11, 2021. Mr. Wensing stated the report card proposals in SB 145 and HB 200 demonstrate broad consensus it is time to make significant and meaningful changes in the interest of students, families, and communities. A copy of the OEA SB 145 testimony can be viewed here.

Major OEA priorities include eliminating misleading letter grades, ending the use of overall grades (which are inherently over-simplified), and adding a Student Opportunity Profile that allows schools to provide report-only data for equity and access indicators that can be plainly understood by all users of the report card, including parents, the public and policymakers.

Mr. Wensing recognized positive elements of SB 145, but stated HB 200 most aligns to the Report Card Proposal adopted by OEA RA delegates in 2019 and therefore has the support of OEA.

SB 1 – Ohio Senate Unanimously Passes Half-credit Financial Literacy Requirement

SB 1 would create a half-credit financial literacy requirement for high school students. The Ohio Senate unanimously passed SB 1 on May 12, 2021. OEA is monitoring SB 1.

SB 1 would do the following:

  • Requires students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2021, to complete at least one-half unit of instruction in financial literacy as part of the required high school curriculum.
  • Allows flexibility to provide the equivalent of a half-credit of instruction in financial literacy through currently offered courses or as a standalone course.
  • Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, each public school and chartered nonpublic school must require an individual to have an educator license validation in financial literacy to provide instruction in financial literacy in high school.
  • Requires the State Board of Education to consult with an advisory committee of at least five classroom teachers prior to adopting any rules regarding the license validation. The teacher advisory committee must include a representative of each of the following: (1) the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics, (2) the Ohio Council for the Social Studies, (3) the Ohio Business Educators Association, and (4) the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences.
  • Requires each district or school to cover any costs necessary for a teacher employed by a district or school to meet the additional requirements for the license validation. The bill establishes the High School Financial Literacy Fund to reimburse districts and schools for covering the costs of teachers obtaining a license validation. Allocates an initial $1.5 million to ODE for the reimbursement fund.

Testing Reduction Legislation to Receive Proponent Testimony
House Bill 73 is jointly sponsored by Representatives Gayle Manning (R- North Ridgeville) and Erica Crawley (D- Columbus). The bill is aimed at reducing the testing load on Ohio’s students. The bill is similar to HB 239 from the last General Assembly, the Testing Reduction Act, which passed the House 78-14 but was not taken up by the Senate. OEA strongly supports the bill.

The major provisions of HB 73 include:

  • Eliminates the Fall administration of the third grade ELA test and student retention provisions of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
  • Beginning with the class of 2024, reduces the number of end-of-course exams to four by combining the American History and American Government exams.
  • Requires each school district to establish a workgroup made up of teachers, parents, and administrators to examine the amount of time students spend on district-required testing and make recommendations on how to reduce testing.
  • Permits districts to exceed statutory testing limitations through passage of an annual resolution after considering recommendations from the testing work group.
  • Eliminates taking the ACT/SAT as a graduation requirement and makes student participation voluntary.
  • Requires ODE to issue an annual report on the amount of time students spend on state and district required testing.

The bill is likely to receive proponent testimony next week before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee. If you are interested in supporting the bill by providing written testimony, contact Robert Davis in OEA Government Relations (davisr@ohea.org) for more information.

Ohio House Passes State Budget Bill
On Tuesday, April 20, the Ohio House Finance Committee made further changes to the state budget bill, via the omnibus amendment, before sending the measure (Substitute HB 110) to the full House.

After House floor deliberations on Wednesday, April 21, the Ohio House passed the bill by a vote of ­­­70-27.  New district funding spreadsheets produced by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission (LSC) detailing the House-passed version are available here.  It is important to note, that we are halfway through the state budget process and that the spreadsheets could change. In addition, because the legislature is phasing in the plan, there are going to be occasionally odd results showing some districts doing better than others. That is the nature of phasing in a new school funding plan, which is why we are pushing for a quicker implementation of the plan so these incongruities are minimized.

