Budget activity
The House Finance Committee accepted a substitute version of House Bill (HB) 110, which makes operating appropriations for the fiscal years (FY) 2022 and 2023 biennium. The substitute version of the bill includes the Fair School Funding Plan (HB 1) with some modifications and additional education-related changes. Click here to read the comparison document outlining the education-related changes. School district simulations are forthcoming.

House activity
The House passed HB 170 by a vote of 91-0. The bill would provide state appropriation authority for schools to receive the funding provided by Congress through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill was amended in the House Finance Committee to require the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to receive approval from the Controlling Board before spending ODE ‘s allocated funds from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief and ESSER funds; prohibit ODE from spending department-allocated funds from the American Rescue Plan; and permit the state auditor to audit ODE and school districts on the funding appropriated by the bill, the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The House passed HB 126 by a vote of 62-31. The bill would require school boards to pass a resolution approving a property valuation complaint or counter-complaint prior to filing that complaint and also send written notice to the property owner indicating intent to file a complaint or counter-complaint.

The House passed HB 122 by a vote of 93-0. The bill would establish and modify requirements regarding the provision of telehealth services of school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, occupational assistants and physical therapy assistants, among others.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 200, sponsored by Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Phillip M. Robinson Jr. (D-Solon), which revises the state report card and school accountability systems. OSBA; the Ohio Association of School Business Officials; the Buckeye Association of School Administrators; the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators; and the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators provided proponent testimony. Click here to read the testimony. Testifying in support of the bill were:

The committee passed HB 34, which would require public and private schools to transmit a transferred student’s records within five school days.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 205, sponsored by Reps. Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) and Michael Sheehy (D-Toledo), that would revise school discipline, bullying and hazing policies at public schools and colleges.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 105, sponsored by Reps. P. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati), which would require public schools to provide age-appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention and require in-service staff training in child sexual abuse prevention.

Senate Finance Committee
The committee held a second informal hearing on HB 110, sponsored by Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton), which makes operating appropriations for the FY 2022 and 2023 biennium. Providing proponent testimony was State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria. Click here to read the testimony.

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee passed HB 140, which modifies the form of election notices and ballot language for property tax levies.

The committee accepted a substitute version of HB 123, which would modify community reinvestment areas (CRAs) by increasing school districts’ approval for an exemption from 50% to 75%. The changes to the bill would allow limited home rule townships to use CRAs; establish a revenue sharing agreement but increase the employee payroll threshold from $1 million to $3 million and annually index this amount to inflation; and includes a technical correction.

The committee accepted a substitute version of HB 157, which would repeal a provision of law that modifies municipal income tax employer withholding rules for COVID-19-related work-from-home employees. The changes to the bill would sunset the provision on Dec. 31, 2021 regardless of whether or when the emergency declaration ends; and prohibit a municipal corporation from assessing taxes, penalties or interest against an employer for the employer’s failure to properly withhold tax from an employee’s wages.

House Criminal Justice Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 99, which would expressly exempt the requirement that peace officer basic training be obtained by certain employees whom a board of education authorizes to be armed in a school safety zone and require that the employee meets or exceeds the training requirements for concealed handgun licensees to be eligible.

House Families, Aging and Human Services Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 145, sponsored by Reps. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) and Andrea White (R-Kettering), which would modify eligibility for publicly funded child care by increasing the eligibility threshold from 150% to 200% of the federal poverty line.

The committee held a third hearing on HB 83, which would make changes to child support laws with regard to caretakers.

House Technology and Innovation Committee
The committee passed HB 177, which would permit school districts, among others, to use blockchain technology.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 230, sponsored by Reps. Sharon A. Ray (R-Wadsworth) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township), which would establish a plan to migrate the state’s information technology systems to the state of Ohio’s computer center and cloud environment and establish a cybersecurity and fraud advisory board.

House Government Oversight Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 13, sponsored by Reps. Diane V. Grendell (R-Chesterland) and Mark Fraizer (R-Newark), which would modify Ohio’s campaign finance laws by eliminating continuing associations, requiring a political contributing entity to report expenditures and modifying independent expenditure language.

State Board of Education
The State Board of Education (SBOE) passed a resolution by a vote of 10-7 to recommend approval of a recommendation to the General Assembly regarding revisions to the state report card. Click here for a link to the resolution. The resolution outlines the following revisions of the state report card that SBOE supports:

  • The elimination of the current A-F letter grade rating system and replacing it with a new rating system that is clear and easy for families to understand.
  • The adoption of a new Equity component that will shine light on the performance of student groups to ensure schools are accountable for the academic achievement of all students in the state of Ohio.
  • Restructuring the Prepared for Success component into a single tier that awards credit equally for each item; includes additional measures of college, career and life preparedness; and establishes Prepared for Success as a rated component. In adding measures to this component, the legislature should consider the extent to which each item included is accessible to all school districts.
  • Structuring components so that all students are included in the measure and would oppose any component, including K-3 literacy, Graduation or Prepared for Success, that is designed to exclude members of any student population. Specifically, the State Board believes that every student, regardless of mobility, should be included in a measure of K-3 literacy.
  • A measure for K-3 Literacy that recognizes that promotion and proficiency are two important concepts, and districts should be recognized for improvement.

Ohio Department of Education
ODE released information regarding the distribution of American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER III funds. Additionally, ODE provided information regarding ESSER reimbursement funds that need legislative action to be allocated by ODE. Click here for a link to the memo and click here for a link to the LEA allocations.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 4/16/2021