Week in Review 10-13-25

Week in Review > Week in Review 10-13-25

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on October 12th, 2025

FY26-27 BUDGET

The state collected nearly $240 million more than expected in September thanks to over-estimate performance in all three major tax sources, according to preliminary data from the Office of Budget and Management (OBM). Total tax collections reached $2.24 billion in September, 12 percent more than expected. For FY26 so far, collections are ahead by $291.9 million or 4.3 percent. The sales tax brought in $82 million or 9.7 percent more than expected. Within that total, the non-auto sales tax beat estimates by $64.5 million or 9.2 percent, while the auto sales tax was up $18.3 million or 11.8 percent. Income taxes beat forecasts by $117.1 million or 11.4 percent.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Even as Gov. Mike DeWine recently touted the Child Care Cred Program included in operating budget HB96 (Stewart) as a way to make child care more affordable for Ohio’s working families, a large majority of Ohio voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford quality child care is either in a “state of crisis” or a “major problem,” according to a recent survey from Groundwork Ohio. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed reflect the above sentiments, according to the survey conducted from Sept. 8-13, 2025, notably before DeWine’s recent announcement about the Child Care Cred Program. According to Groundwork Ohio, more than one-third (34 percent) of Ohioans say they or someone they know would consider entering the workforce if quality child care were available. Among Ohio parents who don’t work, 56 percent would consider entering the workforce if quality child care were available.

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) Monday cleared all of the rules on its regular and no change agenda, including new rules from the Department of Children and Youth addressing payment rates to certain child care providers that opponents say will lead to the closure of child care facilities. According to the CEO Project, a statewide network of more than 300 child care providers that testified in opposition, biennial budget HB96 (Stewart) was amended by the conference committee to change payment rates and procedures for Type A providers, which are larger, center-based settings, and Type B providers, which are single, in-home care providers. Ohio law had allowed a Type A center to be inside a home, and many home-based providers had hired more staff and grown their client base. The budget change eliminated the way a Type A provider is paid, so many of the larger, home-based care facilities that were considered centers will now be reimbursed at the Type B provider rates under the change. CEO Project explained that the change will mean either larger providers will go out of business or have to cut the number of children they care for.

EDUCATION

Eligible entities can now apply for funding through the Ohio School Bus Safety Grant Program, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) Director Stephen Dackin announced Friday. With a total funding amount of $10 million, the program will provide competitive grants to eligible applicants for the repair, replacement or addition of authorized school bus safety features to school buses in active service or for safety enhancements to the purchase of a new school bus. The money was included in the operating budget, HB96 (Stewart).

The 10th District Court of Appeals won’t stop a trial court from moving to freeze the assets of William Lager, the founder of the defunct Electronic Classroom of the Future (ECOT), once Ohio’s largest online charter school. Judges Michael Mentel, Shawn Dingus and Laurel Beatty Blunt denied a motion Lager filed to stay the order from Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Cocroft authorizing an asset freeze. ECOT closed several years ago after the state began withholding per-student funding because reviews found it could not substantiate large swaths of its enrollment. The school challenged the state’s use of student log-in data for the enrollment reviews in a legal battle that ultimately rose to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the state prevailed.

Providing adequate education to an economically disadvantaged student costs thousands more per year than the state K-12 formula provides, according to a recently completed research study mandated in the prior biennial budget bill, 135-HB33 (Edwards). DEW commissioned American Institutes for Research (AIR) to study, per HB33, “the needs of Ohio’s economically disadvantaged students, the most effective services for meeting these needs and the cost of implementing those services using Ohio cost data, including all current expenditures and inputs supporting economically disadvantaged students.” The law also called for the study to address how to determine student eligibility for services. “Our analyses indicate that Ohio is not currently funding economically disadvantaged students at an adequate level to meet the state’s education objectives. Analysis of data collected … indicates that to meet target outcomes in 2023-2024, Ohio would need to invest an additional $3,294 per economically disadvantaged student,” the report states.

