Governor’s activity 

This week, Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 15, sponsored by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland), into law. This bill makes changes to the competitive retail electric service law and electric company property taxation. HB 15 will become effective law in 90 days on August 12, 2025. 

Senate activity  

The Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 158, sponsored by Sen. Jane M. Timken (R-Canton), with a 30-2 vote. SB 158 would require each public school to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of cellphones by students during instructional hours. The Senate Education Committee passed the bill out of committee earlier in the week after amending it to require that policies include protocol for student use of cellphones during an active threat. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.   

Senate Education Committee  

On Monday, the committee heard invited testimony on HB 96, the fiscal year 2026-27 state operating budget, from: 

  • Greg Lawson, The Buckeye Institute  
  • Chad Aldis, Thomas B. Fordham Institute  
  • Melissa Cropper, Ohio Federation of Teachers 
  • Kevin Duff and Cassandra Palsgrove, Ohio Excels 

On Wednesday, committee also heard public testimony on HB 96 from: 

  • Maggie Cook, Mentor EV 
  • Lauren Marchaza, Mentor EV 
  • Dr. Angela Chapman, superintendent/CEO, Columbus City 
  • Ryan Cook, treasurer/ CFO, Columbus City 
  • Maurice Woods, COO, Columbus City 
  • Joel Parker, treasurer, Bath Local (Allen) 
  • Mike Estes, superintendent, Bath Local (Allen) 
  • Tracy Russ, board member, Licking Heights Local (Licking) 
  • Kevin Miller, superintendent, Licking Heights Local (Licking) 
  • Todd Griffith, treasurer, Licking Heights Local (Licking) 
  • Paula Crews, superintendent, Tecumseh Local (Clark) 
  • Kathy Quintiliano, Midview Local (Lorain) 
  • Dr. Neil Gupta, superintendent, Oakwood City 
  • Daryl Kubilus, Jr., superintendent, Cloverleaf Local 
  • Elizabeth Kirby, superintendent, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City 
  • Kyle Kiffer, treasurer/CFO, Nordonia Hills City 
  • Casey Wright, superintendent, Nordonia Hills City 
  • Keith Ahearn, superintendent, Fairview Park City 
  • Malia Lewis, board member, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City 
  • Paul Palomba, president, Canton Professional Educators’ Association 
  • Emily Jablonka, chief academic officer, Hamilton Local (Franklin) 
  • Michael Broadwater, superintendent, Loveland City 
  • John Espy, treasurer, Loveland City 
  • Dr. Howard Fleeter, Ohio Education Policy Institute 
  • Joe Glavan, director of workforce development, Mentor City 
  • Todd R. Meyer, superintendent, Olentangy Local (Delaware) 
  • Ryan Jenkins, treasurer/CFO, Olentangy Local (Delaware) 
  • Brian Haines, treasurer/CFO, Streetsboro City 
  • Kyle Smith, treasurer/CFO, Bexley City 
  • David Larson, superintendent, Miami County ESC 
  • Melcie Wells, treasurer/CFO, Warren Local (Washington) 
  • Nicole Marshall, treasurer/CFO, Westerville City 
  • Angie Hamberg, superintendent, Westerville City 
  • Kristy Meyer, Westerville City 
  • Dr. M. Denise Lutz, chief excellence and engagement office, Upper Arlington City 
  • Paul F. Shaw, treasurer/CFO, Logan-Hocking Local (Hocking) 
  • Kevin Stockdale, CFO, Cleveland Municipal 
  • Shannon Cox, superintendent, Montgomery County ESC 
  • Ronda Johnson, treasurer, Wyoming City 
  • Frank G. Kohlhofer, Jr., director of career technical education, Lima City 
  • Christin Galvin, director of career technical education, South-Western City  
  • William DiMascio, director, Four Cities Compact 
  • Thom Ziems, associate principal, Toledo City’s Whitmer High School and Whitmer Career Technology Center 
  • Megan Reed, Hamilton County ESC Workforce Innovation Network 
  • Rob White, associate principal, Hoover High School, North Canton City 
  • Tim Buschur, director, Tri Star Career Compact 
  • Matt Sheridan, superintendent, Mid-East Career Center 
  • Daivd Leone, director of curriculum and instruction, Auburn Career Center 
  • Rob Peterson, superintendent, Madison Local (Richland) 
  • Tina Fiore, Northridge Local (Montgomery) 
  • Debra J. Foulk, executive director-business affairs, Akron City 
  • Ellen M. Kramer, Brecksville-Broadview Heights City 
  • Tyler Cooper, treasurer/CFO, Western Local (Pike) 
  • Jay Phillips, superintendent, Deer Park Community City 
  • Heather Sharp, treasurer/CFO, Lima City 
  • Aaron Sable, superintendent, Medina City 
  • James Perdue, Reading Community City 
  • Claudia Zaler, treasurer/CFO, Minford Local (Scioto) 
  • John Holtzapple, superintendent, Fairlawn Local (Shelby) 
  • Tony Thomas, superintendent, Northmont City 
  • Ann Ferraro, treasurer, Northmont City 
  • Dr. David Glasner, superintendent, Shaker Heights City 
  • Brian Masser, superintendent, Cedar Cliff Local (Greene) 
  • Craig Yaniglos, treasurer/CFO, Brecksville-Broadview Heights City 
  • Forest Hills Local (Hamilton) Board of Education 
  • Andrew West, Medina City 
  • Darrell Yater, superintendent, Northwest Local (Hamilton) 
  • Amy M. Wells, treasurer/CFO, Northwest Local (Hamilton) 
  • Sheryl Hardesty, treasurer/CFO, Garaway Local (Tuscarawas) 
  • Ryan McLane, superintendent, Big Walnut Local (Delaware) 
  • Melissa Swearingen, treasurer/CFO, Hilliard City 
  • Randy Drewyor, CFO/treasurer, Perrysburg EV 
  • Tony Huffman, superintendent, Washington County Career Center 
  • Tom Goodney, superintendent, ESC of Central Ohio 

