National, Federal, US Department of Education
Pilot Program Offers Federal Funding Flexibility to School Districts Hannah
Up to 50 school districts across the U.S. could get greater flexibility in spending federal education money under a pilot program announced by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). The pilot program, authorized by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, will relax rules on federal funding to enable blending of federal, state and local dollars to create "student-centered funding systems."
Three States Raise Their Hands for ESSA Innovative Assessment Pilot Education Week
Three states—Arizona, Louisiana, and New Hampshire—told the U.S. Department of Education they are interested in applying to participate in the Every Student Succeeds Act's Innovative Assessment Pilot. That list isn't necessarily the final word. The department encouraged states that think they may apply to raise their hands early this month. But formal applications aren't due April 2. Additional states could jump in, or any of the three could change its mind.
Ohio Legislation Update (recent bill action in red)
132nd General Assembly
House
HB3 DATAOHIO BOARD CREATION (Rep. Mike Duffey, Rep. Christina Hagan) 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 appropriations
STATUS: House Finance Committee – Reported out
HB8 PUBLIC RECORDS-MINORS (Rep. Steve Hambley, Rep. Jeffrey Rezabek) To exempt from the Public Records Law certain information concerning a minor that is included in a record related to a traffic accident involving a school vehicle in which the minor was an occupant at the time of the accident
STATUS: (Passed by House) Senate Local Government, Public Safety & Veterans Affairs Committee – Reported out
HB21 COMMUNITY SCHOOL ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION (Rep. Steve Hambley) Regarding verification of community school enrollments
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Education Committee
HB37 SCHOOL SAFETY-STRUCTURES (Rep. Steve Arndt) To require the Ohio School Facilities Commission to establish a program assisting school districts in purchasing technology and making physical alterations to improve technology infrastructure and school safety and security
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB47 STUDENTS IN MILITARY (Rep. John Boccieri) To enact the "Students to Soldiers Support Act (S3A)" regarding the participation of students who are serving in the uniformed services in extracurricular activities at public and nonpublic schools and public and private colleges
STATUS: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB49 OPERATING BUDGET (Rep. Ryan Smith) Creates FY 2018-2019 main operating budget
STATUS: (Passed by House) (Passed by Senate) Signed by Governor – Effective July 1, 2017; House has voted to override several vetoes; Senate considering
HB53 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES-MEMBER DUES (Rep. John Becker) To remove any requirement under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Law that public employees join or pay dues to any employee organization, to prohibit public employers from requiring public employees to join or pay dues to any employee organization, to prohibit an employee organization from being required to represent public employees who are not members of the employee organization, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Finance Committee
HB58 CURSIVE HANDWRITING INSTRUCTION (Rep. Andrew Brenner, Rep. Marilyn Slaby) To require instruction in cursive handwriting
STATUS: Re-referred to House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee
HB66 UNDERGRAD MISSION STUDY COMMITTEE (Rep. Ron Young) To require permanently tenured state university or college faculty members to teach at least three credit hours of undergraduate courses per semester
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Education Committee
HB69 LEVY REVENUE REIMBURSEMENT (Rep. Bob Cupp) To require reimbursement of certain township fire and emergency medical service levy revenue forgone because of the creation of a municipal tax increment financing district
STATUS: Signed by Governor (12/22/17) – Effective after 90 days
HB74 INCREASE COLLEGE TAX DEDUCTION (Rep. Stephen Huffman, Rep. Theresa Gavarone) To increase the maximum income tax deduction for contributions to the state's 529 college savings program from $2,000 to $3,000 per beneficiary per year
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB77 SICK-CHILD CARE LICENSURE (Rep. Wes Retherford) To provide for the licensure of sick-child care centers
STATUS: Referred to House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee
HB80 SCHOOL FOOD-SUMMER INTERVENTION (Rep. Sarah LaTourette, Rep. Kent Smith) To require school districts to allow approved summer food service program sponsors to use school facilities to provide food service for summer intervention services under certain conditions
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
HB87 COMMUNITY SCHOOL PUBLIC MONEYS (Rep. Kristina Roegner) Regarding public moneys returned to the state as a result of a finding for recovery issued pursuant to an audit of a community school
