House Bill 512: Lawmakers React To ECOT Closure With Proposal to Slash School Board Authority
Background
For education watchers, it’s impossible not to view the new proposal from legislative leaders to dramatically change how education agencies are overseen outside of the context of state legislators’ anger at the Ohio Department of Education for holding the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) for misspending taxpayer funds. As recently as Feb. 12 – weeks after ECOT closed – the State Board of Education voted unanimously to continue pursing over $80 million the online charter school owes Ohio taxpayers. Now, just as then-House Speaker Jon Husted led an effort to kill the Legislative Office of Education Oversight in 2005 in response to the office raising concerns about charters, legislative leaders are attempting to undercut the authority of the state Department of Education for taking on the charter school industry. With the introduction of House Bill 512, legislative leaders propose to remove all but figurehead power from the mostly-elected State Board of Education and shift it to the Governor and an appointed bureaucrat. Here’s how they are doing it.Power Shift to Governor’s Office
According to the Legislative Service Commission’s analysis of the 2,430-page bill, “the State Board, Superintendent, and Department of Education continue to exist, but”… “most of their current powers and duties are transferred to the Department of Learning and Achievement or, where applicable, to the Director of Learning and Achievement.” This new department (DLA) will swallow up the current Board of Regents, which oversees Ohio’s higher education system, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, as well as nearly all the important functions of the Ohio Department of Education. The Director of the DLA, to be appointed by the Governor, would oversee all those functions in a huge new bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the mostly-elected State Board of Education would be essentially neutered of all real authority over the state’s K-12 education policy, as it is left to oversee what functions remain at the existing Department of Education.Charter School Accountability
As noted earlier, many legislative leaders have been critical of the Ohio Department of Education (ODE)’s efforts to recover upwards of $80 million from ECOT for the school’s overbilling of taxpayers, including House Education Chair Andrew Brenner, himself a co-sponsor of HB 512 and a major recipient of campaign funding from ECOT founder William Lager. Brenner’s campaign has taken in more than $25,000 from Lager just since 2015. Under HB 512, ODE could continue to sponsor charter schools, but the office of oversight would be established by the new Department of Learning and Achievement. Curiously, the authority to sponsor charter schools remains at ODE under the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s aegis. This odd arrangement seems to allow the Governor-appointed DLA to pass off any accountability to the Superintendent, potentially shielding the Governor from scrutiny on this issue that has rocked Ohio’s education policy world over the last several years. In addition, under the bill, the Superintendent still technically retains the ability to keep schools from hopping from one sponsor to another – a tactic many poor performing charters have used over the years to dodge scrutiny and continue collected millions in taxpayer funds for substandard performance. However, the DLA would have the first say in whether the school can move sponsors, rendering ODE’s role (and that of the elected State Board that oversees it) merely advisory. The new DLA, and not the Board-accountable Superintendent, would have the ability to close charter schools. And, most importantly, it would be the DLA, and not the Board of Education or Superintendent that would examine a charter school’s attendance and participation records. This provision is the heart of HB 512’s apparent punishment of the current Department’s scrutiny of online charter school attendance and performance records.Turns the Elected State Board of Education into the equivalent of the State Barber Board and makes a Governor’s appointee the state’s Education Overlord
Since the 1950s, the Ohio Board of Education has been the elected, independent voice for students and parents in state government. They have established state report cards, learning standards and oversight of nearly all aspects of Ohio’s K-12 educational system. Under this bill, about all the State Board would do would be to oversee teacher licensing and a minor, mostly rubber-stamping ability to oversee some charter school accountability – just enough to assume blame if anything bad were to happen. Meanwhile, the new, immensely powerful Director of the DLA would set policy, standards and oversight of the state’s $12 billion a year K-12 education system. Putting that much power and authority under an unelected political appointee reporting to the Governor is greatly concerning for the development of sound, student-centered policy making and opens the door to even more political shenanigans with our children’s education system.New Bill Would Make Paid Leave Reality for Working Ohioans
Guest Post by State Representative Kristin Boggs
February 5 was the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a good first step in providing some workers the ability to take twelve weeks off to care for a new child, ill family member, or tend to personal health issue. Unfortunately, FMLA doesn’t cover all workers, and even those covered cannot always afford to take unpaid leave. No one should have to choose between taking care of a loved one and their financial security. It is time Ohio adopted a Paid Family Leave Insurance Program, which would guarantee workers some pay when they need time to care for a new child, ill family member, or tend to a personal health issue. This bill will allow all Ohio workers to pay into the Paid Family Leave Fund, and they will be eligible for benefits after working 680 hours over a year. Workers that do not wish to participate can simply opt out. Premiums for workers are expected to be $1-$2 per week. Having access to paid leave supports our families, our business community, and our local economy. Preserving financial stability increases positive health outcomes for children, and reduces the need for other types of public assistance. It increases workforce participation by preventing turnover, and encourages worker engagement. By adopting a state wide paid family leave policy, we will be sending a message across the country that Ohio is a place where you can work and take care of your family. It gives our young workforce a reason to stay in Ohio to raise their families, and it gives our business community another tool to recruit talent away from other states. Our businesses, our local economy, and millions of Ohio families’ financial security depends on it. Thanks Kristin!How you can help make paid leave a reality in Ohio:
- Use our simple email tool to contact your State Representatives and urge them to co-sponsor Representative Boggs and Boyd’s Ohio Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program legislation.
