Ohio’s Education Unions: Ohio Senate Ignores Public Input and Passes Destructive SB 1
COLUMBUS — Leaders of Ohio’s three largest educator unions, the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP), the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Education Association, released statements today about the Ohio Senate’s vote to pass SB 1, a far-reaching bill that subjects Ohio’s public colleges and universities to legislative micro-management, more than 100 unfunded administrative mandates, content bans, and restrictions on collective bargaining rights.
OCAAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick:
OFT President Melissa Cropper:
OEA President Scott DiMauro:
All three leaders thank Senators Catherine Ingram, Casey Weinstein, Kent Smith, and Bill DeMora for offering amendments to SB 1, and thank the bipartisan minority of the Senate that voted against the Bill. SB1 is the worst attack on organized labor since SB 5 in 2011, and the bill is broadly opposed by Ohio labor unions.
OEA members, leaders rallying to protect public schools
Ohio Education Association members, leaders meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as the Education Secretary Nominee testifies before Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 12, 2025] Ahead of the confirmation hearing for U.S. Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon, Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro is joining other local educators, parents, and community leaders on Capitol Hill to advocate for Ohio students and their public schools. DiMauro will join hundreds of educators, parents, students, and members of Congress at a rally on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 4:15 p.m. EST to lobby members of Congress and stand up for students by fighting against the effort to dismantle the Department of Education, pass universal vouchers and cut vital services Ohio students depend on in their public schools.The rally comes at a pivotal moment, as the Trump administration attempts to advance policies that would eliminate essential support and protections for students, increase class sizes, and divert funds away from hundreds of local public school districts across our state. DiMauro joins local advocates and others across the country in speaking out against Executive Orders that will strip resources from vulnerable students, including those with disabilities, and make higher education more expensive for future generations.
The following day, McMahon is scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. EST, the first hurdle in the cabinet nomination process.
WHY IT MATTERS LOCALLY:
Students in every community across Ohio benefit from programs run by the Department of Education, especially lower-income students in rural, suburban, and urban communities; students who qualify for federal grants or loans to receive career training or attend 2- and 4-year colleges; and students with disabilities. In our Ohio communities, these proposed cuts would directly affect local schools, impacting funding, educational opportunities, and support systems for students who rely on vital services.
- More than 808,000 students in Ohio receive Title I funds from the Department of Education. Ohio public schools would lose around $700 million in vital funding to hire teachers and other school support staff.
- Losing federal dollars would further exacerbate the educator shortages plaguing Ohio public schools, causing students’ class sizes to balloon.
- Special education programs will suffer with the loss of more than $550 million that goes to Ohio students. Ohio educators and parents expect elected officials to prioritize our students’ futures and strengthen our public schools, so they remain a cornerstone of opportunity and equality.
BACKGROUND:
The Trump administration’s early EOs have already undermined civil rights protections for students, eroded access to essential educational resources, and escalated threats to the foundation of public education. The rally comes ahead of the confirmation hearing for Linda McMahon, a nominee whose policies are seen by many as part of an extreme agenda to dismantle public education and attack students’ rights.
Only Congress has the power to abolish the Education Department, and the vast majority of Congress— including Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH 10), Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH 14), and 58 other House Republicans—rejected gutting public education last session, knowing it would only hurt students and is deeply unpopular with parents and educators.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
To schedule an interview with Ohio educators in Washington this week or with other educators in different communities around Ohio, please contact Katie Olmsted at olmstedk@ohea.org or by calling or texting her at (614)560-6299. Photos from the rally Wednesday afternoon and district and statewide federal funding data are also available by request.
Ohio’s Education Unions Call for Amendments to SB 1
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s three largest educator unions are asking the Ohio Senate to delay an expected vote on SB 1 until there has been time for stakeholder input and consideration of amendments submitted by the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP).
The Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) join OCAAUP in supporting these amendments to SB 1, a far-reaching bill that subjects Ohio’s public colleges and universities to legislative micro-management, more than 100 unfunded administrative mandates1, content bans, and restrictions on collective bargaining rights. The amendments were submitted to SB 1 sponsor Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) and the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee on February 6.
“As Senate Bill 1 moves forward, we’re calling on legislators to consider and adopt amendments that would mitigate the potential harm of this bill and help find some common ground on these issues,” said OCAAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick. “Students are rightfully concerned that SB 1 will drive up the cost of tuition and put limits on what they can learn and discuss; faculty are concerned about an erosion of their rights at work and a climate of fear that would chill academic freedom; and Ohioans across the state are concerned about degrading local institutions that provide economic and cultural benefits to their communities. There are common sense adjustments that can be made to this bill to alleviate many of these concerns.”
To address concerns about workers’ rights, the proposed amendments would:
- Eliminate language that prohibits faculty from negotiating over fundamental collective bargaining subjects and removes their right to strike over unfair treatment.
- Remove the section on post-tenure review that allows for tenured faculty to be terminated at any time without due process.
To address concerns about academic freedom, the proposed amendments would:
- Revise language on “intellectual diversity” to clarify that faculty fully maintain academic freedom and are not forced to teach ideas about which there is no consensus within their academic discipline.
- Modify the American civic literacy course section to allow instructors to have control of the curriculum, as is required for accreditation.
- Delete the broad definition of “retrenchment,” which as written would grant administrators unlimited authority to shut down academic programs and layoff faculty at whim.
To address concerns about unfunded mandates and administrative micro-managing, the proposed amendments would:
- Modify the faculty evaluation section to allow boards of trustees to maintain or modify current evaluation systems that are already in place.
- Remove the section on degree program elimination, which contains arbitrary metrics, and replace it with a proposal to study the issue.
- Eliminate language banning programs and services for underrepresented students.
- Allow universities to post general syllabi online for public information instead of overly detailed syllabi.
“Ohio’s public colleges and universities are cornerstones of our communities and essential drivers of our economy. They’re too important to subject them to major policies without taking the time to stop and see if improvements can be made,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro. “We’re asking the Senate to pump the brakes and make this bill better.”
To allow public participation and meaningful consideration of these amendments, the unions are asking that Senators refrain from voting on SB 1 this week.
“As currently written, SB 1 will put Ohio’s world-class system of higher education at risk by stifling academic freedom, raising administrative costs, impeding recruitment and retention of talented faculty, and pushing more young adults out of Ohio,” said Melissa Cropper, OFT President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Ohio AFL-CIO. “The Senate can avert the worst of these risks by taking the time to consider amendments and make this bill better.”
SB1 is the worst attack on organized labor since SB 5 in 2011, and the bill is broadly opposed by Ohio labor unions.
1 SB 1 would add 105 additional usages of the word “shall” to the Ohio Revised Code.