STATUS: House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee – Bill amended
HB89 AUGUST SALES TAX HOLIDAY (Rep. John Patterson, Rep. Brigid Kelly) To provide for a three-day sales tax "holiday" in August 2017 during which sales of clothing and school supplies are exempt from sales and use taxes
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB98 CAREER INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS (Rep. Mike Duffey, Rep. Kristin Boggs) Regarding the presentation of career information to students
STATUS: (Passed by House) Senate Education Committee – Bill amended
HB102 SCHOOL FUNDING REFORM (Rep. Andrew Brenner) To replace locally levied school district property taxes with a statewide property tax and require recipients of certain tax exemptions to reimburse the state for such levy revenue lost due to those exemptions; to increase the state sales and use tax rates and allocate additional revenue to state education purposes; to repeal school district income taxes; to require the Treasurer of State to issue general obligation bonds to refund certain school district debt obligations; to create a new system of funding schools where the state pays a specified amount per student that each student may use to attend the public or chartered nonpublic school of the student's choice, without the requirement of a local contribution; to eliminate the School Facilities Commission; to eliminate the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program, Pilot Project Scholarship Program, Autism Scholarship Program, and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program; to eliminate interdistrict open enrollment; to require educational service centers to transport students on a countywide basis; and to permit school districts to enter into a memoranda of understanding for one district to manage another
STATUS: Referred to House Finance Committee
HB103 FISCAL EMERGENCY PROVISIONS (Rep. William Reineke) To modify the composition and powers of the financial planning and supervision commission of a political subdivision that is in a state of fiscal emergency and to clarify the duties of that political subdivision
STATUS: (Passed by House) (Passed by Senate) Signed by Governor
HB108 INFORMED STUDENT DOCUMENT ACT (Rep. Christina Hagan, Rep. Robert McColley) To require one-half unit of financial literacy in the high school curriculum, to require the Chancellor of Higher Education to prepare an informed student document for each institution of higher education, to require the State Board of Education to include information on the informed student document in the standards and model curricula it creates for financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and to entitle the act the "Informed Student Document Act"
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Bill amended
HB110 COLLEGE CREDIT APPRENTICESHIPS (Rep. Christina Hagan, Rep. Bill Dean) To create a subprogram of the College Credit Plus Program that permits students to participate in certified apprenticeship programs
STATUS: Referred to House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee
HB118 TAX COMPLAINT DISMISSAL (Rep. Derek Merrin) To expressly prohibit the dismissal of a property tax complaint for failure to correctly identify the property owner
STATUS: (Passed by House) Passed by Senate, Vote 32-0
HB124 VOCATIONAL SCHOOL TAX LEVY (Rep. Andrew Brenner, Rep. Rick Carfagna) To authorize a joint vocational school district to submit the question of a renewal tax levy to voters who did not have an opportunity to vote on the levy at an election held in November of 2015 because the levy was only placed on the ballot in one of several counties in which the district has territory
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective immediately
HB129 SCHOOL EXTERNSHIPS-GOVERNOR (Rep. Kent Smith, Rep. Brigid Kelly) To require the Governor to complete a forty-hour externship consisting of on-site work experience in city, local, and exempted village school districts in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years
STATUS: Referred to House State & Local Government Committee
HB134 SCHOOL COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT GRANTS (Rep. Steve Hambley, Rep. Darrell Kick) To allow community improvements board grants to a school district to be spent for permanent improvements outside the county so long as the improvements are within the school district
STATUS: House State & Local Government Committee – Reported out as amended
HB163 PREVAILING WAGE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS (Rep. Kristina Roegner, Rep. Craig Riedel) To allow political subdivisions, special districts, and state institutions of higher education to elect to apply the Prevailing Wage Law to public improvement projects
STATUS: Introduced
HB166 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM REVISIONS (Rep. William Reineke, Rep. Bob Cupp) To revise the laws governing the state's workforce development system, programs that may be offered by primary and secondary schools, certificates of qualification for employment, and the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency, and to designate the first week of May as In-Demand Jobs Week