Details of the major policy changes contained within the omnibus amendment are outlined below.

K-12

  • Requires, for purposes of calculating the formula transition supplement for city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school districts paid under the substitute bill, that a district’s foundation aid is calculated before any state budget reductions ordered by the Governor.
  • Extends a provision of the introduced bill requiring that the tangible personal property supplement payment amount to be paid to school districts that have a nuclear power plant located in their territory should be no less than the amount that was paid to them in fiscal year 2017. This change extends the supplement through 2026.
  • Allows for parental opt out for students taking the ACT/SAT for those who enter 9th grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2022.
  • Authorizes the State Teachers Retirement Board to adopt a policy that allows Board members to attend Board meetings by means of teleconference or video conference. Requires, that at least one-third of the Board members must be present in person where the meeting is being held.
  • Prohibits automatic closure of community schools on the basis of any report card rating issued prior to the 2022-2023 school year.
  • For the 2021-2022 school year only, waives the requirement that a community school automatically withdraw any student who without legitimate excuse fails to participate in seventy-two consecutive hours of learning opportunities.
  • Requires the Department of Education to submit to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) any proposed changes to the Education Management Information System (EMIS) or the Department’s business rules and policies that may affect community schools.
  • Requires JCARR to hold public hearings regarding the proposed rule changes, consider testimony provided at those hearings, and vote to determine whether community schools can reasonably comply with the proposed changes.
  • Prohibits the Department from implementing any changes to EMIS or the Department’s business rules and policies that may affect community schools without JCARR’s determination that those schools can reasonably comply with the proposed changes.
  • Changes the deadline for the Department of Education’s report on the pilot program for dropout recovery e-schools to December 31, 2022 (from December 31, 2023, as under the substitute bill). This pilot program was created under H.B. 123 of the 133rd General Assembly, and that bill required the report to be submitted by December 31, 2021.

Higher Education
Restores the use of a single line item to make State Share of Instruction (SSI) formula payments for universities and regional campuses and community and technical colleges.

DRC Reentry Employment Grants
Earmarks $275,000 in each fiscal year from GRF appropriation item 503321, Parole and Community Operations, to create and implement a program to award grants to at least one nonprofit organization that operates reentry employment programs that meet certain criteria. Requires the Department to establish guidelines, procedures, grant application forms, and outcome-based criteria upon which performance is evaluated. (Sec. 383.10)

OEA President DiMauro Testifies on Budget Bill in Ohio Senate
On Thursday, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified before Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee to present OEA’s views on school funding, academic distress commissions, graduation requirements, and other proposed policy changes contained within the budget bill. You can read his testimony here.

Ohio House Finance Committee Accepts Substitute Budget Bill 
On Tuesday, April 13, the Ohio House Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of House Bill (HB) 110, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 and 2023.

Notably, the substitute measure includes the Fair School Funding Plan formula (House Bill 1) with some adjustments outlined below.  The Plan will continue to be phased-in over a six-year period – with $4.5 billion in American Recovery Act funds put on top of the additional state aid included during the phase in period, which helps to ease the transition to the new formula. The bill also eliminates separate funding for the Success and Wellness program, currently funded outside of the funding formula, merging those funds into the Fair School Funding Plan. With this change, the substitute bill ensures that all districts in this budget cycle will receive from the state an amount equal to at least the sum of their total FY 2019 formula aid plus total FY 2021 Success and Wellness Funds.

The substitute bill removes the requirement that each student, as a condition of graduation, provide evidence of having completed and submitted a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA).  OEA supports this change. Additionally, the measure retains the Executive Budget proposal, supported by OEA, that prohibits the Superintendent of Public Instruction from establishing new academic distress commissions (ADCs) for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.

OEA Government Relations staff is currently reviewing the language in the substitute bill and will provide additional details as they become available.  District runs are not currently available.  HB 110 is expected to have additional amendments and a vote next week in the Ohio House.

You may view a summary of the major changes included in the substitute budget bill here.

