Governor’s activity  

On Monday, Governor Mike Dewine signed House Bill (HB) 54, Ohio’s FY26-FY27 transportation budget. The budget, which goes into effect on July 1, includes funding for transportation infrastructure projects across the state as well as policy tweaks pertinent to K-12 education. HB 54 allows for the creation of school zones outside of preschools run by Educational Service Centers, authorizes the use of vehicles that can carry up to 12 passengers for student transportation and revises the list of equipment that must be checked during daily pre-trip school bus inspections.  

Senate activity  

The Senate passed HB 43 sponsored by Representatives Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula) and David Thomas (R-Jefferson), with a vote of 32-0. HB 43 would waive minimum instructional hours for Ashtabula Lakeside High School due to extreme winter weather conditions this school year. The bill now goes to the governor for signature. 

Senate Education Committee  

The committee heard sponsor testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 156, sponsored by Senator Al Cutrona (R-Canfield). This bill would require school boards of education to provide “success sequence” instruction, an abstinence-based lifestyle curriculum, in grades six-12. 

The committee accepted a substitute version of SB 7, sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson (R- McDermott). The bill would require all types of school districts to provide annual instruction to students in grades K-12 on the effects of short-term and chronic substance use, in a manner determined by the local school board. The substitute bill: 

  • Includes opioids and opiates in the list of prevention education substances;  
  • Includes bullying and hazing curriculum as a part of public school health requirements; 
  • Clarifies language regarding DEW’s surveys of districts to track effectiveness and prevention curriculum over time. 

The committee accepted a substitute version of SB 34, sponsored by Sen. Johnson. This bill would require public school boards to select at least one of the bill's listed historical educational documents to display in each classroom by July 1, 2026. The substitute bill: 

  • Narrows the scope of every classroom to just classrooms where social studies or history is taught in grades 4-12; 
  • Changes the minimum of one in nine documents to four in nine documents that the local school board must select for display. 

Finally, the committee held its third hearing on SB 127, sponsored by Senator Andrew O. Brenner (R-Delaware). SB 127 would alter the closure requirements for poor-performing public schools. OSBA, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) and the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) provided opponent testimony. 

House Education Committee  

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 119, sponsored by Reps. Josh Williams (R- Sylvania Twp.) and Nick Santucci (R-Niles). This bill would enact the Graduation Readiness and Development (GRAD) Act regarding exit orientation programs at public high schools and designate September as "Workforce Development Month". 

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 164, sponsored by Reps. Phil Robinson (D-Solon) and Joseph A. Miller (D-Amherst). This bill would reinstate the Joint Education Oversight Committee and make an appropriation for operating expenses.  

The committee also held sponsor testimony on HB 165, sponsored by Reps. Miller and Darnell T. Brewer (D-Cleveland). This bill would allocate $750,000 each year to reimburse licensed educators for implicit bias training. 

The committee held its second hearing on HB 57, sponsored by Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Williams. HB 57 would require any public or nonpublic school that elects to keep a supply of an overdose reversal drug for emergency use to adopt and implement a policy regarding the supply’s maintenance and the drug’s use. The bill also permits a school to accept monetary donations for the purchase of overdose reversal drugs and requires a school superintendent to report any use of an overdose reversal drug to the Department of Education and Workforce, the school’s governing body and the parent or guardian of the student to whom the drug was administered. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.  

Finally, the committee held its second hearing on HB 62, sponsored by Reps. Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) and Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond). This bill makes changes to the College Credit Plus program, including requiring notice to school districts when a student drops a college course, transitioning to open-source textbooks and lowering the cost of certain online CCP courses. OSBA, BASA and OASBO provided proponent testimony. The committee also heard proponent testimony from the following: 

  • Dawn Wallace, superintendent, Adams County Ohio Valley Schools 
  • Kyle Newton, superintendent, Warren Local (Washington) 
  • Roni Hayes, superintendent, Fairland Local (Lawerence) 
  • Jordan Michael, superintendent, Eastern Local (Brown) 
  • Catherine Trevathan, superintendent, Hillsdale Local (Ashland) 
  • Stephanie Starcher, superintendent, Fort Frye Local (Washington) 
  • Walter Skaggs, superintendent, St. Clairsville Richland City 
  • Mark Knapp, superintendent, Wheelersburg Local (Scioto) 

Senate Finance Committee  

The committee heard invited testimony on HB 96, the FY26-27 state operating budget, from Kim Murnieks, director, Office of Budget and Management and Wendy Zhan, director, Legislative Service Commission. 

