EdChoice vouchers
The Senate rejected Senate Bill (SB) 89 by a vote of 24-7. The bill revises the Educational Choice Scholarship (EdChoice) Program, dissolves the three academic distress commissions and repeals the school district territory transfer law from the state budget bill. Senate leaders expressed hesitancy to advance the House proposal, citing the lack of hearings and public input gathered on the lower chamber’s plan.
In response, Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport), under the direction of House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford), announced nine committee hearings focused exclusively on the voucher issue over a 10-day period. The hearings, which began Feb. 11, are being held in the conference committee on House Bill (HB) 9. That bill includes the Senate’s plan to address the voucher issue. Members of the committee consist of Jones, who serves as chairman, Reps. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) and Phillip M. Robinson Jr. (D-Solon) and Sens. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), Bob Peterson (R-Washington Court House) and Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo).
On Feb. 11, superintendents, board members and treasurers from around the state held a press conference to provide comments on the EdChoice voucher program. Click here to view the press conference.
Several board members and administrators offered testimony:
• Dr. Kadee Anstadt, superintendent, Washington Local (Lucas)
• James D. Kanable, superintendent, Shawnee Local (Allen)
• Dr. Michael P. Hanlon Jr., superintendent, Chardon Local (Geauga)
• Stanley Bahorek, treasurer, Columbus City
• Brian Kuhn, superintendent, Clark-Shawnee Local (Clark)
• Dr. James A. Fritz, superintendent, Anthony Wayne Local (Lucas)
• James Posch, Cleveland Heights–University Heights City
• Jodi Sourini, board member, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City
• Dr. T.C. Chappelear, superintendent, Indian Creek Local (Jefferson)
• Dr. Walter Skaggs, superintendent, St. Clairsville-Richland City
• Christina Sirbaugh, curriculum director, St. Clairsville-Richland City
• Jim Cook, board member, St. Clairsville-Richland City
• Keith D. Millard, superintendent, Batavia Local (Clermont)
• Walter C. Davis, superintendent, Woodridge Local (Summit)
• Paul Ryan Lockwood III, treasurer, Springfield Local (Lucas)
• Matt Geha, superintendent, Springfield Local (Lucas)
• Ryan Pendleton, treasurer, Akron City
• Will Schwartz, deputy director of legislative services, OSBA
• Barbara Shaner, legislative advocacy specialist, Ohio Association of School Business Officials
House activity
The House passed HB 308 by a vote of 74-22. The bill qualifies peace officers, among others, who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to receive compensation and benefits regardless of whether they suffered an accompanying physical injury.
The committee held a first hearing on SB 218, sponsored by Sen. Sandra R. Williams (D-Cleveland), which prohibits public schools from beginning the school day earlier than 8:30 a.m. In addition, the committee held a first hearing on SB 219, also sponsored by Williams, which establishes a career pathways apprentice program. The committee held a second hearing on HB 164, sponsored by Rep. Timothy E. Ginter (R-Salem), which addresses student religious expression and would title the law the Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2019.
Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a fifth hearing on SB 212, which authorizes townships and municipal corporations to designate areas within which new homes and improvements to existing homes are wholly or partially exempted from property taxation. The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 17, sponsored by Rep. Ginter, which allows an enhanced homestead exemption for surviving spouses of public safety personnel killed in the line of duty.
Senate Local Government, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee
The committee held a second hearing on SB 253, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard), which revises the law regarding the expulsion of a student for communicating a threat of violence to occur on school grounds. A second hearing was held on HB 119, sponsored by Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus (R-Minerva), which grants municipal and county courts original and exclusive jurisdiction over any civil action concerning a traffic law violation, modifies certain requirements governing the use of traffic law photo-monitoring devices by a local authority and makes corrective changes to the distracted driving and texting-while-driving law.
House State and Local Government Committee
The committee held a first hearing on HB 450, sponsored by Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill), which requires fiscal officers of certain political subdivisions to provide certificates of transition to their successors when leaving office and to modify language regarding the duty of a treasurer of a board of education to deliver to the treasurer’s successor all papers related to the affairs of the district.
House Insurance Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 462, sponsored by Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg), which makes law enforcement and public safety officers who have retired under the Public Employees Retirement System eligible for health care coverage.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 439, sponsored by Rep. Stephens which adjusts for inflation the $25,000 homestead exemption and the enhanced homestead exemption for disabled veterans. The committee held a first hearing on HB 485, sponsored by Reps. Stephens and Gary Scherer (R-Circleville), which removes a requirement that owners of farmland enrolled in the CAUV program must file a renewal application each year to remain in the program.
Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES)
The OTES framework is being revised due to legislative changes contained in Senate Bill 216, which requires the State Board to revise the standards-based framework for the evaluation of teachers based on the recommendations of the Educator Standards Board. The State Board must adopt the revised framework not later than May 1, 2020. Recommendations were made regarding the revised OTES framework at the State Board’s December 2019 meeting. Click here to read the attached resolution.
Posted by Nicole Piscitani 2/14/2020