STATUS: House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB170 COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION (Rep. Rick Carfagna, Rep. Mike Duffey) With regard to academic content standards and curriculum requirements for computer science; to revise educator qualifications regarding computer science; to create a competitive technology STATUS: Signed by Governor (12/22/17) – Effective after 90 days
HB176 SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS (Rep. Andrew Thompson) With regard to state achievement assessments, statewide academic content standards and model curricula, and teacher and administrator evaluations
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Bill amended
HB179 IMMIGRATION LAW COMPLIANCE (Rep. Candice Keller) To require state and local authorities to cooperate with the federal government in the enforcement of immigration laws, to prohibit a local government that fails to do so from receiving certain state funds, to provide for the removal of officers of a local government that fails to do so, and to declare an emergency
STATUS: Introduced
HB181 ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT STANDARDS (Rep. Ron Hood, Rep. Tom Brinkman) With regard to the state academic content standards and primary and secondary education assessments
STATUS: Introduced
HB186 COLLEGE TAX DEDUCTION (Rep. John Rogers, Rep. Gary Scherer) To enact the "Blair Deduction" to allow an individual obtaining a postsecondary degree or credential from an eligible educational institution to claim an income tax deduction for qualified higher education expenses
STATUS: Introduced
HB200 OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CREATION (Koehler, K) - To eliminate the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program and Pilot Project Scholarship Program and to create the Opportunity Scholarship Program
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Bill amended
HB217 COLLEGE APPLICATIONS-DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS (Rep. Andrew Brenner) To prohibit institutions of higher education from requiring students to disclose disciplinary actions on their applications for admission
STATUS: Referred to House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee
HB220 NONPUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS (Rep. David Leland) With regard to the use of funds by community schools and nonpublic schools
STATUS: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB224 RE-SERVING SCHOOL LUNCH ITEMS (Rep. Catherine Ingram) To permit districts and schools to re-serve time- and temperature-controlled food items to students if items are unused and returned unopened, undamaged, and in the original packaging
STATUS: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB227 LICENSE PLATE-KENSTON LOCAL SCHOOLS (Rep. Sarah LaTourette) To create the "Kenston Local Schools" license plate
STATUS: House Transportation & Public Safety Committee – Reported out as amended
HB235 EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT PROCEDURE (Rep. Theresa Gavarone) Regarding procedures for approval or disapproval of the state education plan for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Education Committee
HB237 MULTICOUNTY LOCAL ELECTIONS (Rep. Dorothy Pelanda) To require a political subdivision with territory in more than one county that places an issue on the ballot to notify the board of elections of every county in which the political subdivision has territory, to require the Secretary of State to establish a database to facilitate communication between the boards of elections and the Secretary concerning local elections, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB242 SCHOOL RETIREMENT-COST OF LIVING (Rep. Rick Carfagna) Regarding School Employees Retirement System annual cost-of-living adjustments
STATUS: House Aging & Long Term Care Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB246 DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY CLASSROOMS (Rep. John Boccieri, Rep. Jeffrey Rezabek) To require the Ohio School Facilities Commission to provide funding to certain county boards of developmental disabilities to assist in the acquisition of classroom facilities
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Substitute bill
HB262 INDEPENDENT BUDGET PROCESS (Rep. James Butler, Jr., Rep. Mark Romanchuk) To provide for the preparation of a state biennial budget independent of that submitted by the Governor and to authorize the Legislative Service Commission, upon the request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President of the Senate, to arrange for an independent actuarial review of a proposed bill, specified analyses of economic policy initiatives and state benchmarking data, and a study of the state's long-range financial outlook
STATUS: Referred to House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee
