OEPI Reports on Administrator Expenditures and the Transitional Aid Guarantee
This week, the Ohio Education Policy Institute (OEPI) published two reports from Dr. Howard Fleeter. The first is an analysis of school administrator expenditures from FY06 – FY24, as they pertain to Fair School Funding Formula base costs considerations. The second report outlines the various factors impacting districts on the transitional aid guarantee.
The committee heard invited testimony on HB 96, the House’s version of the FY26-27 state operating budget, from:
- Dr. Paul Craft, Superintendent of Public Instruction on the State Board of Education
- Director Joy Bledsoe, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission
The committee heard testimony from Scott Wlydyga, superintendent of the Ashtabula County Technical and Career Center, on behalf of the Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents (OACTS), as well as the Ohio Association for Career-Technical Education (Ohio ACTE).
Senate Energy Committee
The committee held its second hearing on SB 2, sponsored by Senator Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin). The bill makes changes to the competitive retail electric service law and makes changes regarding electric company property taxation. The committee heard interested parties and proponent testimony on the bill, including testimony from Cajon Keeton, treasurer, Benton-Carroll-Salem Local Schools and Lou Galante, consultant, Perry (Stark) Local Schools.
Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee heard sponsor testimony on SB 66 from Sens. Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) and George Lang (R-West Chester). SB 66 would include emergency levies, substitute levies, all inside millage and school district income taxes in the calculation of a school district's effective millage floor.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on SB 81 from Sen. Thomas F. Patton (R-Strongsville). SB 81 would authorize a property tax freeze for certain owner-occupied homes, including for senior individuals who are over sixty-five years old and senior owners of manufactured homes.
Sen. Patton also provided sponsor testimony on SB 92. This bill would authorize a total property tax exemption for the homesteads of totally disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.
Senate Workforce Development Committee
The committee held its second hearing on SB 50, sponsored by Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster). This bill would make changes regarding age and schooling certificate requirements and work hours for a person under sixteen years of age. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee heard sponsor testimony from Sen. O’Brien on SB 44. This bill would allow students to concurrently receive an Educational Choice scholarship or Pilot Project scholarship and either an Autism or Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship and make a $42 million appropriation in FY26 and FY27 to offset costs.
The committee also held a first hearing on SB 68, with sponsor testimony provided by Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario). This bill would establish a Nonchartered Educational Savings Program at the State Treasury and ODEW and allocate $51 million to the program in FY27.
The committee held its first hearing on SB 28, with sponsor testimony from Sens. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) and Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood). This bill would levy a tax on certain high-volume landlords.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on SB 62 from Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green). SB 62 is the Senate’s version of the “School Bus Safety Act.” This bill would allow civil penalties for illegally passing a school bus if the driver cannot be identified. SB 62 directs fees and fines related to illegally passing a school bus to the bus safety grant fund at ODEW. Additionally, the bill designates the month of August as "School Bus Safety Awareness Month."
Senate Local Government Committee
The committee held its second hearing on SB 29, sponsored by Sens. Blessing and Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati). This bill would allow two or more municipalities to create a joint economic development district without involving a township. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
House Ways and Means Committee
The committee heard invited testimony on HB 96 from:
- Patricia Harris, tax commissioner at the Ohio Department of Taxation
- Kim Murnieks, director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on HB 61 from Representatives David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Jack K. Daniels (R-New Franklin). This bill would modify the amount of the homestead exemption and owner-occupancy property tax credit.
New bills introduced
- SB 103 - Sponsored by Sen. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro), this bill would allow for alternative rate plans for natural gas companies to serve large load customers and make changes to the process of valuating natural gas company property.
- SB 105 – Sponsored by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), this bill would enact Alyssa's Law and require public and chartered nonpublic schools to implement a wearable panic alert system, appropriating $25 million to support the purchase of such alarm systems.
- SB 107 – Sponsored by Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), this bill would require state and school district board members to appear on the ballot with a party designation.
- SB 109 – Sponsored by Sens. Blessing and Kent Smith (D-Euclid), this bill would reimburse public and nonpublic charter schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to students, and appropriate $300 million to offset costs.
- 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.
- HB 106 – Sponsored by Reps. Angela N. King (R-Celina) and Melanie Miller (R-Ashland), the House version of Alyssa’s Law would allocate $25 million to a pilot grant program at ODEW for public and chartered nonpublic schools to purchase panic alert systems or contract for artificial intelligence firearm detection software.
- HB 113 – Sponsored by Reps. Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond) and Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), this bill would modify the law regarding annexation and financial disclosure forms and require school district approval of residential community reinvestment area property tax exemptions.
- HB 114 - Sponsored by Reps. Bird and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta), this bill would alter age requirements for kindergarten admission, expanding them to include six-year-olds who have not completed first grade.
Rules activity
The Department of Education and Workforce does not have any rules open for public comment at this time.
The State Board of Education has the following draft rules open for public comment at this time:
- Chapter 3302-24: Licensing and Education Programs
- OAC 3302-24-22: Career-Technical Workforce Development Teaching Licenses
- OAC 3302-24-29: Temporary military duty license
- Chapter 3302-25: Educational Aide Permits
- OAC 3302-25-01: One-year educational aide permits
- OAC 3302-25-03: One-year student monitor educational aide permit
- OAC 3302-25-05: Four-year educational aide permit
- OAC 3302-25-08: Validity of educational aide permits
Click here to view the SBOE rules open for public comment.
Federal update
Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts. Click here to read the most recent Federal Court Report.
OSBA OFCC Workgroup
OSBA would like to collect member feedback on your district’s experiences with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s (OFCC) K-12 building programs. We want to hear about your experiences, understand what has worked for your districts and collect your ideas on improvements to the OFCC process that could be taken to the Ohio General Assembly. If you are interested in participating in this workgroup, please sign up using the form linked here.