House Education Committee  

The committee held its third hearing on HB 114, sponsored by Reps. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta). This bill would alter age requirements for kindergarten admission. The committee passed the bill. 

The committee held its third hearing on HB 125, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R- Madison Township) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria). This bill would permit excused absences from school to participate in 4-H and FFA programs. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill. 

The committee held its third hearing on HB 145, sponsored by Bird. This bill would raise the minimum number of school hours. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill. 

HB 127, sponsored by Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp.), also received its third hearing. This bill would permit schools to withhold directory information and exclude it from the public record definition. The committee passed the bill after accepting two amendments that do the following: 

  • States that nothing in the provision regarding the release of student directory information requires a school district board of education to take any action to elect to release directory information to an entity if the entity and school district have entered into an agreement that authorizes the release of directory information to the entity. 
  • Permits school districts, community schools, and STEM schools to release student directory information to the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network, Information Technology Centers, and educational service centers, regardless of whether a district or school chooses to release student directory information to other entities under the bill. 

The committee held its first hearing on HB 187  with Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Eric Synenberg (D-Beachwood) offering sponsor testimony. This bill would require, rather than permit, school districts to provide a moment of silence each school day. 

House Workforce and Higher Education Committee 

The committee held its third hearing on HB 98, sponsored by Reps. Nick Santucci (R-Niles) and Williams. HB 98 would establish the Community Connectors Workforce Program to support connecting students to jobs, internships and career professionals in their communities and would appropriate $8 million to the program. The committee enacted a substitute version of the bill, which includes a host of clarifications for Educational Service Centers (ESC) on contracting parameters and splits the funding to be allocated into $4 million per fiscal year divided based on the number of students to be served by the program and $4 million per fiscal year to be disseminated evenly amongst all of Ohio’s ESCs. The committee passed the bill. 

House General Government Committee 

The committee heard sponsor testimony from Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) on HB 248, which makes changes to the auditor of state's responsibilities. Various changes of note to the education community include:  

  • The bill repeals a provision requiring the auditor to audit each science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) school every fiscal year.  
  • The bill transfers, from the auditor to the Department of Administrative Services, the responsibility to issue deeds for property that Congress initially appropriated for the support of schools and ministerial purposes. 
  • The bill requires the Department of Education and Workforce, instead of the auditor, as under current law, to require the fiscal officer of a community school or college-preparatory boarding school to execute a bond. 
  • The bill removes the requirement for a community school’s governing authority to file a bond or submit a written guarantee of payment for audit costs.  
  • Continuing law requires each school district to have a Capital and Maintenance Fund. Currently the auditor can alter the formula used to calculate the amount a school district must deposit into the fund; the bill removes this authority. The bill also removes the authority of the auditor to designate alternative sources of revenue a school district can deposit into the fund. 
  • When a school district has not returned funds due to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) within 60 days, the bill requires OFCC to certify the amount to the attorney general for collection. Currently, the auditor issues a finding for recovery against the school district.  
  • Continuing law allows the auditor to conduct annual audits of school districts’ enrollment information “by a number of school districts determined by the Auditor and selected at random.” The bill removes this limiting language, thereby allowing the Auditor full discretion in selecting which school districts to audit.  