HB298 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE SICK DAYS (Rep. Derek Merrin) To make changes with respect to the number of sick days provided to public employees
STATUS: Introduced
HB312 LOCAL GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARDS (Rep. Kirk Schuring, Rep. Dave Greenspan) Regarding use of credit cards and debit cards by political subdivisions
STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
HB318 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER DEFINITION (Rep. John Patterson, Rep. Sarah LaTourette) To define the necessary qualifications and responsibilities of school resource officers
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB322 SCHOOL EMERGENCY PLANS (Rep. Adam Miller, Rep. Bernadine Kent) To revise the law regarding emergency management plans and school safety drills; to require each educational service center to employ an emergency response planner; to make an appropriation; and to declare an emergency
STATUS: House Finance Committee
HB337 TEXTBOOK SALES TAX EXEMPTION (Rep. Mike Duffey) To exempt from sales and use tax textbooks purchased by post-secondary students
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB338 BUS DRIVER MEDICAL EXAMS (Rep. Tim Ginter) Regarding medical examinations for school bus drivers
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Reported out
HB342 LOCAL TAX ISSUES-ELECTION DATES (Rep. Derek Merrin) To permit local tax-related proposals to appear only on general and primary election ballots and not on an August special election ballot and to modify the information conveyed in election notices and ballot language for property tax levies
STATUS: House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB343 PROPERTY VALUE CONTEST-RESOLUTIONS (Rep. Derek Merrin) To require local governments that contest property values to formally pass an authorizing resolution for each contest and to notify property owners
STATUS: House Ways & Means Committee – Reported out
HB360 ANTI-BULLYING AND HAZING (Rep. Dave Greenspan) To enact the "Ohio Anti-Bullying and Hazing Act" with regard to school discipline and bullying and hazing policies at public schools and public colleges
STATUS: House Education & Career Readiness Committee – Substitute bill accepted
HB361 PROPERTY TAX COMPLAINTS TIMEFRAME (Rep. Dave Greenspan) To increase the time within which boards of revision must decide property tax complaints
STATUS: House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee – Bill amended
HB363 CAMPUS FREE SPEECH (Rep. Rick Carfagna, Rep. Andrew Brenner) To enact the "Campus Free Speech Act" with respect to the freedom of speech and assembly at state institutions of higher education and the charging and allocation of student activity fees
STATUS: Referred to House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee
HB369 PER PUPIL FUNDING GUARANTEE (Rep. Martin Sweeney) To prescribe a per pupil funding guarantee for certain school districts and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to House Finance Committee
HB377 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE EDUCATION (Rep. Christina Hagan, Rep. Dan Ramos) 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: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB383 CHILD CARE HEALTH & SAFETY RISKS (Rep. Rick Carfagna) Regarding parental notice of serious risks to the health or safety of children receiving child care
STATUS: House Community & Family Advancement Committee – Reported out
HB396 STEM DEGREE LOAN REPAYMENT (Rep. John Patterson, Rep. Rick Carfagna) To create the STEM Degree Loan Repayment Program and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Finance Committee
HB399 HEALTH INSURANCE SAVINGS INCENTIVES (Rep. Michael Henne, Rep. James Butler, Jr.) To enact the Ohio Right to Shop Act to require health insurers to establish shared savings incentive programs for enrollees
STATUS: Introduced
HB413 PERS ADJUSTMENT-DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES EMPLOYEES (Rep. Gary Scherer) Regarding Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) annual cost-of-living adjustments granted to allowance and benefit recipients and PERS service credit for services as a nonteaching school employee of a county board of developmental disabilities
STATUS: Referred to House Aging & Long Term Care Committee
HB418 SCHOOL RECORDS TRANSFER (Rep. Catherine Ingram) To require a public or chartered nonpublic school to transmit a student's records within five business days when the student transfers to another school
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB426 SCHOOL SEXUAL CONDUCT (Rep. Christina Hagan) To prohibit an employee of a school or institution of higher education who is not in a position of authority from engaging in sexual conduct with certain students
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Criminal Justice Committee
HB428 STUDENT RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES ACT (Rep. Tim Ginter, Rep. Sarah LaTourette) Regarding student religious expression and to entitle the act the "Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2018”
