For the Week
of October 26, 2015
Featured News
School Transportation Grants Available for 2015-16; Online Application Opens Nov. 9 Hannah
The online application process for transportation grants to visit the Ohio Statehouse this school year opens at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and Capitol Square Foundation (CSF) announced. A total of 75 school transportation grants will be offered this year. The grants will be made available to help schools defray bus transportation costs to the Ohio Statehouse. Each awarded grant will be based on one-way mileage from the visiting school to Columbus.
Federal, National and U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Education Leader-to-Be Visits Ohio for Rural Schools Forum; Ross Talks ESEA, Teaching Hannah
John King Jr., secretary-in-waiting of the U.S. Department of Education, spoke to educators at a Columbus conference Tuesday about the transformative effect teachers had on his life as well as his policy and legislative goals for the waning months of the Obama administration. King, designated by President Barack Obama as the successor for Education Secretary Arne Duncan when he leaves the post in December, gave lunchtime remarks at the Rural Education National Forum, which has convened in Ohio's capital the past several years. King has been serving as senior adviser to Duncan. Ohio Superintendent Richard Ross introduced King as an ideal choice to lead federal education efforts in the current environment. Ross later spoke on a panel with counterparts from other states.
Rep. Paul Ryan Close to Taking Over as Speaker: Here's His K-12 Record Education Week
After some tricky political negotiations, Rep. Paul Ryan is poised to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. So what does the Wisconsin Republican's record indicate he could do regarding education policy? There's the immediate and momentous question of how he'll deal with reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The political climate in Congress could make it tough for a new speaker to put a bill on the floor that will need support from Democrats to pass.
Ohio Legislation Update (recent bill action in red)
131st General Assembly
House
HB1 WORKFORCE GRANT PROGRAM (Rep. Kirk Schuring, Rep. Nathan Manning) To establish the Workforce Grant Program, to authorize an income tax credit equal to 25% of the student loan payments a grant recipient makes per year, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Re-Referred to House Finance Committee
HB2 CHARTER SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP (Rep. Mike Dovilla, Rep. Kristina Roegner) With regard to sponsorship and management of community schools
STATUS: (Passed by House) (Passed by Senate) Conference Committee – Reported out as amended; House accepts Conference Committee report, Vote 91-6; Senate accepts Conference Committee report, Vote 32-0
HB5 PUBLIC OFFICE-STATE AGENCY EFFICIENCY STUDIES (Rep. Stephanie Kunze, Rep. Kyle Koehler) To allow the Auditor of State to conduct business case studies regarding the efficiency of local public offices and state agencies
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
HB7 ASSESSMENT SCORE DETERMINATIONS (Rep. Jim Buchy) To prohibit individual student scores from certain elementary and secondary achievement assessments administered for the 2014-2015 school year from being used to determine promotion or retention or to grant course credit
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective immediately
HB12 TIF-INCENTIVE DISTRICTS (Rep. James Butler, Jr., Rep. Tony Burkley) To establish a procedure by which political subdivisions proposing a tax increment financing (TIF) incentive district are required to provide notice to the record owner of each parcel within the proposed incentive district before creating the district
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB15 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERSHIP (Rep. Ron Gerberry) To change the voting membership of the State Board of Education to consist of a member from each of several electoral districts with boundaries coinciding with the state's Congressional districts and a president to be appointed by the Governor if there is an even number of such electoral districts
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB20 CONCEALED CARRY-SCHOOL SAFETY ZONE (Rep. Anne Gonzales, Rep. Kyle Koehler) To expand and clarify the authority of a concealed handgun licensee to possess a handgun in a school safety zone
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House State Government Committee
HB25 FOOD-DRINK SCHOOL SALES (Rep. Stephanie Kunze) To require the State Board of Education to adopt rules regarding the sale of beverages and food during the regular school day in connection with a school-sponsored fundraiser
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB27 FINANCIAL AID-FINISH FUND (Rep. Dan Ramos) To create the Finish Fund and the Finish Reserve Fund to provide grants to students who are nearing completion of their associate or bachelor's degrees and display financial need or hardship
STATUS: Referred to House Finance Committee
HB28 SUICIDE PREVENTION-HIGHER EDUCATION (Rep. Marlene Anielski) With regard to suicide prevention programs at state institutions of higher education
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective 10/14/15
HB39 SCHOOL-CAMP INHALER PERMIT (Rep. Mike Duffey, Rep. Anthony DeVitis) To permit schools and camps to procure and use a metered dose inhaler or dry powdered inhaler used to alleviate asthmatic symptoms in accordance with prescribed policies and to exempt them from licensing requirements related to the possession of these inhalers