OEA Submits Testimony in Opposition to Bill to Alter Training Requirements for Armed School Staff
On Thursday, April 15, 2021, the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing for opposition testimony on House Bill 99.  OEA President Scott DiMauro submitted testimony in opposition, as well as over 130 other opponent witnesses, but only four witnesses were given the opportunity to testify in person.  OEA President DiMauro was not one of the four.  The Chair stated that time constraints of the committee hearing necessitated limiting the number of witnesses, and that there would be future opportunities for individuals to testify on the bill.

The bill would exempt a “person authorized to go armed within a school safety zone” from satisfactorily completing an approved basic peace officer training program. This would reverse the 2020 12th District Court of Appeals ruling on Gabbard v. Madison Local School Dist. Bd. of Edn., 2020-Ohio-1180, that is now pending in the Ohio Supreme Court.

Further, House Bill 99 would prescribe no state training requirements for armed school personnel outside of Ohio’s concealed carry training, assuming that school staff are carrying concealed. This training is 8 hours, 6 of which can be completed online.

OEA opposes the legislation. The safety of Ohio’s students and school staff necessitates increased training requirements for armed personnel not fewer.  You can read his full testimony here.

HB 200 – OEA Provides Committee Testimony Regarding Report Card Reform Bill

OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing provided testimony to the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee this week regarding HB 200. The bill is designed to address numerous flaws with the current state report card system for school districts/buildings. OEA testimony highlighted priorities such as eliminating misleading A-F letter grades and adding a “Student Opportunity Profile” with indicators that help districts/buildings demonstrate their offerings and support for students beyond test-based measures. HB 200 is bi-partisan legislation joint sponsored by Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Rep. Phil Robinson (D-Solon). The OEA HB 200 testimony is available here.

SB 165 – Establishes Process to Release Lorain City Schools from ADC

Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) has introduced legislation (SB 165) that would establish a process for Lorain City Schools to be released from state control under the HB 70 Academic Distress Commission/CEO system. Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee Chair Andrew Brenner is co-sponsoring the bill. OEA is seeking an amendment that would also apply the bill to Youngstown and East Cleveland City Schools.

House Bill 67 Advances to the Governor

The Ohio Senate amended and passed House Bill 67 this week. The bill, which deals with high school graduation and testing flexibility, was passed by a vote of 32-1 on the Senate floor. The Ohio House concurred with the amendments made by the Senate by a vote of 96-0. Importantly, the final bill does include an emergency clause and will go into effect immediately upon being signed into law by the Governor.

Key changes made by the Senate include adding an additional graduation pathway for this year’s seniors; limiting the ability to use course grades in lieu of test scores for the purposes of high school graduation to this year’s 11th and 12th graders; and reinserting the emergency clause. OEA supports HB 67 as it will offer increased flexibility for high school students who have had their learning experience disrupted to progress towards graduation. However, OEA is disappointed that the flexibility was limited to 11th and 12th grade students. A summary of key provisions of the bill is below:

  • Permit juniors and seniors to use course grades in lieu of test scores on end-of-course exams from the 2020-21 school year to satisfy conditions for a high school diploma
  • Permit schools to grant a diploma this year to a senior student who is on track to graduate and for whom the principal, in consultation with teachers and counselors, determines the student has successfully completed high school curriculum or individualized education program
  • Creates another graduation pathway for the 2020-21 school year only. Student must complete all required courses and earn the OhioMeansJobs-readiness seal
  • Exempt schools from administering the state required American history end-of-course exam
  • Extend testing windows later in the school year and requires deadline extensions related to assessments
  • Require ODE to seek a waiver from federal accountability and school identification requirements
  • Extend back the deadline for school district/building report cards to October 14

HB 200: Report Card Overhaul Receives First Hearing Sponsor Testimony

Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Phil Robinson (D-Solon) provided HB 200 sponsor testimony in House Education Committee on March 16, 2021. This was the first committee hearing on HB 200.