STATUS: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB432 STUDENT LOAN OMBUDSMAN & LICENSURE (Rep. Kristin Boggs, Rep. Brigid Kelly) To require student loan servicers to be licensed by the Division of Financial Institutions and to create the position of student loan ombudsperson in the Division of Financial Institutions to provide assistance to student loan borrowers
STATUS: Introduced
HB438 ESC ANNEXATION (Rep. Steve Hambley, Rep. Darrell Kick) To permit the addition of appointed members to educational service center boards and to permit a local school district to sever its territory from one educational service center and annex that territory to an adjacent service center under specified conditions
STATUS: Introduced
HB442 SCHOOL ATHLETICS-F1 VISA (Rep. Niraj Antani) To authorize any student from a country or province outside the United States who attends an elementary or secondary school in Ohio and holds an F-1 visa to participate in interscholastic athletics at that school on the same basis as Ohio residents
STATUS: Introduced
HB443 MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION (Rep. Martin Sweeney) To require school district boards of education to incorporate mental health instruction into their health education curricula
STATUS: Introduced
HB449 CHARTER SCHOOL SPONSOR RATINGS-UNIVERSITIES (Rep. John Rogers, Rep. John Patterson) To require the Department of Education to attribute any community school sponsor ratings an entity received during its relationship with a state university board of trustees to that entity even if it no longer has a relationship with the university
STATUS: Introduced
HB477 ELIMINATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS (Rep. Kyle Koehler) To eliminate various provisions and programs related to the Department of Education and the operation of primary and secondary schools
STATUS: Referred to House Education & Career Readiness Committee
HB487 RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL-COMMUNITY SCHOOLS (Rep. Catherine Ingram) To eliminate the right of first refusal for community schools, college-preparatory boarding schools, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics schools in the acquisition of school district real property
STATUS: Introduced
HB488 PROPERTY TAX LEVY-BALLOT LANGUAGE (Rep. Ron Hood, Rep. John Becker) To modify the information conveyed in election notices and ballot language for property tax levies
STATUS: Introduced
HB491 SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS-SPECIFIED SERVICES (Rep. Jay Edwards) To require the State Board of Education to issue a substitute license to specified pupil services personnel
STATUS: Introduced
Senate
SB3 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (Sen. Bill Beagle, Sen. Troy Balderson) To revise the laws governing the state's workforce development system, programs that may be offered by primary and secondary schools, certificates of qualification for employment, and the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency, and to designate the first week of May as In-Demand Jobs Week
STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Passed by House, Vote 93-1; Senate concurs, Vote 32-0
SB5 INCREASING INCOME TAX DEDUCTIONS (Sen. Jay Hottinger, Sen. John Eklund) To increase the maximum income tax deduction for contributions to college savings accounts and disability expense savings accounts to $10,000 annually for each beneficiary, to create the Joint Committee on Ohio College Affordability, and to declare an emergency
STATUS: Senate Finance Committee – Reported out as amended; Passed by Senate, Vote 33-0; Emergency clause, Vote 32-1
SB8 SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY (Sen. Randy Gardner, Sen. Louis Terhar) To require the Ohio School Facilities Commission to establish a program assisting school districts in purchasing technology and making physical alterations to improve technology infrastructure and school safety and security
STATUS: Signed by Governor (12/22/17) – Effective after 90 days
SB9 AUGUST TAX HOLIDAY (Sen. Kevin Bacon) To provide for a three-day sales tax "holiday" in August 2017 during which sales of clothing and school supplies are exempt from sales and use taxes
STATUS: Signed by Governor – Effective immediately
SB15 COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS (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: Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB17 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND ALLOCATION (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 General Revenue Fund each month
STATUS: Senate Finance Committee
SB34 SCHOOL YEARS (Sen. Gayle Manning) To generally require public and chartered nonpublic schools to open for instruction after Labor Day
STATUS: Introduced
SB39 COMMUNITY SCHOOL OPERATION (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) Regarding community school operator contracts, the operation of Internet- and computer-based community schools, and performance metrics for blended learning schools
STATUS: Introduced