STATUS: (Passed by House) Passed by Senate, Vote 32-0; House concurred with Senate amendments, Vote 91-0
HB42 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND (Rep. Ron Gerberry, Rep. Jack Cera) To require that, for fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Local Government Fund must receive the same proportion of state tax revenue that the Fund received in fiscal year 2005
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Finance Committee
HB43 CLASSROOM FACILITIES-PROPERTY TAX ROLLBACKS (Rep. Ron Gerberry) To revise the law governing classroom facilities assistance programs and to restore the application of the 10% and 2.5% property tax rollbacks to school district tax levies approved on or after the effective date of Am. Sub. H.B. 59 of the 130th General Assembly
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB44 LOTTERY PROFITS-SCHOOLS (Rep. Ron Gerberry) To require that a portion of lottery profits be distributed annually on a per pupil basis to public and chartered nonpublic schools
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB46 GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE DATABASE (Rep. Mike Dovilla, Rep. Jonathan Dever) To require the Treasurer of State to establish the Ohio State Government Expenditure Database
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Finance Committee
HB52 WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW (Rep. Robert Hackett) To make changes to the Workers' Compensation Law, to make appropriations for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation for the biennium beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2017, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of the Bureau's programs
STATUS: Passed House 96-0
HB54 VOCATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS-OFFICE TERMS (Rep. Marlene Anielski) To revise the law regarding terms of office of members of certain joint vocational school district boards of education
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB55 THIRD-GRADE READING GUARANTEE (Rep. Robert Sprague) To specify deadlines for the administration of reading skills assessments for purposes of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB56 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT-CRIMINAL RECORDS (Rep. Kirk Schuring, Rep. Stephen Slesnick) To limit the use of criminal records in the hiring and employment practices of public employers
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate State & Local Government Committee
HB64 OPERATING BUDGET (Rep. Ryan Smith) To make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2017, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective immediately
HB70 SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING (Rep. Denise Driehaus, Rep. Andrew Brenner) To authorize school districts and community schools to initiate a community learning center process to assist and guide school restructuring
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective 10/14/15
HB74 PRIMARY-SECONDARY ASSESSMENTS (Rep. Andrew Brenner) With regard to the administration of state primary and secondary education assessments
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Education Committee
HB81 SPECIAL ELECTIONS (Rep. Steve Hambley) To eliminate the ability to conduct special elections in February and to require a political subdivision to prepay sixty-five per cent of the estimated cost of a special election
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB85 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION (Rep. Dan Ramos, Rep. Christina Hagan) With respect to age-appropriate student instruction in child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention and in-service staff training in child sexual abuse prevention
STATUS: House Judiciary Committee – Reported out
HB89 MEDICAID SCHOOL PROGRAM (Rep. Anthony DeVitis) Regarding the Medicaid School Program
STATUS: House Health & Aging Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB92 SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES-SEXUAL CONDUCT (Rep. Christina Hagan) To prohibit an employee of a public or nonpublic school or institution of higher education who is not in a position of authority from engaging in sexual conduct with a minor at least four years younger than the employee who is enrolled in or attends that public or nonpublic school or who is enrolled in or attends that institution of higher education
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
HB99 INCOME TAX-SCHOOL FUNDING (Rep. Mike Curtin) To require that an amount equal to state income tax collections, less amounts contributed to the Ohio political party fund via the income tax checkoff, be distributed for the support of elementary, secondary, vocational, and special education programs
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB113 CPR-GRADUATION REQUIREMENT (Rep. Cheryl Grossman, Rep. Nathan Manning) To require instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator as a requirement for high school graduation
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB114 SCHOOL DOOR-BARRICADE (Rep. Kristina Roegner, Rep. Heather Bishoff) To require the Board of Building Standards to adopt rules for the use of a barricade device on a school door in an emergency situation and to prohibit the State Fire Code from prohibiting the use of the device in such a situation
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate State & Local Government Committee
HB118 TUITION FEES (DeVitis, T., Patmon, B.) With respect to tuition overload fees at state institutions of higher education.
