ODEW Student Transportation Workgroup meets
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) student transportation workgroup, created in House Bill (HB) 96, met for the first time this week. Members of the workgroup include:
- Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R -Ashtabula)
- Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma)
- Sen. Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati)
- Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware)
- Josh Biederstedt, superintendent, Patrick Henry Local
- Sommer McCorkle, superintendent, Ironton City
- Shauna Murphy, superintendent, Cincinnati Public
- Jonathan Davis, superintendent, Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center
- Tony Huffman, superintendent, Washington County Career Center
- Robert Marino, superintendent, Trumbull County Educational Service Center
- Robert Halsko, superintendent, Medina County Educational Service Center
- Jeff Gordon, chief operations officer, Olentangy Local
- Andy Boy, founder and CEO of United Schools Network
- Darrin Beconder, vice president of internal oversight for the Ohio Council of Community Schools
- Tom Rhatican, associate director for the Catholic Conference of Ohio
- Todd Silverthorn, executive director for Kettering City
The group provided foundational input on the challenges facing our current school transportation system as well as mutual goals and priorities. In future meetings, the group will work to craft recommendations for the legislature to amend this system – particularly regarding the feasibility of a school district transporting students enrolled in a community school or nonpublic school.
The chamber voted to pass HB 434, sponsored by Rep. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) and Brian Lampton (R-Fairborn), with a vote of 32-0. This bill would exempt certain military related limited term driver's license applicants from the driver's education requirements, expand the Drones for First Responders Program, and to declare an emergency. The bill was amended in the Senate Finance Committee earlier in the week to correct several items from the biennial and capital budgets. The education related items in the amendment include provisions to:
- Permit certain charitable organizations to apply, within 12 months of the bill's 90-day effective date, for a property tax exemption and abatement of delinquent taxes on certain conservation and preservation property acquired by the organization between December 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022, without regard to the regular time and payment limitations imposed by current law, i.e., a restriction that abatements may not generally be sought for more than three years of delinquent taxes and that abatements are unavailable for delinquent taxes accrued by previous owners.
- Repurpose a $100,000 earmark in FY 2026 under GRF appropriation item 235533, Program and Project Support, from Ashland University's Ashbrook Center civics education K-12 teacher training and student learning initiative to Ashland University.
- Define a "newly opened community school" as a community school that was not open in FY 2025, instead of a community school that opens for the first time in FY 2026 or FY 2027.
- Prohibit the calculated average daily membership of economically disadvantaged students for school districts, JVSDs, STEM schools and community schools that are not newly opened community schools for FYs 2026 and 2027 from exceeding the school's enrolled ADM for that fiscal year.
- Allow individuals who received the state homestead exemption before 2013 to qualify for a local option homestead exemption, if authorized, without meeting income requirements, similar to state exemption eligibility rules. Current law does not allow any individual to qualify for a local option homestead exemption without meeting the state exemption's income requirements. This also applies the new eligibility requirements to previously authorized local exemptions.
- Increase GRF ALI 200448, Educator and Principal Preparation, by $2,000,000 in each fiscal year and earmark the same amounts from that ALI for Teach for America to support corps member recruitment, teacher training, and the ongoing development and impact of Teach for America alumni working in Ohio.
The bill now goes back to the House for a concurrence vote.
The Senate also passed Senate Bill (SB) 144, sponsored by Sen. Ingram, with a vote of 32-0. This bill reverts the educator licensure grade bands to the bands utilized before HB 33 of the 135th General Assembly – grades pre-K through 5, grades 4 through 8 and grades 7 through 12. It also permits school districts to employ individuals who have at least one year of experience as a licensed classroom teacher to teach outside of the designated band. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
The committee held its first hearing on SB 290 with Sens. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) and Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) offering sponsor testimony. This bill would require public and chartered nonpublic schools to purchase and install an exterior secure master key box on each school building.
The committee held its second hearing on SB 276, sponsored by Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), after accepting a corrective amendment. This bill would ratify the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists. The committee received proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its fifth hearing on SB 19, sponsored by Sen. Brenner. This bill would require districts and schools to develop a mathematics improvement and monitoring plan for each student who qualifies for math intervention services, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The committee accepted an amendment that exempts students from the bill’s academic intervention service if they have an IEP that includes services related to a traumatic brain injury or if they attend a dropout prevention and recovery community school. The committee received testimony on the bill. OSBA provided interested party testimony on the bill.
