senate bill 1
Ohio Republicans work to politicize our schools, destroy power of elected state school board
Last fall I voted for a serious candidate to be my levelheaded voice on the Ohio Board of Education. Like many voters, I was fed up with the far right craziness that had infiltrated the ed board at the expense of real issues roiling public education in the state — unconstitutional school funding, under-resourced schools, […]
Franklin County judge orders temporary restraining order to stop overhaul of Ohio K-12 education
A Franklin County judge has issued a temporary restraining order to block lawmakers’ attempts to overhaul Ohio’s K-12 education system. Seven members of the Ohio State Board of Education filed a lawsuit against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tuesday in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to stop the transfer of power from the Board […]
Ohio State Board of Ed again delays selecting search firm for new state superintendent
The State Board of Education once again voted to delay naming a search firm to identify superintendent candidates. In a 14-4-1 vote, the board pushed back until May’s board meeting on deciding on a search firm that would bring superintendent candidates for board review. This comes days after Ohio Department of Education’s interim superintendent of […]
Top educator leaving position; new bill aims to stop revolving door of departures
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. The acting state superintendent of public instruction plans to resign, shining a […]
ODE head seems headed for position at Upper Arlington
The Ohio Department of Education’s interim superintendent of public instruction is headed for a district-level position, resigning her state position, as confirmed by the school district and two legislators. Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Siddens resigned on Friday, according to state Sens. Bill Reineke and Andrew Brenner. Siddens is reportedly headed to Upper Arlington City Schools to […]
Proposed education overhauls see Ohio House action
Both bills seeking to overhaul the Ohio Department of Education were heard in Ohio House committees this week, with opponents torching a House version and sponsors bringing forth the Senate’s measure. Following its party-line passage in the Senate, Sen. Bill Reineke’s Senate Bill 1 entered the Ohio House Committee on Economic & Workforce Development for […]
Ohio Republicans hellbent on turning state’s public education system into political rubber stamp
Dishonest and dangerous. No other way to describe Matt Huffman’s fever dream to wrest control of educational policymaking from educators at the Ohio Department of Education and the state school board. The Ohio Senate president is hellbent on turning the state’s independent public education system into a political entity that he and other Republican lawmakers […]
Ohio Senate committee passes education overhaul, moves measure to full chamber vote
The Ohio Senate Education Committee Tuesday passed a bill along party lines to overhaul the state’s department and board of education, over objections from multiple education board members and the the Ohio School Boards Association. The passage came after a second day of opponent testimony against the bill. Opponents speaking on Tuesday questioned the ability of […]
State Board of Education members say no to state ed overhaul
Three members of the Ohio State Board of Education publicly opposed an overhaul of the state education system on Tuesday. The members were among dozens of people asking the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee to rethink Senate Bill 1, a bill to rename and restructure the Ohio Department of Education, and reduce the role of the […]
Ohio Senate committee previews amendments to education overhaul
After hearing more supportive testimony Tuesday for an overhaul of the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio’s Senate Education Committee previewed amendments planned for the legislation. The Buckeye Institute and the Thomas Fordham Institute both entered their support of transforming the department into a more workforce-centric state agency with a leader under the governor’s umbrella. Those […]
Ohio homeschooling group head: Nazi curriculum ‘a sick parenting issue’
The leader of an Ohio homeschooling group that once included an Upper Sandusky couple reportedly using a neo-Nazi curriculum has now condemned it and said homeschooling shouldn’t be judged by one “sick parenting issue.” The couple, who use the aliases “Mr. and Mrs. Saxon,” was reported to the Ohio Department of Education, who said it […]
As some lawmakers debate Nazi home schooling scandal, others propose expanding vouchers
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. A bill to expand the school voucher system and provide more money to […]