House Finance Committee  

On Tuesday, the House Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of HB 96, the FY26-27 state operating budget. The bill now contains an additional $226 million for public school students over the biennium and significantly changes district cash balance policies, including a reduction in property tax rates for any district whose cash balance exceeds 25% of their expenditures in the previous year. A full list of education funding and policy changes can be seen here, and the entire budget comparison document prepared by the LSC can be found here. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, the committee heard public testimony on the subbill from:  

  • Bob Bibb, Wendy Strickler and Jason Simmons, Forest Hill Local Schools 
  • Lynn Mangan, board vice president, Loveland City Schools 
  • Nicole Marshall, treasurer, Westerville City Schools 
  • Kristy Weyer, Westerville City Schools 
  • Mark Hensen, Pickerington Local Schools 
  • Kari Suhadolnik, Stow Munroe Falls City Schools 
  • Paul Imhoff, BASA, Jennifer Hogue, OSBA, and Katie Johnson, OASBO  
  • Melissa Cropper, Ohio Federation of Teachers 
  • TJ Cusick, treasurer, Worthington City Schools  

House Transportation Committee  

The committee held its second hearing on HB 3, sponsored by Reps. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) and Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati). HB 3, the “School Bus Safety Act”, would appropriate $25 million to create a School Bus Safety Grant Fund at ODEW to assist districts with the cost of installing safety features on new and existing school buses. The bill would also increase the penalties for illegally passing a stopped school bus and designate August as “School Bus Safety Month”. The committee heard proponent testimony, including from Dr. Paul Imhoff with BASA.  

House Local Government Committee  

The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 154 from Reps. Thomas and Chris Glassburn (D-North Olmsted). This bill would require school district approval of residential community reinvestment area property tax exemptions. 

House Ways and Means Committee  

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 103, sponsored by Reps. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.). This bill would increase the homestead exemption amount from $25,000 to $50,000 and the income limit from $30,000 to $45,000. 

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 186, sponsored by Reps. James M. Hoops (R-Napoleon) and Thomas. This bill would authorize a reduction in school district property taxes affected by a millage floor, limiting increases in such taxes according to inflation, and would require a corresponding adjustment in the school funding formula. 

House Agriculture Committee 

The committee held its second hearing on HB 10, sponsored by Reps. Klopfenstein and Jack Daniels (R-Akron). HB10 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 committee accepted an amendment to the bill creating an exception for WIC and SNAP programs and heard proponent testimony on the proposed legislation. 

Recently introduced bills 

  • HB 205 – Sponsored by Reps. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) and Don Jones (R-Freeport), this bill would enact the “Future Educators Support Act” regarding financial support for student teachers, teaching as an in-demand job, and school district staffing surveys. 
  • HB 212 – Sponsored by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood), this bill would allow eligible homeowners to defer the payment of a portion of their property taxes. 
  • HB 213 – Sponsored by Reps. Kevin Miller (R-Newark) and Jodi Salvo (R-Zoar), this bill would designate a portion of Interstate 70 in Licking County as the "Tuscarawas Valley Memorial Highway." 
  • HB 215 – Sponsored by Reps. Jarrells 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. 
  • SB 158 – Sponsored by Sen. Jane M. Timken (R-Canton), this bill would generally prohibit cell phone use in public schools.
  • SB 168 – Sponsored by Sen. Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinatti), this bill would create a process at the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to assist school districts in acquiring classroom facilities for preschool programing. 

Rules activity  

The Department of Education and Workforce has the following rules open for public comment:  

  • Chapter 3301-101: Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program 
    • OAC 3301-101-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-101-02: Jon Peterson special needs scholarship program established 
    • OAC 3301-101-03: Eligibility to receive a scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-04: Application for a scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-06: Awarding scholarships 
    • OAC 3301-101-07: Transfer of scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-101-08: Termination of eligibility 
    • OAC 3301-101-09: Participation by providers 
    • OAC 3301-101-10: Payment of scholarship amounts 
    • OAC 3301-101-11: Entities designated to file applications 
    • OAC 3301-101-12: Dispute resolution and due process requests 
    • OAC 3301-101-13: Program administration 
  • Chapter 3301-103: Autism Scholarship Program 
    • OAC 3301-103-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-103-02: Autism scholarship program established 
    • OAC 3301-103-03: Procedures and deadlines for parents to apply for scholarship 
    • OAC 3301-103-04: Responsibilities of a school district of residence 
    • OAC 3301-103-05: Program participation 
    • OAC 3301-103-06: Application and participation of providers 
    • OAC 3301-103-07: Payment under the autism scholarship program 

Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment. 

The State Board of Education does not have any rules open for public comment at this time.  

Federal update 

Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts.

Posted by Malania Birney on 4/4/2025