HB 531, sponsored by Reps. Jonathan Newman (R-Troy) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta), received its first hearing. This bill would enact the School Chaplain Act to permit public schools to engage volunteer chaplains to provide support services.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 485, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland). This bill would enact the Baby Olivia Act to include human growth and development instruction in health education. The committee heard invited proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 455 sponsored by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Adam Bird (R-New Richmond). This bill would make changes to the operation of public schools and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and to eliminate obsolete provisions of education law. The committee heard invited proponent testimony on the bill, including from:
- Paul Imhoff, BASA and Malania Birney, OSBA
- Craig Buford, Joy Edgell and Sarah Rice, Ohio ESC Association
- Tony Podojil, Stephanie Siddens and Jonathan Cooper, Alliance for High Quality Education
Senate Local Government Committee
On Tuesday, the committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 186, from Reps. James M. Hoops (R-Napoleon) and David Thomas (R-Jefferson). HB 186 would cap tax growth for districts on the 20-mill floor to inflation through a retroactive tax credit and provide funds to reimburse school districts for some losses in 2026 and 2027.
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on HB 335 from Rep. Thomas. This bill would cap the inflationary growth on all inside millage beginning in tax year 2026.
On Wednesday, the committee held its second hearing on HB 129 sponsored by Rep. Thomas. This bill would include certain property tax levies in the calculation of a school district's effective millage floor. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee also held its second hearing on HB 309 sponsored by Rep. Thomas. This bill allows county budget commissions (CBC) to reduce millage on certain voter-approved tax levies, excluding debt levies, if they find it necessary or prudent to do so. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its third hearing on HB 124, sponsored by Reps. Thomas and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township). HB 124 would modify the process for property tax sales-assessment ratio studies. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 215, sponsored by Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill). This bill would prohibit most property tax levies submitted at a general election from taking effect in the current tax year.
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 540, sponsored by Reps. Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) and Thomas, which would require payments in lieu of taxes from conservation organizations with significant holdings of tax-exempt land.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 371, sponsored by Reps. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) and Thomas Young (R-Washington Township). This bill would make elected officials mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. The committee amended the bill to clarify that an elected official need not be acting in their official capacity to be required to report such offenses.
House Technology and Innovation Committee
The committee held its second hearing on HB 413 sponsored by Reps. Young and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina). HB 413 would create the Ohio Local Government Expenditure Database and require reporting to the database from political subdivisions and the state retirement systems. The committee heard proponent and interested party testimony on the bill.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 476, sponsored by Reps. Meredith Craig (R-Smithville) and Thomas. This bill would authorize online raffles under the Charitable Gaming Law. The committee heard proponent, opponent and interested party testimony on the bill.
House Government Oversight Committee
HB 481, sponsored by Reps. Arthur and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna), received its first hearing. This bill would allow a public body to meet in an executive session to discuss the performance of a public employee or official.
The committee held its first hearing on SB 168 with Sen. Ingram offering sponsor testimony. This bill would create a process at the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to assist school districts in acquiring classroom facilities for preschool programming.
Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee heard sponsor testimony on SB 275, from Sens. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) and Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester). This bill would allow eligible homeowners to defer the payment of a portion of their property taxes.
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on SB 206 from Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield). This bill would authorize a 50% property tax reduction for homesteads and certain surrounding land owned and occupied by persons aged 65 or older and reimburses local taxing units for the resulting reduction in taxes in the same manner as existing homestead exemptions.
Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
The committee amended and passed HB 10, sponsored by Reps. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) and Jack Daniels (R-New Franklin). HB 10 would require public school boards of education and ODEW to adopt policies prohibiting the purchase of “cultivated-protein food” products or food “misbranded as a meat or egg product”. The amendments pertain to HB 96 corrections and do not impact the provisions of HB 10.
House Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee heard a presentation from Joel Potts, the Deputy Director for External Governmental Affairs at the Department of Children & Youth (DCY), regarding the agency's current work, goals and foster youth graduation rates.
House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee
The committee held its third hearing on HB 473, sponsored by Rep. Thomas. This bill would prohibit a public employer from paying employee contributions to a state retirement system. The committee heard opponent testimony on the bill, including joint testimony from BASA, OSBA, OASBO, OSSA and OAESA.