HB 200 makes strong progress with regard to replacing misleading A-F letter grades with a series of measures (Achievement/Progress/Equity/Early Literacy) that use expectations/needs-based ratings as follows: “significantly exceeds expectations,” “exceeds expectations,” “meets expectations,” “significantly approaching expectations,” “moderately approaching expectations” and “in need of support.” Overall performance ratings of school districts and buildings are prohibited under the bill.

OEA is taking an “Interested Party” position on HB 200 and will be engaging with legislators and other stakeholders to support areas of progress while recommending additional improvements

OEA Testifies in Support of HB 67

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified in support of Substitute House Bill 67. The bill would allow high school students to use course grades instead of scores on end-of-course exams given this year for the purposes of high school graduation. Further, the bill would allow local education officials to make graduation decisions for seniors who are on track to graduate this year and provide additional testing flexibility.

The bill passed the House last week by a wide margin but without an emergency clause that is needed for it to have its intended effect. DiMauro asked the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee to pass the bill quickly and re-insert the emergency clause. You can read his full testimony here. The bill is expected to have an additional hearing and possible vote next week.

HB 200: Bi-Partisan Report Card Bill Would Eliminate A-F Letter Grades

Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Phil Robinson (D-Solon) have introduced legislation to improve Ohio’s state report card system. HB 200 bill has 58 co-sponsors and is expected to receive serious consideration in the Ohio House of Representatives.

HB 200 would replace misleading A-F letter grades with a series of measures that use expectations/needs-based ratings as follows: “significantly exceeds expectations,” “exceeds expectations,” “meets expectations,” “significantly approaching expectations,” “moderately approaching expectations” and “in need of support.” Overall performance ratings of school districts and buildings are prohibited under the bill.

While the proposal keeps the flawed value-added student growth measure, it seeks to make improvements in how the measure is used. The State Board of Education would also be permitted to replace value-added with a different growth measure. Other areas for improvement in the bill include adding a Student Opportunity Profile that allows districts to report information about education programs, extracurricular activities, student supports, staffing ratios and other pertinent information about the district/building.

OEA is taking an “Interested Party” position on HB 200 and will be engaging with legislators and other stakeholders to support areas of progress while recommending specific improvements.

Revamped Testing Bill Heads to Senate

On Thursday, March 4, 2021, a substitute version of House Bill 67 was voted out of the House and will head to the Senate. The bill addresses state testing for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. The bill passed 93-1. However, the bill’s emergency clause did not have sufficient votes with most House Democrats voting against the measure. Without an emergency clause the bill will not take effect for 90 days, after the end of the school year.

The new version of the bill emerged in committee this week after the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education would not grant waivers of federal testing requirements. The new version of HB 67 would do the following: 

  • For the 2020-21 school year, permits students to use course grade in lieu of scores on end-of-course exams to satisfy conditions for a high school diploma
  • Permits schools to grant a diploma in the 2021 school year to a student on track to graduate and for whom the principal, in consultation with teachers and counselors, determines the student has successfully completed high school curriculum or individualized education program
  • Exempts schools from administering the state required American history end-of-course exam
  • Extends testing windows later in the school year and requires deadline extensions related to assessments
  • Requires ODE to seek a waiver from federal accountability and school identification requirements
  • Pushes back the deadline for school district/building report cards to October 14

OEA supports HB 67. The lack of a federal waiver of testing requirements was hugely disappointing. However, HB 67 attempts to make the best of a bad situation. The bill offers some additional flexibility and, importantly makes sure that test results on this year’s end-of-course exams are not a barrier to graduation. Even those who support testing have stated that this year’s tests shouldn’t be tied to punitive measures or high-stakes decisions. For our high school students, their pathway to graduation has incredibly high stakes. HB 67 will need to pass as an emergency measure in order to have an impact. HB 67 is scheduled for its first hearing in the Senate on Tuesday and OEA will testify in support of the bill.

