Budget Testimony Opportunity
Next week, the Senate Education committee will continue to hear public testimony on the education provisions of the state budget. We encourage districts to submit testimony for the Senate Education Committee hearing on May 14 at 9:00 am.
The work you've already done -- sharing your district's story with staff, your community, and legislators -- can serve as a strong foundation for your testimony. Simply highlighting how proposed changes impact your students and schools is powerful and should be a part of the conversation as the Senate considers the biennial budget.
- Submit via the Ohio Senate website at least 24 hours before the scheduled hearing.
- The testimony submission link will be available on the Senate Education Committee's webpage – linked here. Click the date of the hearing you wish to attend and follow the instructions under the "Upload Testimony" tab.
- Due to the amount of public testimony the committee is expected to receive, a three minute limit will be instituted for in-person remarks. Please be prepared to give your testimony within that time limit.
HB 96 Advocacy resources: cash balance reduction policy
The House-passed state budget proposal includes a provision that would require county budget commissions to reduce local funding for school districts with a cash balance or carryover exceeding 30%. If enacted, this could result in significant cuts to student programs or result in districts going to the ballot earlier than planned.
We are sharing several resources to help you better understand and communicate the potential impact of these proposed changes with legislators and your community.
- Cash balance one-pager: This document offers an overview of district cash balances, explaining the various reasons behind these balances and how they’re used to support students.
- District-specific one-pager: Designed for you to customize, this document allows you to outline your district’s unique financial situation, providing clear context for your cash balance and how those funds will be used.
- Cash balance whitepaper: School leaders are encouraged to adopt clear policies, with a minimum and maximum balance, that explain and guide the use of general fund cash balances. This should include a review of their current reserves with an understanding of their rationale.
- Legal and economic development insights: For legal insights, please refer to the FAQ prepared by Rebecca Princehorn and Paul Rutter of Bricker Graydon LLP. For insights into potential economic impacts, please refer to the Memorandum prepared by J. Caleb Bell, Price Finley, Rob McCarthy and Jeffry Harris of Bricker Graydon LLP.
Governor’s activity
This week, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey, and the Governor's Executive Workforce Board announced a new Statewide Innovation Waiver for the College Credit Plus program. This waiver would allow higher education institutions to eliminate GPA and placement test prerequisites for students wishing to pursue high-demand job fields, including technician degrees or certificates in electro-mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, manufacturing equipment and semiconductor fundamentals.
The House passed House Bill (HB) 57, sponsored by Representatives Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township), with a vote of 95-0. HB 57 would require any public or nonpublic school that elects to keep a supply of an overdose reversal drug for emergency use to adopt and implement a policy regarding the supply’s maintenance and the drug’s use. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Senate Education Committee
On Tuesday, the committee heard invited testimony on HB 96, the FY26-27 state operating budget, from:
- Paul Craft, superintendent, State Board of Education
- Mandy Knapp, state librarian, State Library Board
- William Hall, executive director, Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism
The committee held a second hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 156, sponsored by Senator Al Cutrona (R-Canfield). This bill would require school districts to provide “success sequence” instruction in at least one course required for high school graduation. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee also held a second hearing on SB158, sponsored by Sen. Jane M. Timken (R-Canton). This bill would require each public school to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of cellphones by students during instructional hours. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill.
On Wednesday, the committee heard additional invited testimony on the state operating budget from:
- Katie Johnson, Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO), alongside Terrah Stacy, treasurer, Springboro Community City Schools; Kyle Smith, treasurer, Bexley City School District; and Jared Bunting, treasurer, Athens City Schools
- Dr. Paul Imhoff, Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA)
- Jennifer Hogue, Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA)
- Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association (OEA)
- Tony Podojil, Alliance for High Quality Education (AHQE)
The committee also heard public testimony on HB 96 from:
- Scott Wludyga, Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents (OACTS); Ohio Association for Career-Technical Education (Ohio ACTE); and Association for Career-Technical Schools (Ohio CCS)
- Paul Otten, superintendent, Beavercreek City Schools
- Robert Hill, superintendent, Springfield City Schools
- Craig Burford, Ohio Educational Service Center Association (OESCA)
- Dr. Damon Davis, superintendent, Reading Community City Schools
- Beth Werney, Reading Community City Schools
- James Perdue, Reading Community City Schools
- Jennifer Burke, treasurer, Reading Community City Schools
- Todd Schilling, Reading Community City Schools
- Chris Varwig, Toledo Public Schools
- Michael Hanlon, Fair School Funding Workgroup
- Ryan Pendleton, Fair School Funding Workgroup
- Jermaine Ferguson, Marysville Exempted Village Schools
- Susan Sammons, Valley Local (Scioto) Schools
- Kevin Dalton, Toledo Federation of Teachers
- Kevin O’Donnell, Meadowdale Career Tech Center
- T.J. Cusick, treasurer, Worthington City Schools
- Brian Kuhn, superintendent, Clark-Shawnee Local Schools
- Thomas Faulkner, treasurer, Clark-Shawnee Local Schools
- Kent R. Zeman, treasurer, Lakewood City Schools
- Todd Puster, treasurer, Orange City Schools
- William Wade, treasurer, Mentor Exempted Village Schools
- David Mangus, superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center
- John Marschhausen, superintendent, Dublin City Schools
- Greg Gifford, superintendent, Caldwell Exempted Village Schools
- Matt Sheridan, superintendent, Mid-East Career Center
- Dr. Brian Bontempo, superintendent, Auburn Career Center
- Kevin Smith, superintendent, Crooksville Exempted Village School District
- Eric D. Meredith, superintendent, Pike Joint Vocational School District
- Michelle Patrick, superintendent, Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center
- Mark Neal, superintendent, Tri-Valley Local Schools
- Brad Richardson, superintendent, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center
- Jason Kozina, superintendent, Northwood Local Schools
- Natasha L. Adams, superintendent, West Clermont Local Schools
- Monika C. Talley, Canal Winchester Local Schools
- Kevin Kinne, principal, Teays Valley Local Schools
- Jack Hatert, principal, Yellow Springs High School & McKinney Middle School
- Melissa Harris, Delaware City Schools
- Hugh Garside, treasurer, South-Western City Schools
- Chris Boso, South-Western City Schools
- George Anagnostou, treasurer, Strongsville City Schools
- Anisa Liban, Westerville City Schools
- Laura Jones, Hudson City Schools
- Phillip Butto, treasurer, Hudson City Schools
- Billy Smith, superintendent, Fairfield City Schools
- Jeremie Hittle, treasurer, Piqua City Schools
- Rose Ioppolo, Mentor Exempted Village Schools
- Annie Payne, Mentor Exempted Village Schools
- Dr. Dominick Kaple, superintendent, South Euclid Lyndhurst City Schools
- Jordan Michael, superintendent, Eastern Local (Brown) Schools
The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 155 from Reps. Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Williams. This bill would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion in public schools.
