Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 9. The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and other state agencies to reduce regulatory restrictions by 30% by 2025. The bill also includes an appropriation of $9 million to assist local boards of elections with administering the May 3 primary election.

DeWine signed into law SB 11. The bill makes changes to paid leave for Juneteenth. It requires school districts to grant regular nonteaching school employees who are employed on an 11–to-12-month basis paid leave and removes the requirement that school districts grant paid leave to regular nonteaching school employees who are employed on a nine-to-10-month basis. Additionally the bill modifies the procedures for uniformed services and overseas absentee voting in the 2022 primary election and makes an appropriation.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a second hearing on House Bill (HB) 583, sponsored by Reps. Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond) and Don Jones (R-Freeport), which would require the State Board of Education to issue a temporary short-term substitute teaching license to an approved applicant who will teach five or fewer consecutive days in the same classroom. The bill also would require the State Board to issue a temporary substitute teaching license to an approved applicant who will teach six or more consecutive days in the same classroom, if certain requirements are met, and allow a student teacher to work as a substitute teacher for up to five days. Lastly, the bill would sunset these temporary provisions after June 30, 2025. OSBA, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO), Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators, Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators and Alliance for High Quality Education provided proponent testimony. Click here to read the testimony. Testifying as proponents of the bill were:

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 497, sponsored by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Phillip M. Robinson Jr. (D-Solon), which would modify the English language arts assessment to be administered once in the third grade and to eliminate retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

Finally, the committee held a third hearing on HB 403, which would require school district superintendents to file a report with the ODE regarding a teacher who retired under threat of disciplinary investigation in addition to those who resigned under threat of disciplinary investigation.

House Insurance Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 499, sponsored by Rep. Adam C. Miller (D-Columbus), which would allow a board of education member of a school district or ESC to continue to receive a disability benefit during the term of office.

House Transportation and Public Safety Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 465, sponsored by Reps. Michael Sheehy (D-Toledo) and Bird, which would require the Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to notify any school impacted by an additional state highway or a significant change to a state highway or other street or roadway. The bill also would require the ODOT director, or any person preparing a traffic safety study for ODOT, to consider the impact of a proposed project on traffic through a designated school zone and evaluate any increase or decrease of traffic through a designated school zone. OSBA, OASBO and BASA provided proponent testimony. Click here to read the testimony.

House Civil Justice Committee
The committee amended HB 508, sponsored by Reps. West and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), which would revise the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities to grant equal time and responsibility for a child. The amendment was a technical correction to the bill.

Federal omnibus appropriations bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an omnibus appropriations bill by a 260-171 vote. The bill contains education funding in following amounts:

  • $76.4 billion in discretionary appropriations for the department of education, an increase of $2.9 billion above the fiscal year (FY) 2021 enacted level;
  • $17.5 billion for ESSA Title I Grants to local educational agencies, an increase of $1 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level;
  • $2.2 billion for ESSA Title II-A, an increase of $27 million above the FY 2021 enacted level;
  • $13.3 billion for IDEA Part B, an increase of $406 million above the FY 2021 enacted level;
  • $1.3 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program state grants, an increase of $60 million above the FY 2021 enacted level;
  • $1.38 billion for CTE state grants, an increase of $45 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.

The bill does not include an extension of the meal waiver authority to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The current authority for USDA to issue waivers is set to expire June 30, 2022. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and other U.S. senators signed a letter supporting this waiver extension. Click here to view that letter. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate.

Ohio Department of Education
ODE has the following proposed rules open for public comment:

  • OAC 3301-106-01 Community learning center elections;
  • OAC 3301-41-01 Ohio certificate of high school equivalence.

Click here to view the rules open for public comment.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 3/11/2022