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are expanding rapidly throughout Ohio, with this summer’s operating budget HB96 (Stewart) dedicating $10 million in both FY26 and FY27 for the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and DEW to collaborate in supporting SBHCs in high-need counties. As the number of SBHCs in Ohio continues to grow, leaders gathered at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) Summit in Columbus on Thursday to assess how the state’s SBHCs might grow stronger even as their numbers get larger. According to the Ohio School-Based Health Alliance (OSHBA), in the 2023-2024 school year alone, SBHCs served over 50,000 children ages 0-18 over the course of more than 159,000 visits, including over 20,000 well-child visits and over 21,000 depression screenings.

ELECTIONS

Secretary of State Frank LaRose Monday announced the launch of a new data dashboard that will allow for better analysis of state voter registration information. The dashboard, found HERE, gives the public the ability to view voter registration numbers down to the precinct level, partisan affiliation, demographic information and more. According to the data, as of Monday, there are nearly 7.9 million registered voters in Ohio, out of an estimated 8.9 million Ohioans eligible to vote. There are 218,816 new registrations in 2025. The average age of registered voters is 51, though 38 is the average age of voters who registered this year. About 19 percent of voters are registered as Republicans, 10 percent are registered as Democrats, and 71 percent are unaffiliated.

ELECTIONS 2025

Tuesday marked the first day for early in-person and absentee voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 4, General Election. While there are no statewide issues or races on the ballot, there are a number of municipal elections and local ballot issues up for consideration. Early in-person voting hours are as follows:

– Tuesday, Oct. 7-Friday, Oct. 10: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Tuesday. Oct 14-Friday, Oct. 27: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are no early voting hours on Monday, Oct. 13, due to the observance of Columbus Day.

– Monday, Oct. 20-Friday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Monday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 29-Friday, Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

– Tuesday, Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

– Saturday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

– Sunday, Nov. 2: 1-5 p.m.

Absentee ballot applications must be received by boards of elections by Tuesday, Oct. 28, by 8:30 p.m. Returned absentee ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 3.

ELECTIONS 2026

A super PAC supporting Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign has spent nearly $4.4 million on advertisements this cycle, according to data provided by national ad tracking and analytics company AdImpact. The vast majority of the spending by the organization, “V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims,” took place between the weeks of March 4 and April 1. The advertisements highlighted President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Ramaswamy, which occurred shortly after the conservative biotech entrepreneur and author announced his candidacy for governor. V-PAC has spent the most advertising money in the Cleveland-Akron designated market area (DMA), dropping more than $1.3 million on Internet-connected TV ($686,000), broadcast TV ($537,000) and cable TV ($113,00).

Term-limited Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) announced Tuesday he will run for the 52nd House District in 2026, seeking his former seat that is now currently occupied by his mother, Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), who is also term-limited. Manning represented portions of the district in the Ohio House from 2015-2018 before moving to the Senate. Previously, he served as North Ridgeville prosecutor and owns the law firm Manning Law, LLC. He graduated from North Ridgeville High School and received his bachelor’s degree from Denison University and his law degree from Capital University Law School.

Former Franklin County Common Pleas and U.S. Immigration Judge Colleen O’Donnell Tuesday affirmed her candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2026. In her announcement, she said Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones will serve as her campaign committee chairman. She said her campaign will focus on ensuring that the law — not politics — guides Ohio’s highest court. “I’ve seen firsthand the kind of damage lawlessness can do,” O’Donnell said. “But thanks to President Trump, there’s a new energy coming out of Washington, D.C. Law and order are back in style.” She said she credits her time as an immigration judge in Laredo, TX, as shaping her deepest convictions about public service and law and order.

Conservative Republican and Gov. Mike DeWine’s Chief Legal Counsel Matt Donahue announced he is running for the Fifth District Court of Appeals. Donahue, a former assistant prosecutor in Meigs County and former section chief in the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section, said in his announcement that he has prosecuted or supervised cases across 55 Ohio counties, targeting killers, drug dealers, sex offenders, and corrupt officials. His work has included death penalty cases, high-profile public corruption cases, and the Pike County murder cases, alongside pioneering strategies to combat synthetic drugs like K2 and bath salts.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

In addition to the legislation dealing with property taxes HB129 (D. Thomas) which passed 81-16 and HB309 (D. Thomas) which deals with county budget commissions which passed 77-19, the House Wednesday passed the following bills:

– HB170 (Blasdel-Patterson) establishing a state process to regulate carbon capture and storage technology, by a vote of 93-4.