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB120 HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS (Schuring, K.) To create the Ohio Higher Education Innovation Grant Program and to make an appropriation.
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB130 PUBLIC RECORDS-DATA BOARD (Rep. Christina Hagan, Rep. Mike Duffey) To create the DataOhio Board, to specify requirements for posting public records online, to require the Auditor of State to adopt rules regarding a uniform accounting system for public offices, to establish an online catalog of public data at data.Ohio.gov, to establish the Local Government Information Exchange Grant Program, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Re-referred to House Finance Committee
HB132 CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE-EDUCATION (Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, Rep. Heather Bishoff) Regarding coverage for prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, the provision of certain hospital and pregnancy prevention services for victims of sexual assault, and comprehensive sexual health and sexually transmitted infection education in schools
STATUS: Referred to House Health & Aging Committee
HB133 NONPROFIT DEGREE-TAX CREDIT (Rep. Tim Schaffer, Rep. Michael Ashford) To authorize an income tax credit for individuals that earn a nonprofit management degree or certain professional designations and to allow a sales tax exemption for out-of-state nonprofit corporations that relocate jobs to Ohio
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB136 STEM PROGRAM-LAKE COUNTY (Rep. Ron Young, Rep. John Rogers) To fund the Lake County Educational Service Center pilot project to support STEM initiatives for middle school students and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to House Finance Committee
HB137 ORGAN DONATION-HEALTH CURRICULUM (Rep. Cheryl Grossman, Rep. Debbie Phillips) To require the health curriculum of each school district to include instruction on the positive effects of organ and tissue donation
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB138 STATE TESTING WAIVER (Rep. Paul Zeltwanger, Rep. Kyle Koehler) To revise the requirements regarding the administration of the state achievement assessments, to require the Department of Education to request a waiver from federal testing requirements, and to declare an emergency
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB145 STEM PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (Rep. Robert McColley, Rep. Stephanie Howse) To establish the STEM Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program to provide high school students the opportunity to receive education in a targeted industry while simultaneously earning high school and college credit and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to House Finance Committee
HB146 CURSIVE HANDWRITING (Rep. Cheryl Grossman, Rep. Andrew Brenner) To require instruction in cursive handwriting
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB148 CLASSROOM FACILITIES ASSISTANCE (Rep. John Patterson, Rep. Sarah LaTourette) To require the Ohio School Facilities Commission to provide classroom facilities assistance to a school district resulting from the consolidation of two or more school districts or from the voluntary transfer of the entire territory of a school district if specified conditions are satisfied
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB153 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DATE (Rep. Mike Dovilla) - To change the date on which presidential primary elections are held
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective 9/10/15
HB156 CHARTER SCHOOL OVERSIGHT (Rep. Kristina Roegner, Rep. John Patterson) To make changes to the law regarding governance, operation, and management of community schools, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB158 INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY TERM (Rep. Jonathan Dever, Rep. Stephanie Howse) To change the variations of the term "mentally retarded person" to "person with an intellectual disability”
STATUS: Referred to House Health & Aging Committee
HB160 TEXTBOOKS-HIGHER EDUCATION (Rep. Anthony DeVitis) With regard to the selection, availability, and purchase of textbooks that are required for a course offered by any state institution of higher education
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB166 LOCAL TAX-FISCAL REVISIONS (Rep. Doug Green) To extend the deadline for filing an application for the homestead exemption or 2 1/2% property tax rollback to the end of the tax year, to require that auditors certify Local Government Fund allocations to subdivisions by regular or electronic, rather than certified mail, and to repeal laws requiring county auditors to issue permits for traveling shows, issue licenses for new merchandise public auctions, certify the annual state tax interest rate to local courts, and provide certain certifications related to the repealed personal property tax