SB39 COMMUNITY SCHOOL OPERATION (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) Regarding community school operator contracts, the operation of Internet- and computer-based community schools, and performance metrics for blended learning schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB54 SUMMER FOOD PROGRAMS (Sen. Edna Brown, Sen. Peggy Lehner) To require school districts to allow approved summer food service program sponsors to use school facilities to provide food service for summer intervention services under certain conditions
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB72 PREVAILING WAGE LAW (Sen. Matt Huffman) To allow political subdivisions, special districts, and state institutions of higher education to elect to apply the Prevailing Wage Law to public improvement projects
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB82 SCHOOL ABSENCES-PARENTAL NOTIFICATION (Sen. Sandra Williams, Sen. Peggy Lehner) To require a public school to place a telephone call within one hour of the start of the school day to a parent whose child is absent without legitimate excuse
STATUS: Senate Education Committee – Substitute bill accepted
SB85 OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CREATION (Sen. Matt Huffman) To eliminate the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program and Pilot Project Scholarship Program and to create the Opportunity Scholarship Program
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB88 SUBDIVISION COMMISSIONS-FISCAL EMERGENCY (Sen. Louis Terhar) To modify the composition and powers of the financial planning and supervision commission of a political subdivision that is in a state of fiscal emergency and to clarify the duties of that political subdivision
STATUS: Passed by Senate, Vote 33-0
SB97 REGIONAL STUDY COMMITTEE CREATION (Sen. Frank LaRose, Sen. Kenny Yuko) To establish a Regional Economic Development Alliance Study Committee to study the benefits and challenges involved in creating regional economic development alliances
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB104 PROHIBIT SECLUSION USE-SCHOOLS (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To prohibit the use of seclusion on students in public schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB105 MONTH DESIGNATION-OHIO PRINCIPALS (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To designate the month of October as "Ohio Principals Month”
STATUS: Passed by Senate, Vote 31-0
SB111 SCHOOL ZONE SIGN LIGHTS (Sen. Charleta Tavares) To require school zones to be indicated by signs equipped with flashing or other lights or that indicate the times during which the restrictive speed limit is enforced, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB123 PROPERTY TAX COMPLAINT PROCESS (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
SB124 COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY GRANTS (Sen. Sandra Williams) To qualify students in noncredit community college and career and technical programs for Ohio College Opportunity Grants and to require the awarding of academic credit for community colleges’ career certification programs
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Higher Education Subcommittee
SB133 STUDENT DISCIPLINE-VIOLENT BEHAVIOR (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 and to require the Department of Education to submit a one-time report to the General Assembly regarding that information
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB140 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP GRANTS (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) To create the Public-Private Partnership Grant Program for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 to develop, enhance, and promote educational programs to address regional workforce needs; to create the Sector Partnership Grant Program for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 to identify and provide grants to industry partnerships; to support programs that improve access to workforce training opportunities for students; to support economic development and revitalization programs; and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Introduced
SB149 ELECTION POLLING PLACES-SCHOOLS (Sen. Frank LaRose) Regarding the use of a school district building as a polling place for elections
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB151 SCHOOL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ADJUSTMENTS (Sen. Cliff Hite) To permit, rather than require, the School Employees Retirement System to grant annual cost-of-living adjustments to retirement, disability, and survivor benefit recipients and to reduce the maximum amount of the adjustment
STATUS: Referred to Senate Insurance & Financial Institutions Committee
SB172 HUNGER-FREE STUDENTS RIGHTS (Sen. Kenny Yuko) To establish the Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act to require schools to provide certain services to students who are eligible for free or reduced price meals
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB175 RECOVERED FUNDS-SCHOOL AUDIT (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) Regarding public moneys returned to the state as a result of a finding for recovery issued pursuant to an audit of a community school.