– HB229 (Deeter), which would create a standalone PBM licensing system through the Department of Insurance and allow the superintendent of insurance to audit PBMs and enforce compliance with Ohio laws. It passed 97-0.

– HB260 (Odioso-A. Mathews), updating the state’s courts and court procedures, by a unanimous vote.

– HB316 (LaRe) designating a portion of Chillicothe Lancaster Road in Fairfield County as the “MSGT Norman Michael Kilbarger Memorial Highway,” by a unanimous vote.

– HB434 (Willis-Lampton), which would exempt certain military related limited term driver’s license applicants from the state’s driver’s education requirements, passed 96-0. An emergency clause was also adopted unanimously.

– HCR21 (Schmidt), recognizing the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

– HCR22 (Roemer-Daniels), to encourage students grades 1-12 to read the U.S. Declaration of Independence in the classroom during the 2025-2026 school year in celebration of its 250th anniversary.

– HCR23 (Newman-T. Mathews) to recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and the United States Army Chaplain Corps.

The House Wednesday paid tribute to the late Rep. Jack Cera, passing HR234 in his memory. Cera died earlier this year at the age of 69 after a more than two year battle with cancer. He served in the House from 1983 to 1996 and again from 2011 to 2020. His family was in attendance for Wednesday’s session to receive the resolution. Rep. Dan Troy (D-Willowick) noted he came into the Legislature in 1983 with Cera. “They say you make lifelong friends in this General Assembly and I don’t think I had a better one than Jack,” Troy said, getting choked up at one point. Tributes were also paid by Reps. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) and Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), who succeeded Cera.

The brevity of Senate session Wednesday belied the importance of two bills addressing mind-altering substances, one legal and one illegal. Members passed SB55 (Manning) to improve detection of marijuana OVI and SB137 (Johnson) to provide all Ohio hospitals overdose reversal kits for patients battling opioid addiction. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nathan Manning (R-N. Ridgeville) said Ohio OVI laws currently test inactive THC metabolites that may reflect marijuana use within the last 24 hours, week or even month and not necessarily impairment. SB55 passed 28-0. Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) turned to SB137, which he described as his latest bill addressing opioids and other addictive drugs. He said providing Ohio hospitals naloxone overdose reversal kits free of charge from the newly renamed Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is a “gateway to recovery” for patients who may or may not have presented themselves for opioid treatment. They also would receive information on local services including peer counseling and harm reduction strategies. The bill passed. 28-0.

The Senate also passed HB171 (Johnson) to name a section of State Route 28 in Clermont County the “Capt. Louis John Speidel Memorial Highway” and SB189 (Craig) to create the COSI license plate.

Speaker of the House Matt Huffman (R-Lima) spoke Wednesday on HB186 (Hoops-D. Thomas), legislation to limit school district property tax increases which was amended but not reported out of House Ways and Means Committee. He said the chamber will look to pass the bill before the end of October. He also dismissed arguments that passage of the bill will require districts to lay off teachers and potentially send some schools into fiscal emergency. He said that argument is “always made” and the Legislature’s job is to make “good policy for the whole state,” which can mean being “dispassionate” about it. Huffman also reiterated that “something” needs to be done on property taxes and said districts will be seeing “a deduction from a huge increase in funding.”

Huffman also addressed the ongoing federal government shutdown, noting that could make it difficult to get a last-minute passport renewal, and that he’d been told by the Northern District of Ohio — where he practices — that at some point they’ll stop federal court operations, which would affect litigants and attorneys. He also said he hadn’t seen any effects of the shutdown on state operations. Asked about reporting that the Trump administration is seeking more federal law enforcement office space in Columbus and 19 other cities around the country — many of which have Democratic mayors — Huffman said he wasn’t familiar with that topic. He detailed how immigration is specifically within “the realm of the federal government” and if they say they need more space, they should have it. Huffman compared it to the Ohio State Highway Patrol receiving the authority to write speeding tickets in municipalities and how they can respond to emergencies as well.

House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) renewed his criticisms on the current state of the congressional redistricting process while speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s Rules and Reference hearing, saying the Ohio Constitution says the governor needs to convene the redistricting commission in October to have “bipartisan negotiations and discussions” and so far that hasn’t happened.

Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) Tuesday told the House Education Committee that their legislation to permit teachers in public schools and state institutions of higher education to provide instruction on the influence of Christianity on history and culture would “unshackle” teachers that currently are afraid to teach those topics for fear of being seen as “proselytizing.” Click stressed that HB486 (Click-Dovilla) would only permit and not require teachers to instruct on the influence of Christianity. The bill is dubbed the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act,” after the recently slain conservative influencer, with Click noting the bill “does not create a new law, it clarifies the law.”

Hearings featuring invited testimony to the House General Government Committee on occupational license review within state agencies continued on Tuesday as Director Joseph Baker delivered testimony on the work of the Common Sense Initiative (CSI). He explained that CSI operates within a specified part of the rulemaking period. He said the office’s goal, under the leadership of Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, is to iron out issues in the rulemaking process before legislators have to get involved. Baker said CSI has worked with state agencies, with the support of the General Assembly, to modernize outdated Ohio laws and rules, resulting in saving approximately $44 million in taxpayer funds over the next decade by working to update over 100 statutory and 400 regulatory provisions to reflect modern technology and ways of doing business.

Reps. Tex Fischer (R-Youngstown) and Steve Demetriou (R-Chagrin Falls) gave joint sponsor testimony Tuesday on their HB392 to the House Technology and Innovation Committee, with Fischer saying their bill is in response to “legitimate concerns about the safety risks” of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can potentially affect critical infrastructure in Ohio. He said HB392 would “set the stage for how our state will deal with this emerging technology,” establishing needed safeguards while providing “regulatory certainty” for businesses coming to Ohio. The bill also requires anyone who implements or operates AI that interfaces with critical infrastructure facilities to have a strictly outlined risk management policy aligned with federal guidelines.

Reps. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) gave joint sponsor testimony Tuesday on their HB413 to the House Technology and Innovation Committee, with Young saying “key provisions” include an expansion of the Ohio Checkbook program into “a full local government expenditure database.” Calling transparency a “big issue today,” Young said that will enable taxpayers to easily see how funds are spent. He added it can be a “very difficult process” for citizens to see how “their money” is being spent. HB413 would apply to counties, cities, villages, public libraries, townships, park districts, school districts, regional water and sewer districts, regional transit authorities and state retirement systems.

Ohio should build its online age-verification laws around a system that differentiates between apps that bifurcate the experience of adults and minors to avoid invading privacy and setting up barriers for low-risk apps, a representative of Google told the House Judiciary Committee in testimony Wednesday on HB302 (Workman-Plummer). But Rep. Josh Williams (R-Oregon) argued major players like Google are trying to shift liability to smaller app developers and implement weaker protections for web browsers. Kate Charlet, a director on Google’s public policy team focused on cybersecurity, privacy and child safety, said HB302 provides a “balanced” approach that recognizes the need for a team effort among app stores, phone makers and app developers to protect kids.

Family law reform bill SB174 (Gavarone-Hicks-Hudson) will not increase the number of families with 50-50 co-parenting plans, and might actually make the situation worse, shared parenting advocates told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. “Proponents point to the objective of reducing the adversarial nature of decisions about parental responsibilities and encouraging parents to share in the responsibilities of raising their children and courts to maximize the time the children have with each parent. These are fine objectives — National Parents Organization (NPO) fully endorses the goals of SB174. But we believe that the methods SB174 seeks to employ to achieve these goals are inadequate and, in some cases, counterproductive,” said NPO National Board Chair Don Hubin, professor emeritus of philosophy at Ohio State University. Hubin said substituting “designated parent” for “residential parent” is a cosmetic change.

Legislation that has already passed the House was introduced to the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday to establish Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) centers in Ohio. The sponsors of HB141 (Baker-Abrams) both represent the Cincinnati area, where families from throughout the U.S. and beyond often relocate to procure medical care for children with complex medical needs at the nationally acclaimed Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Witnesses who gave proponent testimony on HB141 in the House Health Committee said that finding suitable day care for their complex-needs children during treatment at Cincinnati Children’s meant crossing state borders for a facility in Kentucky at a PPEC facility called Easterseals Redwood.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) thanked the General Assembly for legislation protecting real and potential victims from domestic violence, including Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), Senate Majority Floor Leader Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Ranking Minority Member Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “By working with policymakers, community leaders, and survivors themselves, we can work to prevent these tragedies to create systems that prioritize safety and justice,” Policy Director Maria York said. Gavarone and Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson received ODVN’s Leadership in Policy Award.

