Register now for Board Leadership Institute
OSBA’s 2026 Board Leadership Institute (BLI) takes place on May 8-9! Join fellow board members for a two-day training filled with insights and strategies to lead your district to educational excellence.
Developed by board members for board members, this event features learning sessions tailored to you. Whether you're a new board member in your first term or a seasoned veteran, you'll benefit from hearing the latest on finances, legislation, school law, board development, student achievement and other critical topics. Register now to broaden your expertise, sharpen your leadership and tackle your district's challenges head-on.
OEPI property tax reappraisal trends
Dr. Howard Fleeter has analyzed Ohio’s property tax reappraisal trends from 2003 through 2025 on behalf of the Ohio Education Policy Institute (OPEI), highlighting historical anomalies throughout the years. His new report can be read here.
The chamber passed House Bill (HB) 125, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), with a vote of 91-0. This bill would require a school district to count a student who participates in a district-approved, school-sponsored or workforce preparation activity during school hours as being present at school. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Senate Bill (SB) 156, sponsored by Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) got its third hearing. This bill would require school districts to provide “success sequence” instruction in at least one course required for high school graduation. The committee heard opponent testimony on the bill.
The committee also held its third hearing on HB 674 from Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark). HB 674 would authorize a public or private school to transport students using a transportation network company. There were no witnesses to testify on the bill.
The committee held its fifth hearing on HB 661. Sponsored by Reps. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp.), this bill would prohibit a middle or high school athlete from earning compensation from the athlete's name, image or likeness. No witnesses testified.
The committee held its first hearing on HB 645 with Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) offering sponsor testimony. This bill would require the use of zero-based budgeting in the development of the state budget every ten years.
House Technology and Innovation Committee
The committee held its fifth hearing on HB 413, sponsored by Reps. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina). This bill would create the Ohio Local Government Expenditure Database and require all political subdivisions and the state retirement systems to report revenues and expenditures to the database. The committee accepted an amendment before passing the bill. The amendment:
- Requires state entities and political subdivisions to provide their expenditure and revenue information annually for five years, then every six months.
- Requires the Treasurer of State to update the databases with such information annually for five years, then every six months.
House Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee heard presentations on the 2025 audit of Science of Reading collegiate programs from:
- Dr. Amity Noltemeyer, Miami University
- Dr. Lisa Lenhart, University of Akron
- Dr. Jim Denniston, Wright State University
- Dr. Melissa Valiska Gregory, University of Toledo
- Dr. Dawn Shinew, Bowling Green State University
- Dr. Erik Porfeli, Ohio State University
House Arts, Athletics and Tourism Committee
The committee held its third hearing on HB 697, sponsored by Rep. Mark Hiner (R-Howard). This bill makes changes to the law concerning broadcasts of middle and high school post-season interscholastic athletic contests. The committee heard interested party and opponent testimony on the bill.
House General Government Committee
The committee held its second hearing on HB 609, sponsored by Reps. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Meredith Craig (R-Smithville). This bill would require a public body to allow for public commentary and testimony before taking formal action on agenda items. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill, including from Benjamin Nguyen, Lakota Local.
House Local Government Committee
The committee amended HB 493, sponsored by Reps. Thomas and Daniel P. Troy (D-Willowick). This bill would sunset the sale of delinquent property tax certificates on January 1, 2027. The substitute bill would allow sales of delinquent tax certificates for residential or agricultural parcels after 2026 with the parcel owner’s consent, among other changes.
The committee amended and passed HB 203, sponsored by Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) and Hall. This bill would increase penalties and fines for vehicular assaults and vehicular homicides that occur in an active school zone and name this act “Aspen Runnels' Law.” The substitute bill narrows the bill’s focus to school adjacent sectors and defines a school adjacent sector.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 561, sponsored by Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana). This bill, named the Parental Clarity on Health Options and Information on Conscientious Exemptions or “C.H.O.I.C.E. Act”, would revise the law governing childhood immunizations for public and chartered nonpublic schools, preschool programs and childcare providers. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
House Children and Human Services Committee
The committee held its fifth hearing on HB 647, sponsored by Reps. Young and Phil Plumber (R-Dayton). This bill would revise the law governing the publicly funded childcare program. The committee accepted an amendment that makes changes to provisions related to recordkeeping.