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB174 GRADUATE DEGREE-ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS (Rep. John Barnes, Jr.) With regard to entrepreneurial skills education requirements for professional graduate degree programs at state institutions of higher education
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB181 ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION-AUTO UPDATE (Rep. Kathleen Clyde) To require that eligible persons in certain government and school databases be automatically registered to vote or have their registrations updated automatically unless those persons decline to do so and to create an online voter registration system
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB183 STUDENT TRUSTEE-VOTING AUTHORITY (Rep. Niraj Antani, Rep. Michael Stinziano) To grant student members of the boards of trustees of state universities and the Northeast Ohio Medical University voting power and the authority to attend executive sessions
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB192 SAFETY ENHANCEMENT STANDARDS (Rep. John Rogers, Rep. Rick Perales) To require the State Board of Education to adopt rules prescribing standards for safety enhancements to new public and nonpublic school facilities and to require the Ohio School Facilities Commission to revise its construction and design standards to comply with the State Board's standards
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB200 EPINEPHRINE AUTOINJECTORS (Rep. Christina Hagan) To permit epinephrine autoinjectors for which no prescriptions have been written to be stored and accessed for use in case of emergency
STATUS: House Health & Aging Committee – Reported out as amended
HB212 ACADEMIC STANDARDS-CURRICULA (Rep. Andrew Thompson) With regard to state achievement assessments, statewide academic content standards and model curricula, and teacher and administrator evaluations
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB221 TOBACCO USE-PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Rep. Margaret Ann Ruhl, Rep. Michael Ashford) To revise the law regarding tobacco and nicotine use in public schools and at public school-sponsored functions
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Health & Aging Committee
HB223 YOUTH ATHLETICS-MINOR EMPLOYMENT (Rep. Michael Stinziano) To allow minors to be employed by a youth athletic program if certain conditions are satisfied
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB231 PROPERTY VALUATION COMPLAINTS (Rep. Cheryl Grossman, Rep. Jeffrey McClain) To require counties, municipal corporations, townships, and school boards that file complaints against the valuation of property they do not own to pass a resolution approving the complaint and specifying the compensation paid to any person retained to represent the county, municipal corporation, township, or school board in the matter of the complaint
STATUS: Introduced
HB274 APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS (Hagan, C.) To create a subprogram of the College Credit Plus Program that permits students to participate in certified apprenticeship programs. Am. 3365.16
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB287 YOUTH SUMMER EMPLOYMENT (Rep. John Barnes, Jr.) To require the Director of Development Services to establish a youth summer jobs pledging initiative to increase access to summer employment opportunities for high school and college youth
STATUS: Referred to House Economic & Workforce Development Committee
HB299 CUSTODIAN-AUTISM SCHOLARSHIP (Rep. Louis Blessing III, Rep. Jeffrey Rezabek) To permit the temporary, legal, or permanent custodian of a qualified child to apply for an Autism Scholarship
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB308 TEXTBOOKS-TAX EXEMPTION (Rep. Mike Duffey, Rep. Michael Stinziano) To exempt from sales and use tax textbooks purchased by post-secondary students
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB311 PENSION-SALARY PERCENTAGE (Rep. Kirk Schuring) To base the percentage of an employee's salary that must be contributed to the State Teachers Retirement System to mitigate the effect of the employee's participation in an alternative retirement program on the average percentage used to amortize the Retirement System's unfunded actuarial accrued pension liabilities
STATUS: Referred to House Health & Aging Committee
HB323 SCHOOL DISTRICTS-LICENSE PLATES (Rep. Marlene Anielski, Rep. Bill Patmon) To provide for the issuance of public school district license plates and private school license plates
STATUS: Referred to House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
HB340 LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION COUNCIL (Rep. Ron Amstutz) To extend the operation of the Local Government Innovation Council until December 31, 2019, and to declare an emergency
STATUS: Passed by House, Vote 90-0; Emergency clause passed, Vote 88-0
HB346 PER-PUPIL STATE FUNDING (Rep. Andrew Brenner) To require that each city, local, and exempted village school district receive a per-pupil amount of state funding that is at least as much as the statewide per pupil amount paid for chartered nonpublic schools in Auxiliary Services funds and for administrative cost reimbursement