In other legislative action, the House Commerce and Labor Committee reported out HB227 (Robb Blasdel-Johnson) to modify excavation requirements; the House Energy Committee reported out SCR2 (Johnson) which urges Congress to address the electric grid; the House Health Committee reported out HB162 (Click) which addresses medical records of minors; and the Senate Transportation Committee reported out road naming bill HB27 (Callender).

HIGHER EDUCATION

The University of Toledo (UToledo) recently announced an initiative granting new students from Michigan in-state tuition starting fall 2026. These students will save $4,680 per semester as opposed to paying full out-of-state tuition, according to the university. Upon acceptance, Michigan students will be granted a scholarship to cover the out-of-state surcharge regardless of whether they are transfer or traditional students. The university will not require additional applications to be filled out specific to residency. Students will also be eligible for additional merit scholarships awarded by UToledo through the application process.

Cleveland State University (CSU) recently announced it will permanently discontinue 22 academic programs. The statement from the university added that it has suspended an additional 14 programs and has reopened admission to another four, some having undergone curricular changes. The decision comes after the university eliminated three of its National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports programs in wrestling, women’s golf and softball earlier this year due to budgetary shortfalls. The statement clarified students currently enrolled in discontinued or suspended programs are able to complete their degrees. The complete list of affected programs can be found HERE.

PENSIONS

Many of former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s claims about the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in a recent Fox News article have no basis in reality, according to Reps. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati) and Sean Brennan (D-Parma). “I thought that the Kenneth Blackwell article overtly and implicitly stated some things that I just thought were fantastical and likely untrue,” Bird said during the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) meeting on Thursday, noting he and Brennan decided to tour the STRS facility to investigate Blackwell’s claims. While Blackwell accused STRS of spending taxpayer dollars on “luxurious” perks at the facility, Bird called the building “run of the mill commercial real estate in downtown Columbus.”

Attorney General Dave Yost argues in recent court filings that no jury needs hear his case against STRS Board Chair Rudy Fichtenbaum and former trustee Wade Steen because he’s no longer seeking monetary damages. But Fichtenbaum and Steen argue that Yost cannot sustain his argument that they violated their fiduciary duty to the pension system without showing monetary loss. Yost sued the two men in 2024 to allege fiduciary breach related to their interactions with investment firm QED, an outfit tied to a former state treasury official that pitched STRS on making large investments. The two have strongly denied the allegations.

PEOPLE

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) named Warren High School teacher Jason Johnson of Washington County its 2025 winner of the Lori Urogdy Eiler Award for Mock Trial Coaching Excellence. Warren High School’s mock trial advisor, Johnson received the award during OCLRE’s annual conference at the Ohio Supreme Court.

TAXATION

The House Wednesday passed two bills that address issues with property tax language passed as part of biennial budget HB96 (Stewart) but vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine. In one bill, lawmakers incorporated a recommendation from the panel of local officials and business leaders DeWine convened to study property taxes after he line-item vetoed provisions from the budget. In another bill, lawmakers looked to fix an unintended consequence of the override of one of those vetoes. HB129 (D. Thomas) would include fixed-sum levies in the 20-mill floor for school districts, a change that would affect about a third of the state’s districts. It was amended earlier in the day by the House Ways and Means Committee before clearing the committee unanimously. Sponsor Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said the amendment addressed the General Assembly’s override of a DeWine veto on similar language in the budget, saying now when a levy expires, there is no means for a school to ask for the same amount in a renewal form. He said the amendment says levies will not be moved into the 20-mill floor calculation until re-valuation, and also creates an ability for schools to seek a fixed sum levy, a one-time renewal of the current revenue from an emergency sum that will also be eligible for rollbacks adopted by the General Assembly. Thomas said they wanted to meet schools half-way and give them the ability to levy a fixed amount in certain circumstances such as fiscal distress while looking at a long-term fix.