STATUS: Referred to Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee
SB191 ESTABLISH SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) To establish the Breakfast After The Bell Program for public schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB196 AGGRAVATED BULLYING-OFFENSE CREATION (Sen. Sandra Williams, Sen. Edna Brown) To create the offense of aggravated bullying, a third-degree misdemeanor
STATUS: Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
SB197 SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES (Sen. Sandra Williams, Sen. Edna Brown) To require a tiered disciplinary procedure for harassment, intimidation, or bullying in school; to require annual student instruction about preventing such acts; and to create the offense of aggravated bullying as a third-degree misdemeanor
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB199 OHIO BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS (Sen. Joe Schiavoni, Sen. Cliff Hite) To create the Ohio Broadband Development Grant Program and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Introduced
SB203 MUNICIPAL TAX RULE REINSTATEMENT (Sen. Matt Dolan) To reinstate the municipal income tax "throw-back rule" used in apportioning business income among municipalities
STATUS: Introduced
SB209 PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS-TIF (Sen. William Coley, Sen. John Eklund) To modify the conditions that determine the relative priority of property tax exemptions when a parcel subject to a tax increment financing arrangement concurrently qualifies for another exemption
STATUS: Referred to Senate Ways & Means Committee
SB213 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUNDING PLAN (Sen. Joe Schiavoni) To enhance economic and employment opportunities and improve local infrastructure in Ohio by providing additional assistance to workforce development and employment programs; establishing a revolving loan program for small businesses seeking to expand operations; extending job tax credits to smaller businesses; enabling expanded participation in public sector contracting by smaller companies; enhancing support for childcare centers; funding additional local infrastructure and public transit; authorizing tax incentives for hiring military veterans, for donating money to local programs assisting distressed communities, or for improving distressed property; exempting the homes of disabled veterans from property taxation; terminating the income tax deduction and reduced tax rate for business income; and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB216 PUBLIC SCHOOL DEREGULATION ACT (Sen. Matt Huffman) To enact the "Ohio Public School Deregulation Act" regarding the administration of preschool and primary and secondary education programs
STATUS: Senate Education Committee – Bill amended
SB226 PERMANENT SALES TAX HOLIDAY (Sen. Kevin Bacon) To provide for a permanent three-day sales tax "holiday" each August during which sales of clothing and school supplies are exempt from sales and use tax
STATUS: Passed by Senate, Vote 31-0
SB239 REGIONAL COUNCILS OF GOVERNMENTS (Sen. Matt Dolan) To modify the law concerning regional councils of governments
STATUS: Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee – Substitute bill accepted
SB240 REGARDING TEACHER EVALUATIONS (Sen. Peggy Lehner) With regard to teacher evaluations
STATUS: Introduced
SB241 ACCREDITED NONPUBLIC SCHOOL CATEGORY (Sen. Louis Terhar, Sen. Cecil Thomas) To establish a category of nonpublic schools called "accredited nonpublic schools" and to prescribe requirements and exemptions for such schools
STATUS: Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB246 STUDENT SAFETY ACT (Sen. Peggy Lehner, Sen. Gayle Manning) To enact the "SAFE Act" to revise the procedures for emergency removal of a student, to prohibit certain suspensions and expulsions of students in grades prekindergarten through three, to require each public school to implement a positive behavior intervention and supports framework in accordance with state standards, and to make an appropriation
STATUS: Referred to Senate Finance Committee
Ohio Department of Education/State Board of Education
ODE Looking for More Summer Feeding Sites Hannah
Though participation is up 10 percent in the past few years, summer feeding programs still aren't reaching all the families in need, says the Ohio Department of Education, which is looking for more organizations willing to host free meals for students. “The need for healthy meals doesn’t stop when school breaks for the summer," said Superintendent Paolo DeMaria. "The Summer Food Service Program helps provide children with nourishment to make sure summer can be a time for continued learning and fun. Instead of worrying about where their next meals will come from, our students can enjoy activities like reading, sports, playing outdoors and the growing that happens during the summer months."
Mentorship Grants Available from ODE Again Hannah
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) opened the application period this week for Community Connectors, the mentorship program created by the Kasich administration. In this fourth round of grants, $8 million is available to be distributed in grant amounts of up to $150,000 per project. The state provides a $3 match for every $1 provided by local applicants. Nonprofits, houses of worship and faith- or values-based organizations are eligible to be lead applicants in the program, which is meant to join the nonprofit, faith, business and education sectors.
Student Support
Cutting-edge research to support students with reading disabilities eSchoolNews.com
Current approaches to identifying students with reading disabilities are often problematic and ineffective, and will not lead students to academic success. However, there have been significant improvements in identification and screening that are allowing us to provide greater—and earlier—support. In “Cutting-Edge Research to Empower Schools to Support Students with Reading Disabilities,” Rick Wagner, associate director for the Florida Center for Reading Research, discussed problems with current methods and how to better help students with these disabilities.