- And visit our Paid Leave website for more information about the issue and how to become a paid leave advocate.
Statehouse Preview: Week of Feb. 19
Bill to Reform Ohio’s Child Marriage Laws Gets First Hearing; Legislation to Deter Cities’ Use of Traffic Cameras Set for Vote
Legislation Would Raise the Age of Marriage in Ohio to 18 in Most Cases
SB 198 – a bill amending Ohio’s child marriage laws – is set for a first hearing this week in Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 20th @ 10:15 AM in the North Hearing Rm. This bill would raise the legal age for marriage without going through a rigid approval process to 18. Currently, the legal marriage age in Ohio without parental consent is age 16 for females and age 18 for males. SB 198 eliminates this discrepancy and requires juveniles aged 16 to 17 to seek both judicial and adult permission to marry. This bill would also eliminate unconstitutional statutory language banning same-sex marriages from the Ohio Revised Code.Using Traffic Cameras Would Cause Cities to Forfeit State Funding Under Seitz bill
HB 410 is set for a vote out of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee tomorrow @ 1:00 PM in Rm 114. This bill continues the legislature’s attempts to prohibit municipalities from utilizing traffic cameras as a tool to enforce traffic laws. Past attempts have been struck down in court as a violation of Ohio’s constitutional Home Rule provision. Specifically, among other things, HB 410 would inversely reduce a municipalities’ Local Government Fund share from the state by the amount of fines it collects by the use of traffic cameras.Both Houses Set for Session This Week
Senate Session – Tuesday, February 20th @ 1:30 PM House Session – Wednesday, February 21st @ 1:30 PMAs ECOT Case Goes to the Supreme Court, Here’s a Primer.
The bipartisan Congressional redistricting proposal, explained
- Both major parties must be meaningfully engaged in the process.
- Communities should not be needlessly split.
- Rule to prohibit gerrymandering or drawing a congressional map to favor or disfavor one political party.
Here’s how it works:
Stage One: Passage of a map requires a three-fifths vote of both the House and Senate and must include at least 50 percent support of minority party members for adoption of a 10 year map. If agreement isn’t reached, then the bi-partisan Ohio Redistricting Commission is the entity that begins the second phase of the process.
Stage Two: The Ohio Redistricting Commission, an established seven-person bi-partisan commission made up of the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor of State and two representatives from each chamber of the General Assembly, will be empowered to draw districts and must approve a map with at least two minority party votes. If an agreement isn’t reached for adoption of a 10 year map, then the process moves to Stage 3.
Stage Three: The General Assembly could then adopt a 10-year map with a three-fifths vote of both the House and Senate, including one-third of the minority party’s support. This map would be subject to a Gubernatorial veto and a citizen referendum.
Any map drawn with bipartisan support as noted above would require some limitations on county splits. It would prohibit 65 counties from being split, 18 counties from being split no more than once, and five counties being split no more than twice.
The legislation also requires two public hearings on a proposed map, and allows for public submission of maps for consideration by the map drawing authority. This is significant because it strengthens legal and public relations pressure to further deter partisan tendencies of the map-makers.
Stage Four: If a bipartisan map is not achieved and there is an impasse, a simple legislative majority would draw a temporary map for just four years, and strict map-drawing criteria would apply. These criteria would prevent against unduly splitting counties and drawing maps that favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent. As a further check on this process, this four-year map would be subject to a gubernatorial veto and a citizen referendum. The process starts again as this four-year map expires.