House Judiciary Committee  

The committee held its second hearing on HB 203, sponsored by Reps. Williams and Hall. This bill would increase penalties for vehicular assaults and vehicular homicides that occur in an active school zone, require doubled fines for specified traffic violations in an active school zone and name this act “Aspen Runnels' Law.” The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.  

House Ways and Means Committee  

The committee amended HB 22, sponsored by Reps. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) and Thomas. This bill would authorize a full homestead exemption for surviving spouses of members of the uniformed services killed in the line of duty. The amendment requires the surviving spouse to live in the state for at least one year, removes the marriage and cohabitation provision that would have made the surviving spouse ineligible and limits the exemption for  ten years. 

The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 143, sponsored by Reps. Mathews and Sean P. Brennan (D-Parma). This bill would authorize an enhanced property tax homestead exemption for certain long-term homeowners. 

The committee also heard sponsor testimony on HB 232, sponsored by Reps. Matthews and Thomas. The bill would modify the requirements governing when political subdivisions can file property tax complaints and counter-complaints and require subdivisions that fail to comply with property tax complaint filing requirements to pay the attorney’s fees and costs incurred by the property owner in connection with the complaint. 

House Energy Committee  

The committee held its second hearing on HB 142 sponsored by Reps. Micheal D. Dovilla (R-Berea) and Tex Fischer (R-Boardman). This House companion bill to SB 103 would allow for alternative rate plans for natural gas companies to serve large load customers and to make changes to the process of valuating natural gas company property. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.  

Recently introduced bills  

  • HB 261 – Sponsored by Reps. Tracy M. Richardson (R-Marysville) and Lorenz, this bill would increase homestead exemption amounts.  
  • HB 264 – Sponsored by Reps. Fischer and Matthews, this bill would prohibit certain government publications concerning candidates or ballot issues during the 30 days before an election. 
  • HB 266 – Sponsored by Reps. Lorenz and Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), this bill would provide a property tax credit to continuously owned homes.  
  • HB 269 – Sponsored by Reps. Ritter and Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), this House companion bill to SB 156 would require school districts to provide “success sequence” instruction in at least one course required for high school graduation. 
  • HB 273 – Sponsored by Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill), this bill would modify the computation of the owner-occupancy property tax rollback and the applicability of the nonbusiness property tax rollback. 
  • SB 199 - Sponsored by Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township), this bill would levy a fee on gross sports gaming wagers and use revenue from the fee to support publicly owned professional sports facilities and K-12 interscholastic athletics. 
  • SB 203 – Sponsored by Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), this bill would require political subdivisions to adopt a cybersecurity program. 

Rules activity  

The Department of Education and Workforce has the following draft rules open for public comment: 

  • Chapter 3301-101: Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program 
    • OAC 3301-101-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-101-02: Jon Peterson special needs scholarship program established 
    • OAC 3301-101-03: Eligibility to receive a scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-04: Application for a scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-06: Awarding scholarships 
    • OAC 3301-101-07: Transfer of scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-08: Termination of eligibility 
    • OAC 3301-101-09: Participation by providers 
    • OAC 3301-101-10: Payment of scholarship amounts 
    • OAC 3301-101-11: Entities designated to file applications 
    • OAC 3301-101-12: Dispute resolution and due process requests 
    • OAC 3301-101-13: Program administration 
  • Chapter 3301-103: Autism Scholarship Program 
    • OAC 3301-103-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-103-02: Autism scholarship program established 
    • OAC 3301-103-03: Procedures and deadlines for parents to apply for scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-103-04: Responsibilities of a school district of residence 
    • OAC 3301-103-05: Program participation 
    • OAC 3301-103-06: Application and participation of providers 
    • OAC 3301-103-07: Payment under the autism scholarship program 

Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment. 

The State Board of Education has the following rules open for public comment: 

  • Chapter 3302-20-03: Employment of non-licensed individuals with certain criminal convictions 
  • Chapter 3302-83-23: Employment of school bus and van drivers with certain criminal convictions 

Click here to view the SBOE rules open for public comment. 

Federal update 

Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report, which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts. 

Posted by Malania Birney on 5/16/2025