Kent State getting close to launching esports program; one of its campuses recruiting for varsity team Akron Beacon Journal
Kent State University plans to soon reveal details of an esports program involving its eight campuses.“Esports, in kind of an unorganized way, has been happening on all of our campuses for a number of years,” with student video gamers organizing groups, said Tim Pagliari, a KSU project director whose duties involve all of Kent’s campuses. Participation in esports (electronic sports), he said, has more or less “been in the underground. “The goal, Pagliari said, is to “bring it into the mainstream and be able to have our students participating in a community and represent their school in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
The Impact of Parents' Education Levels Inside Higher Ed
A study of first-generation college students published today by the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics shows that children of college-educated parents are much more likely to pursue and complete an undergraduate degree than are young people whose parents did not attend college. However, the gap closed significantly upon completion of a bachelor's degree, and the two groups' employment status, salary amounts and rates of enrollment in a master's degree were nearly the same.
College and Career Readiness
The 9th Graders of 2009, 7 Years Later Inside Higher Ed
Nearly three-quarters of ninth graders tracked in a major federal study had received some kind of postsecondary education or training within seven years -- and nearly a quarter of them had left their programs without a credential of any sort. Of the 28 percent of respondents to the survey who were ninth graders in 2009 but had not enrolled in any postsecondary program by February 2016, more than four in 10 cited financial factors as the reason, and roughly the same proportion earned $10,000 or less in 2015.
Walsh University to unveil $11.4M Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center Cleveland Plain Dealer
Walsh University is inviting community members to see its newest academic building, the Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center, at an open house on Friday, Feb. 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The $11.4 million, 44,000 square-foot building was designed to provide spaces where students of all disciplines can learn. The building features complete wireless connectivity, collaborative classrooms, a new chapel, a cafe and digital labs designed to support academic programs such as computer engineering, digital media, graphic design and video production.
Department of Higher Education Receives $2.1M 'Strong Start to Finish' Grant Hannah
The Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), working in partnership with the Inter-University Council and the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, has been selected to receive a $2.1 million grant from Strong Start to Finish (SSTF) aimed at getting students on successful pathways to college completion while also addressing attainment gaps for historically underserved populations. ODHE is one of only four entities in the country selected to receive a $2.1 million grant, which will be paid over three years. Strong Start to Finish received 47 letters of interest in the grant opportunity. ODHE’s application was chosen for its exemplary “use of evidence-based practice and commitment to achieve greater equity,” according to SSTF.
These States Offer Tuition-Free College Programs US News
West Virginia is the latest state to consider offering free community college. Lawmakers passed legislation on Jan. 30 that proposes the WV Invests Grant, a program that provides tuition-free college at the two-year level to in-state residents. One catch: Graduates have to reside in state for two years after completing their degree or certification. But tuition-free programs in other states have similar requirements. The Arkansas Future Grant, which focuses on high-demand fields, requires graduates to remain in state two years after completing their qualifications, as an example.
Northeast Ohio Schools
Cuyahoga County
Bay Village Schools approves 2018-19 school calendar, earlier start Westlake Bay Village Observer
Eight looks great for the Westshore Young Leaders Network Westlake Bay Village Observer
Brooklyn city leaders discussing cost-saving idea to merge athletic fields Cleveland.com
Valley Forge and Parma Senior high school students redo Parma Area Family Collaborative room Cleveland.com
Lorain County
Lorain NAACP honors Jeff Pye, a local teacher, artist The Morning Journal
Lorain schools CEO: High school could be re-envisioned The Morning Journal
Search is down to the two final candidates for North Ridgeville Schools superintendent; public invited to meet them Feb. 5 and 6 Cleveland.Com
Lorain exhibit to celebrate art of African Americans who have changed history The Morning Journal
Students encouraged to be future innovators at LCCC The Morning Journal
Area students, teachers brainstorm STEM The Chronicle
Summit County
Akron teacher seeks mirrors to line school walls, help students see themselves in positive light Akron Beacon Journal
First Green Primary Sweetheart Dance a success Suburbanite