Ohio's Coronavirus Relief Act

As this week of dramatic change comes to a close, we hope it finds you and your loved ones safe. One thing that has become very clear during this time is how important public schools are to the entire fabric of their communities. We, at OSBA, are ready to help districts as they continue to perform vital functions for students and their families.

Ohio’s 2019 Minimum Wage

Ohio’s minimum wage rate has increased as of Jan. 1, 2019. The new rate for non-tipped employees is $8.55 per hour, a 25 cent increase from the former rate of $8.30 per hour.

Recent state agency guidance for schools

Two state agencies have recently prepared new resources for school districts: The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) updated its truancy and attendance guidance, and the Ohio History Connection (OHC) added resources for properly managing local government records.

Truancy and discipline resources

Licensure changes

ODE proposes amendments to rules on licenses for substitutes and alternative resident educators

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recently filed a set of rule amendments related to temporary licenses. In part, the changes proposed by ODE are based on legislative amendments and on feedback from school districts.  Among the key rule amendments are:

General Assembly revises Autism Scholarship requirements

On May 31, Governor Kasich signed HB 299, which makes revisions to the Autism Scholarship program.  The bill makes two changes to the program.

  1. It expands the categories of individuals who can apply for the Autism Scholarship.
  2. It revises testing and graduation requirements for students in nonpublic schools, including those using state scholarships. 

Autism scholarship

Ohio lawmakers finalize public records bill

State lawmakers have finalized an expedited process to hear complaints from citizens alleging they were wrongfully denied access to public records. The bill, Senate Bill (SB) 321, received unanimous votes in the Ohio House and Senate and is awaiting signature by the Governor.