OEA Testifies on State Budget Bill

This week, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified on HB 110, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023.  In the testimony, DiMauro highlighted the following: 

  • Support for the Fair School Funding Plan;
  • Opposition to the removal of professional development regarding trauma informed care and cultural competence from the list of allowable expenses for Student Wellness and Success Funds;
  • Opposition to the requirement that each student, as a condition of graduation, to provide evidence of having completed and submitted a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA);
  • Support for extending the moratorium on new state takeovers through the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years;
  • Opposition to new computer science provisions contained in the bill; and
  • Advocating for changes to various licensure provisions within the bill.

You may read the entire testimony here.  Additionally, you may view an analysis of the Executive Budget proposals here.

HB 151: Eliminates Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)

Recently introduced HB 151 would eliminate the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA). In separate legislation passed at the end of last year, the Ohio Teacher Residency Program and Resident Educator license was reduced to two years from four years (Effective April 12, 2023; HB 442-133rd G.A.*).

In addition to eliminating RESA, HB 151 would require Local Professional Development Committees (LPDCs) to establish a 2-year mentorship program that “reflects on instructional practices, an introduction to the teaching profession and the school district or school, as well as any other topic determined appropriate by the committee.” Each new teacher would be assigned a mentor teacher that has at least 5 years of experience and has renewed their professional license at least once. Finally, the bill requires each school district to give one day of professional development to new teachers in each of those two years to observe a veteran teacher in action in the classroom.

HB 151 is sponsored by Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and co-sponsored by Reps. Joe Miller (D-Amherst), Jeffrey LaRe (R-Canal Winchester), Jon Cross (R-Kenton), D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), and Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati).

* HB 442 (133rd G.A.) reduces the duration of both the resident educator license and the Ohio Teacher Residency program to two years from four years effective April 12, 2023. The State Board of Education must determine a method to condense the four-year Teacher Residency program into a two-year program, including a timeframe by which individuals already enrolled shall complete the program.  

HB 6: School Nurse License Changes for Make Up Hours Educator Preparation Program

School nurses and ODE pupil services licenses: Provides that a licensed registered nurse is not required to obtain a pupil services license from the Ohio Department of Education to work in schools if the nurse also holds a bachelor’s degree (but the bachelor’s degree is not required to be in nursing).

Educator preparation program make up hours and weeks: Requires each educator preparation program to develop and implement a plan to provide its students with alternative experiences, assignments, or instruction in the 2021-2022 academic year to make up any hours or weeks of clinical experiences missed due to school closure or limited hours because of COVID-19.

OEA Testifies in Support of Bill to Fix School Funding

On Thursday, February 25, 2021, OEA President Scott DiMauro offered proponent testimony before the House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education for House Bill 1. House Bill 1 contains the Fair School Funding Plan. The Fair School Funding Plan passed the Ohio House by a vote of 87-9 at the end of 2020, but the Senate did not consider the bill before the legislative session ended.

The Fair School Funding Plan seeks to base decision making on identifiable student needs and the actual cost of providing a high-quality education. The funding plan would provide an additional $1.99 billion more in state aid annually when fully phased in and provides about 70% of the increased funds to the poorest urban, small town, and rural districts in the state. The plan would also end the use of gain caps and would reduce the number of districts from the state’s funding guarantee to fewer than 10 of Ohio’s 609 districts. Additionally, the bill direct funds charters and vouchers, rather than the current pass-through funding system.

Click here to read OEA President Scott DiMauro’s testimony.

HB 67 Stalls Amid Federal Testing Announcement

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that they would not be granting waivers allowing states to forego annual testing this year. While the announcement included flexibility about when and how the tests are administered and how the data may be used; testing will go forward. This is hugely disappointing news as Ohio educators have been vocal about the need to focus on classroom instruction and meeting student needs rather than spending time on standardized tests.