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Finance Committee
HB350 AUTISM TREATMENT-COVERAGE (Rep. Cheryl Grossman, Rep. Louis Terhar) To mandate coverage of autism treatment
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB355 EMPLOYEE DEFINITION (Rep. Wes Retherford) To create a generally uniform definition of employee for specified labor laws and to prohibit employee misclassification under those laws
STATUS: Referred to House State Government Committee
HB372 EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PERSONNEL (Rep. Debbie Phillips) To require city, exempted village, and local school districts to employ, for each 1,000 students, at least five full-time equivalent educational service personnel in specified areas
STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB379 ACADEMIC DISTRESS COMMISSIONS (Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan) With regard to the operation of academic distress commissions and to modify the earmarked funding for the establishment of academic distress commissions
STATUS: Introduced
Senate
SB3 HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICT EXEMPTION (Sen. Cliff Hite, Sen. Keith Faber) To exempt high-performing school districts from certain laws
STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Referred to House Education Committee
SB4 IN-STATE TUITION REDUCTION (Sen. Keith Faber) To require each state institution of higher education to develop a plan to reduce in-state student cost of attendance by five per cent for the 2016-2017 academic year
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB6 JOINT COMMITTEE ON OHIO COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY (Sen. Shannon Jones, Sen. John Eklund) To increase the maximum income tax deduction for college savings contributions to $10,000 annually for each beneficiary
STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
SB12 INCOME TAX CREDIT-SCIENCE RELATED DEGREE (Sen. Jay Hottinger) To grant an income tax credit to individuals who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math-based fields of study
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Ways & Means Committee
SB19 OHIO COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY GRANT (Sen. Tom Sawyer) To make changes to the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, to limit state university over load fees, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB20 CHARTER SCHOOLS-RECORD KEEPING (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) Regarding audit and record-keeping requirements for community school sponsors and operators
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB22 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND-ALLOCATION INCREASE (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To increase monthly allocations to the Local Government Fund from 1.66% to 3.68% of the total tax revenue credited to the GRF each month
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB24 OHIO COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY GRANT QUALIFICATION (Sen. Sandra Williams) To qualify students in noncredit community college programs for Ohio College Opportunity Grants and to require the awarding of academic credit for community colleges’ career certification programs
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB34 SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY-DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR (Sen. Charleta Tavares) With respect to school district policies for violent, disruptive, or inappropriate behavior
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB39 PEDESTRIAN RIGHT OF WAY-SCHOOL ZONE (Sen. Bill Beagle) To increase the penalties for failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian who is crossing a roadway within a crosswalk when the crosswalk is located within a school zone
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Criminal Justice Committee
SB43 COLUMBUS STATE LOGISTICS PROGRAM (Sen. Jim Hughes) To establish the Columbus State Logistics Program and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB59 COMMUNITY SCHOOLS-STATE APPROPRIATED FUNDS (Sen. Michael Skindell) With respect to the use of state-appropriated funds by operators of community schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB71 TRIO-PROGRAM APPROPRIATION (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To make an appropriation for the provision of state matching funds for federal TRIO programs at Ohio institutions of higher education for FY 2016 and FY 2017
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB73 MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To require community colleges, state community colleges, technical colleges, and university branches to comply with minority business enterprise set-aside requirements, and to require the Director of Administrative Services to establish guidelines for these entities, and the Northeast Ohio Medical University, to establish procurement goals for contracting with EDGE business enterprises
