Week in Review – 10/05/2018

Week in Review > Week in Review – 10/05/2018

Posted by BASA on October 05th, 2018

AGING

Starting on Saturday, Sept. 29, Ohio law greatly expanded the number of individuals required to report suspicions of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Mandatory reporters now include many more individuals in the financial services, legal, and medical professions — for example, pharmacists, dialysis technicians, firefighters, first responders, building inspectors, CPAs, real estate agents, bank employees, financial planners, and notary publics.

FY18-19 BUDGET

State tax revenues are on target through the first quarter of FY19, according to preliminary figures from the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), as tax revenue edged slightly past forecasts in September.

EDUCATION

With a pilot of new teacher evaluation requirements set for next year and a statewide rollout the year after, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is seeking educational service centers and districts to develop prototypes starting this winter.

After several months without convening a meeting, the Gifted Advisory Council gathered at the Ohio Department of Education Wednesday to get updates from administrators on a variety of topics including the adopted five-year strategic plan for education, the common assessments used for identifying gifted students, professional development, and more.

ELECTIONS 2018

Secretary of State Jon Husted issued a reminder Tuesday that the deadline to register to vote in the 2018 General Election is next Tuesday, Oct. 9. All voters may begin voting on Wednesday,

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS

The Ohio Association of Realtors reports August home sales of 151,360 were essentially even with figures a year earlier, topping by one-tenth percent the best-ever sales numbers for that month recorded in 2017, 151,136. Sales were down from month to month, dropping 0.5 percent from July’s 152,091. The average sales price of $188,898 represents a 5.6 percent increase from the average of$178,836 seen in August 2017.

POVERTY

A recent report from the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) detailed thehistory and structure of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) andidentified a current surplus of $521.8 million in the program’s coffers, whileat the same time, the center noted, fewer poor Ohioans are receiving cashassistance under the program. Ohio Works First (OWF) is the cash assistanceprogram for families with children that earn less than 50 percent of thefederal poverty level, and it is a “core program” funded under TANF.Program participants must complete 30 hours of work per week to be eligible,which can include employment, volunteering or community service, vocationaltraining and some education options. The average monthly OWF cash benefit is$203.58 per person.