This announcement came a day before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee was poised to pass House Bill 67. HB 67, sponsored by Representatives Adam Bird (R- Cincinnati) and Kyle Koehler (R- Springfield), calls for waiving state required tests and requiring the Ohio Department of Education to seek a waiver of federally mandated tests for this school year. The bill also allows high schoolers to use their course grades in lieu of test scores for the purpose of high school graduation.

OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing testified in support of HB 67. Click here to read his testimony. Additionally, over 6,300 OEA members took action in support of HB 67. There was broad support in the House to pass the bill, however, the Ohio Senate and Governor DeWine were likely roadblocks to keep the bill from being signed into law.

OEA remains supportive of the provisions of HB 67 related to waiving state testing above the federal minimum requirements (high school end of course exams in American History and American Government) and allowing class grades to be used for high school graduation. These provisions may move forward in an amended version of HB 67 or in separate legislation. We will keep members updated as the situation develops.

Bills Introduced to Waive Spring Testing for This School Year

One of OEA’s legislative priorities for this General Assembly is secure legislation to forego state and federally mandated testing for this school year. The administration of standardized tests is logistically challenging and anxiety-inducing under the best of circumstances. Of course, this year has been anything but the best of circumstances for our members and Ohio’s students. Testing this year would not provide reliable data and would only serve to take away meaningful time from classroom instruction and meeting the needs of students.

Two bills have been introduced that would waive state-required end-of-course exams and require the Ohio Department of Education to seek a waiver of federally required testing. Note that achievement tests administered in grades K-8, as well as one high school test in math, English language arts, and science, are federally required. The US Department of Education has yet to announce a testing waiver, but this may be forthcoming.

House Bill 67, sponsored by Representatives Adam Bird (R- Cincinnati) and Kyle Koehler (R- Springfield), and House Bill 40, sponsored by Representatives Lisa Sobecki (D- Toledo) and Jeffrey Crossman (D- Parma), both received sponsor testimony in the House Education Committee on Tuesday. All the sponsors noted the importance of focusing on teaching and learning rather than testing what remains of the 2020-21 school year. Rep. Koehler noted the urgency of passing having the bill signed into law with an emergency clause by early March in order to have a practical impact. However, Senate President Matt Huffman (R- Lima) has indicated he favors keeping testing in place this school year.

OEA strongly supports legislation to waive testing this year. Click here to take action and urge your legislators to support HB 67. If you are interested in providing written testimony in support of the bill contact OEA Lobbyist Robert Davis at davisr@ohea.org

SB 1 – Requires Half-Unit Financial Literacy Course for High School Students

SB 1 requires students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2021, to complete a half-unit course in financial literacy. The bill received first hearing sponsor testimony in the Ohio Senate Education Committee on February 2, 2021. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, any licensed teacher who receives a validation in financial literacy is eligible to teach the stand-alone half credit in financial literacy. The State Board of Education must consult with an advisory committee of at least five classroom teachers prior to adopting any rules regarding the license validation.

To view an SB 1 bill summary, click here.

 HB 54: Repeals Academic Distress Commissions (State Takeovers)

Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Rep. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) provided HB 54 sponsor testimony to the Ohio House Education Committee on February 9, 2020. HB 54 would repeal the failed state takeover law and return local control to school districts in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland. HB 54 is the same bill that passed the Ohio House of Representatives 83-12 in 2019 (under bill number HB 154). In addition to HB 54, a second bill HB 100 (R-G.Manning/D-K.Smith) has been introduced that would also dissolve academic distress commissions and repeal the state takeover law. OEA supports both bills.

On Monday, February 1, 2021, Governor DeWine released his second Executive Budget Blue Book detailing his plans for the state budget for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 and 2023. The administration’s main focus is utilizing $1 billion in one-time funds for the “Investing in Ohio Initiative” that would provide $250 million to enhance broadband access and support small businesses and other businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, of note, the governor does not tap into the $2.7 billion Rainy Day Fund.

Below is a review of the governor’s proposal. Please note that there are few details at this point as the actual budget language has yet to be released. OEA is also waiting for the release of district-by-district spreadsheets. OEA Government Relations staff will share additional information as it becomes available.