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB78 GED GRANT PROGRAM (Sen. Sandra Williams) To create the GED Grant Program for undergraduate students who have earned high school equivalence diplomas and are enrolled in two-year state institutions of higher education and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB82 GED-TEST COST (Sen. Sandra Williams) With regard to the administration and cost of the tests of general educational development required to earn a high school equivalence diploma
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB85 PROPERTY-TAX COMPLAINTS (Sen. William Coley) To limit the right to initiate most types of property tax complaints to the property owner and the county recorder of the county in which the property is located
STATUS: Referred to Senate Ways & Means Committee
SB92 SCHOOL SAFETY FUNDS (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) To require the State Board of Education to establish criteria and procedures for the awarding of school safety funds to school districts and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB93 BULLYING PREVENTION FUNDS (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) To require the State Board of Education to establish criteria and procedures for the awarding of bullying prevention and education funds to school districts and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB94 MEDICAID SCHOOL PROGRAM (Sen. Kevin Bacon, Sen. Peggy Lehner) Regarding the Medicaid School Program
STATUS: Referred to Senate Medicaid Committee
SB101 CONTRACEPTION EDUCATION (Sen. Capri Cafaro) Regarding coverage for prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, the provision of certain hospital and pregnancy prevention services for victims of sexual assault, and comprehensive sexual health and sexually transmitted infection education in schools
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Health & Human Services Committee
SB121 IMMUNIZATIONS (Hite, C.) To require pupils to be immunized against meningococcal disease at an age recommended by the Department of Health.
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective 10/14/15
SB122 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION (Gentile, L.) To extend eligibility for the homestead exemption to elderly or disabled homeowners who did not receive the exemption for 2013 and have $30,000 or more in Ohio adjusted gross income.
STATUS: Introduced
SB125 SCHOOL BARRICADES (LaRose, F., Hottinger, J.) To require the Board of Building Standards to adopt rules for the use of a barricade device on a school door in an emergency situation and to prohibit the State Fire Code from prohibiting the use of the device in such a situation.
STATUS: Referred to Senate Transportation, Commerce & Labor Committee
SB126 OPEN ENROLLMENT (Sawyer, T.) To terminate interdistrict open enrollment on that date with the possibility of renewal following the General Assembly's examination of the study's findings.
STATUS : Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB136 SCHOOL SECLUSION ROOMS (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To prohibit the use of seclusion on students in public schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB144 STEM PROGRAM-LAKE COUNTY (Sen. John Eklund) To fund the Lake County Educational Service Center pilot project to support STEM initiatives for middle school students and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB148 CHARTER SCHOOL OVERSIGHT (Sen. Peggy Lehner, Sen. Tom Sawyer) To make changes to the law regarding governance, operation, and management of community schools, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance – Education Subcommittee
SB158 AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION (Sen. Kenny Yuko) To require that eligible persons in certain government and school databases be automatically registered to vote
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB163 COMMON CORE STANDARDS (Sen. Kris Jordan) With respect to the Common Core State Standards academic standards, powers of the State Board of Education, and the distribution of student information
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB168 STUDENT VIOLENT BEHAVIOR INFORMATION (Sen. Frank LaRose) To require the Education Management Information System to include information regarding persons at whom a student’s violent behavior that resulted in discipline was directed
STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Referred to House Education Committee
SB173 SPECIAL ELECTIONS (Sen. Kris Jordan) To eliminate the ability to conduct special elections in February and August
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB217 LOCAL OFFICIAL-CONTINUING EDUCATION EXEMPTION (Sen. John Eklund) To permit exemptions for local officials from continuing education requirements of the office for an illness or disability or for out-of-state military service
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee
SB220 OHIO PUBLIC EMPLOYEE-ROTH FEATURES (Sen. Jay Hottinger) To authorize the Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Board and local governments to establish designated Roth account features and other tax-deferred or non-tax deferred features permitted for government deferred compensation plans
STATUS: Introduced
SB234 STUDENT ENROLLMENT-CHILDREN SERVICES (Sen. Capri Cafaro) To require specified public and nonpublic school officials to search the Uniform Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System
STATUS: Introduced
SB235 INCREASED VALUE-PROPERTY TAX (Sen. Bill Beagle, Sen. William Coley) To exempt from property tax the increased value of property on which industrial or commercial development is planned until construction of new commercial or industrial facilities at the property commences
STATUS: Introduced
Ohio Budget and Politics
House Committee Finalizes Tax Fix, K-12 Veto Rollback Hannah
The House cleared the way Monday for an expected final deal on legislation to fix an inadvertent tax increase and to partially restore some K-12 funding that Gov. John Kasich vetoed earlier. The House Ways and Means Committee passed SB208 (Beagle) in a single hearing after adding one amendment to further narrow a tax break for a New Albany business park housing several businesses with an integrated supply chain. The measure passed with one dissenting vote from Rep. John Barnes Jr. (D-Cleveland), whose hometown school district urged the committee Monday to go farther with the rollback of Kasich's veto to help it address an expected $13.9 million drop in state funding in FY17.
Ohio lawmakers pass $44M in new school funding, avert unintended business tax hike The Cleveland Plain Dealer
State lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that offers an additional $44 million for dozens of Ohio school districts as well as tens of millions more to avert an unexpected tax hike on many small businesses next year. Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign the measure, which was passed to address issues left over from the state budget passed earlier this year.
Ohio Department of Education/State Board of Education
Facilities Panels Outline Process for Charter School Grants, Review Master Prisons Plan Hannah
The Ohio School Facilities Commission approved guidelines Thursday for a new grant program created in the budget to help finance charter school buildings. Commission staff described plans for opening applications in the new year and gaining final approval of awards by the end of the fiscal year. The biennial budget, HB64 (R. Smith), appropriated $25 million to construct buildings for high quality charter schools, with the state grants financing up to half of the total project costs.
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
National Assessments Show Ohio above Average but Below 2013 Levels in Reading, Math Hannah
Ohio students exceeded the national average in fourth and eighth grade math and reading but saw some scores drop slightly from 2013 reports, according to the latest 2015 National Assessment of Education Progress.
Schools Seek to Diversify Gifted, Honors Classes Education Week
At every stage of students' educational careers, the pipeline to academically advanced study narrows for many low-income and minority students. Research suggests years of little biases add up, shaping who gets identified for gifted education and advanced courses and how many hoops they jump through to do so. And with politicians and policymakers increasingly focused on promoting rigorous, "college-ready" coursework, those leaks can leave thousands of the most promising students behind.
Students Take Too Many Redundant Tests, Study Finds Education Week
Students across the nation are taking tests that are redundant, misaligned with college- and career-ready standards, and often don't address students' mastery of specific content, according to a long-awaited report that provides the first in-depth look at testing in the nation's largest urban school districts.
College and Career Readiness
Student debt stunting economic growth Dayton Daily News
Experts predict the Millennial generation will drive the economy in Ohio and elsewhere for years to come, but a heavy load of outstanding student loan debt continues to stifle the performance of the nation’s most promising economic engine. In a consumer-driven economy, Millennials have been held back from buying cars and homes and starting their own families as they struggle under the weary load of tens of thousands of dollars in average student loan debt.
Want to change the world? Start with community colleges. PRI
But inside some of these institutions, revolution is stirring. A lack of opportunities for ordinary Americans is driving colleges to rebuild and rethink. Many of them are finding innovative ways to help their students buck the trend by staying in school and succeeding. “One of the first things that impressed me about community colleges was the passion that so many instructors and administrators have about the mission to help so many low income students succeed and move forward to success in their lives,” says Shanna Smith Jaggars, assistant director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College.