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on HB 205 from Reps. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) and Don Jones (R-Freeport). This bill would enact the “Future Educators Support Act” regarding financial support for student teachers, teaching as an in-demand job and school district staffing surveys.
The committee amended 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 adopted amendment reinstates both of the following current law provisions:
- The referral and evaluation process by which a public school may admit to kindergarten a four-year-old who will turn five by January 1 of the requested school year of admittance.
- The law that permits a child who will not be five by January 1 of the requested school year of admittance to be admitted to kindergarten early under a school district's student acceleration policy.
The committee held its second 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. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 145, sponsored by Rep. Bird. This bill would raise the minimum number of school hours. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
HB 127, sponsored by Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp.), also received its second hearing. This bill would permit schools to withhold directory information and remove directory information from the public record definition. The committee heard proponent testimony from Dr. Paul Imhoff, BASA, and Ryan McCane, superintendent, Big Walnut Local Schools.
House Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee held its second hearing on HB 25, sponsored by Reps. Jarrells and Sharron A. Ray (R-Wadsworth). This bill is the House companion bill to SB 13, establishing the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee also held its second 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 amended the bill to:
- Change the bill's funding source from lottery profits to the General Revenue Fund;
- Clarify that program directors must collaborate with local OhioMeansJobs centers; and
- Require the Department of Education & Workforce to distribute funding to each educational service center in proportion to their number of students.
The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill from:
- Nicole Piscitani, OSBA, Katie Johnson, OASBO and Dr. Paul Imhoff, BASA
- Craig Buford, OESCA
- Shannon Cox, superintendent, Montgomery County ESC
House Local Government Committee
The committee held its third hearing on HB 124, sponsored by Reps. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Hall. This bill would modify the process for property tax sales-assessment ratio studies. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 154 from Reps. Thomas and Chris Glassburn (D-North Olmsted). This bill would require school district approval of residential community reinvestment area property tax exemptions. The committee heard proponent testimony from Malania Birney, OSBA, Katie Johnson, OASBO and Dr. Paul Imhoff, BASA.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 142 from 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.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held its second hearing on HB 103, sponsored by Reps. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick) and Hall. This bill would increase the homestead exemption amount from $25,000 to $50,000 and the income limit from $30,000 to $45,000. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 129 from Rep. Thomas. This bill would limit the ability of school districts to reallocate unvoted property tax millage and include certain property and school district income taxes in the calculation of a school district's effective millage floor. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its third hearing on HB 186, sponsored by Reps. James M. Hoops (R-Napoleon) and Thomas. This bill would authorize a reduction in school district property taxes affected by a millage floor, limiting increases in such taxes according to inflation, and would require a corresponding adjustment in the school funding formula. The committee heard opponent testimony from Katie Johnson, OASBO; Terrah Stacy, treasurer, Springboro Community City Schools; and Jim Cook, St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools.
House Technology Committee
The committee amended HB 116, sponsored by Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.). The bill enacts the Ohio Blockchain Basics Act to address mining, taxation and regulation of digital assets and digital asset investments by the state retirement systems. The amendment removes the state retirement systems from the bill.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 203 from 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 held its third hearing on SB 62, sponsored by Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green). SB 62 is the Senate’s version of the “School Bus Safety Act.” This bill would allow civil penalties for illegally passing a school bus if the driver cannot be identified. SB 62 directs fees and fines related to illegally passing a school bus to the bus safety grant fund at ODEW. Additionally, the bill designates the month of August as "School Bus Safety Awareness Month”. The committee heard interested party testimony on the bill.
Recently introduced bills
- SB 190 – Sponsored by Sens. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) and Kent Smith (D-Euclid), this bill would modify the law governing property, income, sales and use, severance and lodging taxes to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to public and chartered nonpublic school students, increase the Local Government Fund, modify funding for the Low- and Moderate-income Housing Trust Fund and name this act “A Good Deal for Ohio”.
- SB 191 – Sponsored by Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), this bill would allocate $40 million to disadvantaged pupil impact aid for scholarship students attending chartered nonpublic schools.
Rules activity
The Department of Education and Workforce does not have any rules open for public comment at this time.
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. Click here to read the most recent Federal Court Report.