K-12 Education
School Funding

DeWine’s budget proposal continues to fund the Student Wellness and Success Funds which he created in his last budget. This proposal provides an additional $100 million in each fiscal year for a total of $1.1 billion over the biennium for districts to support students by providing mental health counseling, wraparound services, mentoring, and other supports to address student needs. These funds will continue to be provided to school districts outside of the school funding formula. The funding formula is frozen at current levels.

What is noticeably absent from his budget proposal is a plan to address the state’s unconstitutional school funding formula. OEA will continue to encourage state lawmakers to include the Fair School Funding Plan which received overwhelming bi-partisan support in the House at the end of the last session and represents years of work and compromise to finally deliver an equitable and constitutional funding system.

Additional Provisions

  • The proposal eliminates the $20 million school bus purchase program that was established in FY 2021. 
  • The budget provides $20.5 million in each fiscal year (a 412% increase from FY 21) to support over 70,000 high school students to earn industry-recognized credentials and support the Innovative Workforce Incentive Program.
  • The proposal increases the income-based EdChoice voucher fund by 8.4% ($7.1 million) for an appropriation of $92 million per year. 
  • The budget transfers the Quality Community Support funding from the Lottery Profits Fund to the General Revenue Fund and appropriates $54 million in each fiscal year (an 80% increase over FY 21 levels). This fund was created in the last budget to provide additional per-pupil funding for the highest performing charter schools.

Higher Education (HE)

State Share of InstructionFY 2022 – $2.056 billion – 1.0% increase
FY 2023 – $2.075 billion – 0.95% increase
Ohio College Opportunity GrantFY 2022 – $102.7 million – 0.9% increase
FY 2023 – $108.5 million – 5.6% increase
Central State SupplementFY 2022 – $11.1million – 1.2% decrease
FY 2023 – $11.2 million – flat funded at FY 2021 level
Shawnee State SupplementFY 2022 – $4.6 million – 14.8% increase
FY 2023 – $5.4 million – 16.7% increase
GRF Total HE (State Funding)FY 2022 – $2.738 billion – 6.0% increase
FY 2023 – $2.743 billion – 0.2% increase
All Funds HEFY 2022 – $2.799 billion – 5.1% decrease
FY 2023 – $2.788 billion – 0.4% decrease

Developmental Disabilities (DD)

Medicaid ServicesFY 2022 – $637.0 million – 11.5% increase
FY 2023 – $707.0 million – 11.0% increase

*According to the Blue Book the increased appropriations in this line item for FYs 2022 and 2023 is primarily attributable to the receipt of an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (eFMAP) associated with the COVID-19 public health emergency. This additional federal reimbursement artificially reduced GRF Medicaid Services spending as additional costs were shifted to federal funding sources. The elimination of this additional revenue skews year-over-growth as expenditures shift back to the GRF.

Employment First InitiativeFY 2022 – $2.7 million – 17.4% increase
FY 2023 – $2.7 million – flat funded at FY 2022 level
GRF Total DD (State Funding)FY 2022 – $702.8 million – 12.5% increase
FY 2023 – $773.4 million – 10.1% increase
All Funds DDFY 2022 – $3. billion – 5.2% increase
FY 2023 – $3.69 billion – 3.9% increase

SCOPE

Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC)

Institution Education ServicesFY 2022 – $34.9 million – 2.9% increase
FY 2023 – $35.7 million – 2.2% increase
Education ServicesFY 2022 – $4.6 million – 0% increase
FY 2023 – $4.6 million – 0% increase
Prisoner ProgramsFY 2022 – $400k – 0% increase
FY 2023 – $400k – 0% increase
GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2022 – $1.95 billion – 3.8% increase
FY 2023 – $2.02 billion – 3.8% increase
All Funds DRCFY 2022 – $2.04 billion – 0.4% increase
FY 2023 – $2.1 billion – 2.7% increase

Department of Youth Services (DYS)