The committee held its third hearing on HB 462, sponsored by Rep. Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville). This bill would permit the student use of a nasal epinephrine delivery device. No witnesses were present to testify on the bill.
Ohio Redistricting Commission
On Thursday, the commission adopted a new map with bipartisan support. On Friday morning, the commission unanimously approved the map, hours before the commission’s deadline to act. The revised congressional map will be in effect until 2031.
Recently introduced bills
- SB 310 – Sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), this bill would require public schools to include fetal development instruction in any instruction that addresses human growth, development or sexuality.
- SB 311 – Sponsored by Sen. Brenner, this omnibus bill makes changes to the law regarding the operation of public and chartered nonpublic schools.
- HB 554 – Sponsored by Rep. Thomas, this bill would require governmental entities and private sellers to accept cash as payment in certain conditions.
- HB 561 – Sponsored by Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana), this bill would revise the law governing childhood immunizations and exemptions and name this act the Parental Clarity on Health Options and Information on Conscientious Exemptions C.H.O.I.C.E. Act.
- HB 562 – Sponsored by Reps. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus) and Beryl Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna), this bill would make an appropriation to promote food options for students with religious dietary restrictions.
Rules activity
ODEW has the following rules open for public comment:
- Chapter 3301-83: Pupil Transportation
- OAC 3301-83-01 - Calculation of pupil transportation operation payments
- OAC 3301-83-06 - Personnel qualifications
- OAC 3301-83-08 - Pupil transportation management policies
- OAC 3301-83-10 - Personnel training program
- OAC 3301-83-11 - School bus and motor van inspections
- OAC 3301-83-12 - Safety procedures
- OAC 3301-83-17 - Authorized and unauthorized passengers
- OAC 3301-83-19 - Authorized vehicles for transportation of pupils to and from school and school-related events
- OAC 3301-83-20 - General rules
Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment.
The State Board of Education has the following rule open for public comment:
- Chapter 3302-89-02 and 3302-89-03: Requests for Territory Transfer
- Proposed changes to OAC 3302-89-02 and 3302-89-03 are in the interest of efficiency and clarity regarding the territory transfer processes under Ohio Revised Code sections 3311.06 and 3311.24. Changes include replacing the “25 Questions Form” with the opportunity for each school district and petitioner to submit position statements, directing the State Board of Education to submit the most recent report cards and five year-forecasts as evidence for proceedings and specifying the evidence the Board will review if no hearing is requested.
Click here to view the SBOE rules open for public comment.
DCY has the following rules open for public comment:
- OAC 5180:2-16-01 --> OAC 5180:6-1-01 - Definitions for eligibility for publicly funded child care benefits.
- OAC 5180:2-16-03 --> OAC 5180:6-1-03 - Income eligibility requirements for publicly funded child care benefits.
- OAC 5180:2-16-04 --> OAC 5180:6-1-04 - Caretaker responsibilities to maintain eligibility in the publicly funded child care program
- OAC 5180:2-16-05 --> OAC 5180:6-1-05 - Copayment for publicly funded child care benefits
- OAC 5180:2-16-07 --> OAC 5180:6-1-07 - Caretaker improper payments or misuse of publicly funded child care benefits
- OAC 5180:2-16-08 --> OAC 5180:6-1-08 - County agency responsibilities for the administration and determination of eligibility for publicly funded child care
- OAC 5180:2-16-09 --> OAC 5180:6-1-09 - Provider responsibilities for publicly funded child care
- OAC 5180:2-16-11 --> OAC 5180:6-1-11 - Provider improper payments or misuse of publicly funded child care benefits
- OAC 5180:2-16-12 --> OAC 5180:6-1-12 - Publicly funded child care program integrity review
Click here to view the DCY 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.
Because of the many changes happening at the federal level, COSSBA is hosting a free virtual webinar for state school boards associations and their members:
At a Crossroads: The Federal Budget, Education Funding and the Future of the U.S. Department of Education Webinar. Thursday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m.
Gain insights on how recent actions at the U.S. Department of Education could impact your district and learn what to expect moving forward.
Please use this link to register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/pxmYsFpeRGaeNznJYsz26A