While redistricting reform has been at issue in Ohio for decades, the bi-partisan legislative deal was the recent result of months long negotiation and the past two weeks of non-stop dialogue between legislators and reform advocates. Leveraging the pressure of the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition’s efforts to gather over 200,000 signatures, the lead negotiators, made-up of representatives from Common Cause Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Council, Innovation Ohio, League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the NAACP Ohio Chapter worked together closely to reach a deal. Having built a strong table, this close coalition of advocates will stay together to help the Ohio voters understand what is at stake at the ballot box in May to install congressional redistricting reform in Ohio. Coalition partners answered questions from redistricting activists in a live webinar yesterday, a recording of which you can watch online.ECOT Closes. Here is the list of the school’s greatest political patrons
Candidate Name | Lager Total | |
CHERYL L | GROSSMAN | $ 46,310 |
WILLIAM G | BATCHELDER III | $ 45,000 |
MATT | HUFFMAN | $ 45,000 |
BARBARA R | SEARS | $ 40,000 |
STEPHANIE L | KUNZE | $ 33,044 |
JIM | BUCHY | $ 31,544 |
RON | AMSTUTZ | $ 30,000 |
JOHN W | ADAMS | $ 30,000 |
CLIFF | HITE | $ 29,156 |
JON A | HUSTED | $ 27,500 |
KYLE | KOEHLER | $ 27,188 |
CLIFFORD (CLIFF) | ROSENBERGER | $ 24,688 |
BILL | COLEY | $ 22,500 |
LARRY | OBHOF | $ 22,000 |
TED | CELESTE | $ 20,670 |
MATTHEW J | DOLAN | $ 20,000 |
KEITH LLOYD | FABER | $ 19,981 |
DOROTHY K | PELANDA | $ 17,532 |
JOSH | MANDEL | $ 17,500 |
PETER J | STAUTBERG | $ 16,000 |
TOM | NIEHAUS | $ 15,500 |
CHRISTOPHER R | WIDENER | $ 15,500 |
ANDREW O | BRENNER | $ 15,032 |
DAVE | BURKE | $ 15,032 |
GARY W | CATES | $ 15,000 |
TODD A | SNITCHLER | $ 15,000 |
MIKE | DUFFEY | $ 15,000 |
KEVIN | DEWINE | $ 15,000 |
ARMOND | BUDISH | $ 15,000 |
SHANNON | JONES | $ 14,000 |
MIKE | DEWINE | $ 12,532 |
J KIRK | SCHURING | $ 12,532 |
JIM | HUGHES | $ 12,500 |
MARY | TAYLOR | $ 12,500 |
JAY P | GOYAL | $ 12,500 |
TIM | GINTER | $ 12,156 |
JEFFERY S | REZABEK | $ 12,156 |
RYAN | SMITH | $ 12,156 |
BILL | REINEKE | $ 12,156 |
MICHAEL D (MIKE) | DOVILLA | $ 12,156 |
SCOTT | OELSLAGER | $ 11,500 |
DAVID A | YOST | $ 11,395 |
THOMAS F | PATTON | $ 11,032 |
JIM | CARMICHAEL | $ 11,000 |
MATT | CARLE | $ 11,000 |
ANTHONY | DEVITIS | $ 10,500 |
TROY | BALDERSON | $ 10,000 |
THOMAS | COUSINEAU | $ 10,000 |
DEBORAH OWENS | FINK | $ 10,000 |
MARK | WAGONER | $ 10,000 |
JEFFREY A | MCCLAIN | $ 10,000 |
WILLIAM J (BILL) | SEITZ | $ 10,000 |
LARRY L | FLOWERS | $ 10,000 |
JAY | HOTTINGER | $ 10,000 |
MICHAEL | KEENAN | $ 10,000 |
FRANK | LAROSE | $ 8,000 |
RANDALL | GARDNER | $ 7,750 |
BOB | PETERSON | $ 7,500 |
THOMAS | RAGA | $ 7,500 |
JIM & JOY PADGETT | PETRO | $ 7,500 |
CHARLES | CALVERT | $ 6,000 |
TIMOTHY S | DERICKSON | $ 6,000 |
MARK J | ROMANCHUK | $ 5,500 |
TODD M | MCKENNEY | $ 5,000 |
LYNN R | WACHTMANN | $ 5,000 |
GERALD L | STEBELTON | $ 5,000 |
TONY | BURKLEY | $ 5,000 |
JEFF | KRABILL | $ 5,000 |
TERRY A | JOHNSON | $ 5,000 |
DOUG | GREEN | $ 5,000 |
SARAH M | LATOURETTE | $ 5,000 |
BRIAN D | HILL | $ 5,000 |
LOUIS W | BLESSING JR | $ 5,000 |
TIM W | BROWN | $ 5,000 |
MATTHEW A | SZOLLOSI | $ 5,000 |
ROBERT TAFT & JENNETTE B BRADLEY | $ 5,000 | |
JAMES L | BUTLER JR | $ 5,000 |
Redistricting Update
- Senate Govt. Oversight & Reform: Tues. 2:30 p.m., Senate Finance Hearing Rm
- Senate Govt. Oversight & Reform: Weds. 9:45 a.m., Senate Finance Hearing Rm
- House Govt. Accountability & Oversight: Wed 1:45pm: Statehouse Room 313
- House Govt. Accountability & Oversight: Thurs, 9:30am: Statehouse Room 114
Want to be a Highly Rated Ohio Charter School Authorizer? Here’s How.
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