RECLAIM OhioFY 2022 – $166 million – 4.4% increase
FY 2023 – $168 million – 1.4% increase
Education ServicesFY 2022 – $2.9 million – 10% decrease
FY 2023 – $2.5 million – 14% decrease
EducationFY 2022 – $974k – 5.3% increase 
FY 2023 – $987k – 1.3% increase
Vocational ServicesFY 2022 – $1.5 million – 5.2% increase
FY 2023 – $1.4 million – 7.9% decrease
GRF Total DYS (State Funding)FY 2022 – $222.9 million – 4.0% increase
FY 2023 – $228.4 million – 2.5% increase
All Funds DYSFY 2022 – $237.3 million – 3.3% increase
FY 2023 – $242.2 million – 2.1% increase

State School for the Blind

GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2022 – $12.6 million – 4.0% increase
FY 2023 – $12.8 million – 1.6% increase
All FundsFY 2022 – $14.3 million – 0.4% increase
FY 2023 – $14.5 million – 1.4% increase

Ohio School for the Deaf

GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2022 – $13.9 million – 6.5% increase
FY 2023 – $14.2 million – 1.6% increase
All FundsFY 2022 – $14.9 million – 3.1% increase
FY 2023 – $15.1 million – 1.5% increase

State Library

GRF Total (State Funding)FY 2022 – $5.1 million – 5.1% increase
FY 2023 – $5.1 million – 0% increase
All Funds FY 2022 – $21.7 million – 3.4% decrease
FY 2023 – $21.7 million – 0% increase

Ohio House Reintroduces Fair School Funding Plan

The Ohio House of Representative reintroduced the Fair School Funding Plan as House Bill 1.  The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP), which was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support in the Ohio House during the last legislative session, would enact a student-centered school funding formula that is equitable, adequate, predictable, and that ensures that all students have the resources to succeed regardless of where they live or their family’s income. The FSFP would provide an additional $1.99 billion in state aid when fully phased in and provides about 70% of the increased funds to the poorest urban, small town, and rural districts in the state. Importantly, it would finally fix the state’s broken funding system, which was ruled unconstitutional decades ago by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1997’s landmark DeRolph v. State of Ohio ruling.

Following testimony from the non-partisan Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC) estimating nearly a billion dollars more in tax revenue over the next biennium than Governor Mike DeWine’s executive spending plan budgeted for, OEA is calling on the General Assembly to take up and approve the Fair School Funding Plan immediately.

SB 1: Requires Half Unit of Financial Literacy for High School Graduation

SB 1 received first hearing proponent testimony this week in the Ohio Senate Education Committee.

SB 1 requires students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2021, to complete at least one-half unit of instruction in financial literacy as part of the required high school curriculum (this is in addition to current law that requires the social studies curriculum to include financial literacy). High school graduation requires 20 credits. In order to help make space for a half unit of financial literacy requirement, the bill adjusts high school elective credits from 5 to 4.5.

Further, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, a license validation in financial literacy is required to provide the half unit of instruction in financial literacy (this requirement does not apply to social studies teachers who teach financial literacy as part of the ongoing social studies curriculum). The State Board of Education must consult with an advisory committee of at least five classroom teachers prior to adopting any rules regarding the license validation for teaching a half credit course in financial literacy.

Each district or school is required to cover any costs necessary for an individual employed by a district or school to meet the additional requirements for the license validation, and permits a district or school to seek reimbursement of the license validation costs from the Ohio Department of Education.

HB 54: ADC Repeal Legislation from 133rd G.A. (HB 154) Reintroduced

Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Rep. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) are the bi-partisan joint sponsors of HB 54, legislation that would repeal the failed state takeover law and return local control to school districts in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland. HB 54 is the same legislation that passed the Ohio House of Representatives 83-12 in the last Ohio General Assembly (under bill number HB 154). The bi-partisan co-sponsors of HB 54 include House Majority Whip Don Jones (R-Freeport). OEA strongly supports HB 54.