House activity
The Ohio House concurred with the Senate amendments to House Bill (HB) 170 by a vote of 75-7. This bill calls for developing optional academic content standards and model curriculum for computer science. HB 170 also addresses educator qualifications for computer science.
The House passed HB 21 regarding the verification of community school enrollment by a vote of 89-0. They also passed HB 338 regarding medical examinations for school bus drivers by a vote of 85-0.
House Education and Career Readiness Committee
The committee heard proponent testimony on HB 108. This bill would require one-half unit of financial literacy in the high school curriculum. The committee accepted two amendments to the bill. The first amendment pertains to institutions of higher education and would create a standard definition of full-time students, protect institutions from liabilities related to the informed student document and remove redundancies in the reports. The second amendment would allow boards of education to adopt a policy encouraging its students to submit the free application for federal student aid form (FAFSA).
The committee also heard proponent testimony on HB 377. This bill would require age-appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention and in-service staff training in child sexual abuse prevention.
The committee heard proponent testimony on HB 246. This legislation would require the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) to provide funding to certain county boards of developmental disabilities to assist in the acquisition of classroom facilities. The committee adopted a substitute version of the bill that makes the following changes. (Click here for a copy of the comparison document for the bill outlining all of the changes in the substitute bill.)
• requires OSFC to provide financial assistance to at least one county board of developmental disabilities in each fiscal year;
• provides a formula to rank county boards of developmental disabilities that are eligible for assistance;
• specifies that classrooms for which the county board of developmental disabilities receives funding must be used by the board to host programs for students in grades K-12.
The final bill before the committee was HB 360, which would enact the Ohio Anti-Bullying and Hazing Act to address school discipline and bullying and hazing policies at public schools and public colleges. The committee heard testimony from opponents and interested parties.
House Finance Committee
The committee heard proponent testimony on HB 102. This bill would institute a new school-funding plan that would create a statewide property tax, repeal district property and income taxes, require educational service centers to transport students on a countywide basis and allow districts to enter into a memorandum of understanding for one district to manage another.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee heard HB 343. This bill would require a school board or the legislative authority of a county, municipal corporation or township to pass a resolution approving the complaint or counter-complaint at a public meeting before filing a property tax complaint or counter-complaint. The committee accepted amendments to the bill that do the following:
• base requirements in the bill on ownership of parcels versus individual parcels;
• allow for notices to be sent via regular or certified mail;
• clarify that if an owner is misidentified in a complaint then it can’t be dismissed as having a “fatal flaw”;
• clarify that municipality complaints require approval of the city’s legislative body.
The committee also heard HB 371. This legislation would exempt from property tax the increased value of unimproved land that has been subdivided for residential development until construction begins or the land is sold. The committee accepted amendments to the bill that make the following changes:
• places a 10-year cap on the exemptions;
• clarifies that the frozen property value is based on “fair market value” as determined by county auditors and not current agricultural use value;
• replaces wording to describe unexempted value versus ascribed value;
• states that nothing in the bill should be construed to run counter to normal appraisal principles.
Senate Education Committee
The committee heard opponent testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 216. This legislation would enact the Ohio Public School Deregulation Act dealing with the administration of preschool and primary and secondary education programs. The following individuals provided testimony to the committee:
• Robert Sommers, former director of the governor’s office of 21st century education — proponent testimony;
• Jessica Rindler, kindergarten teacher, Kettering City — proponent testimony;
• Michael Kirkman, Disability Rights Ohio — interested-party testimony;
• Ronda Smith, literacy coach, Liberty-Benton Local (Hancock) — proponent testimony;
• Brian Burkett, principal, Liberty-Benton Local (Hancock) — proponent testimony;
• Amelia Shearer, parent — opponent testimony;
• Michael King, principal, Berkshire Local (Geauga) — proponent testimony;
• Larry Keough, Catholic Conference of Ohio — interested-party testimony;
• Elizabeth Weddle, kindergarten teacher, Mason City — proponent testimony;
• John Monteleone, assistant superintendent, Oberlin City — opponent testimony;
• Robert Callahan, Ohio Alliance of Dual Enrollment Partnerships — interested-party testimony;
• Brett Halsey, principal, Hardin Northern Local (Hardin) — proponent testimony;
• Dr. Sue Lang, superintendent, Wyoming City — proponent testimony;
• Anne Keen, kindergarten teacher, Wyoming City — proponent testimony;
• Elise Foster, parent, Wyoming City — proponent testimony
• Mark K. Neal, superintendent, Tri-Valley Local (Muskingum) — proponent testimony;
• Dr. Kara Ayers, University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities — interested-party testimony;
• Sara Roseberry, principal, Hardin-Houston Local (Shelby) — interested-party testimony;
• Matt Sheridan, superintendent, Crooksville EV — proponent testimony;
• Monte Bainter, superintendent, Logan-Hocking Local (Hocking) — proponent testimony;
• Scott Emery, director of elementary education, New Albany-Plain Local (Franklin) — interested-party testimony;
• Dr. Ricard A. Hall, superintendent, Mid-East Career and Technology Centers — proponent testimony;
• J. Chris Pfister, superintendent, Waynesfield-Goshen Local (Auglaize) — proponent testimony;
• Chad J. Shawger, superintendent, West Muskingum Local (Muskingum) — proponent testimony;
• Lori Snyder-Lowe, superintendent, Morgan Local (Morgan) — proponent testimony;
• Jeff S. Staggs, superintendent, Newcomerstown EV — proponent testimony;
• Ruth Ellen Zitnik, superintendent, Maysville Local (Muskingum) — proponent testimony;
• Derran Wilmer, Summit Education Initiative — interested-party testimony;
• Bianca Edwards, AMOS Project — opponent testimony; and
• Tim Katz, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education — interested-party testimony.