The committee also held its fifth hearing on HB 649, sponsored by Reps. Williams and D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron). This “Child Care Fraud Prevention Act” would require ODCY to establish standards and procedures for recording and verifying PFCC center attendance and require investigations of waste, fraud and abuse allegations relating to providers of PFCC. The committee heard proponent and opponent testimony after accepting an amendment that does the following:
- Eliminates the requirement that the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) adopt rules establishing certain standards and procedures for recording and verifying publicly funded childcare (PFCC) attendance and instead codifies those standards, including those addressing the following:
- Providing and utilizing electronic tablets for purposes of recording attendance;
- Using unique passwords or pins;
- Backdating attendance except under specified circumstances;
- Deleting data points after they have been used to verify attendance;
- Specifying that data points collected are not public records;
- Prohibiting paper sign-in sheets and allowing digital versions of any attendance compliance required.
- Establishes additional standards governing the recording and verification of PFCC attendance, including:
- That DCY utilize attendance verification hardware and software;
- That data points be used to record and verify attendance;
- That DCY is prohibited from collecting or storing photographs or videos;
- That DCY or a county department of job and family services collect data points when the child's family applies for PFCC and every six months thereafter while the family remains PFCC eligible;
- That absent days be used only under certain circumstances with DCY approval and, in some cases, parental approval.
- Codifies in statute an existing DCY rule governing the submission of attendance data by participating PFCC providers for use in calculating PFCC payments but reduces the timeline by which such data must be submitted from 30 days to 14 days.
- Specifies that its provisions apply only to children receiving PFCC.
- Expands the bill's application from only childcare centers to include all childcare providers participating in PFCC (licensed family childcare homes, in-home aides, child day camps, licensed preschool programs and licensed school child care programs).
House Commerce and Labor Committee
HB 605, which would codify the Spearin Doctrine in public construction contracts, received its first hearing. Rep. Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown) provided the committee sponsor testimony on the bill.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee amended HB 420, sponsored by Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Bernie Willis (R-Springfield). This bill would disallow and eliminate continuing levies by 2030. This is the first of three bills in the “Taxpayers Freedom Trilogy,” named “Act One: Discontinuing the Continuum.” The amendment would allow certain levies to retain qualification for the non-business property tax rollback and the owner-occupied home rollback if the levy was eligible for those rollbacks before renewal.
The committee amended HB 261, sponsored by Reps. Tracy M. Richardson (R-Marysville) and Brian Lorenz (R-Powell). This bill would increase homestead exemption amounts. The amendment would expand eligibility for the homestead exemption by increasing the income threshold, currently $41,000 in modified Ohio adjusted gross income, to $55,000 and would require the state to reimburse a county, from the GRF, for one-half of the revenue forgone by a local option homestead exemption a county may authorize under continuing law. Lastly, the amendment would require a county budget commission to account for losses from property tax reductions or exemptions when considering whether to reduce the rate or amount of a subdivision’s levy due to unnecessary collections.
The committee also held its second hearing on HB 483, sponsored by Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Williams. This bill would allow eligible homeowners to defer the payment of a portion of their property taxes. The committee accepted proponent testimony on the bill.
Recently introduced legislation
- SB 379 – Sponsored by Sen. Michelle Renyolds (R-Canal Winchester) and Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), “Hailey’s Law” would require the Attorney General to establish a statewide camera footage registry system, impose various requirements on gaming platform providers and developers and require public schools to provide grooming awareness and prevention instruction.
Rules activity
The State Board of Education has the following rules open for public comment:
- Chapter 3302-24: Licensing and education programs
- OAC 3302-24-01: Glossary/definitions
- OAC 3302-24-04: Teacher residency
- OAC 3302-24-11: Alternative principal license
- OAC 3302-24-19: Alternative resident educator licenses for teaching in grades kindergarten to 12
- OAC 3302-24-23: Resident educator license renewal and extension
- OAC 3302-24-24: Alternative resident educator license renewal and extension
View the SBOE rules open for public comment.
DCY has the following rules open for public comment:
- Five-Year Review and Renumber of School-Based School Age Program Rules
- (New) 5180:2-19-01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, and 10
- (Rescind) 5180-32-01, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, and 11
- Five-Year Review and Renumber of School-Based Preschool Program Rules
- (New) 5180:2-20-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12
- (Rescind) 5180-37-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12
View the ODCY rules open for public comment.
ODEW does not have any rules open for public comment at this time.
Federal update
Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report, which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts.