Week in Review 12-22-25

Week in Review > Week in Review 12-22-25

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on December 22nd, 2025

ECONOMY

A recent report by the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) measured the industry’s benefits to the state, saying it remains the largest private sector contributor for Ohio’s economy. The report used a range of 2023 and 2024 data depending on what is currently available, including that manufacturing GDP rose by 2.9 percent to $137.9 billion in 2024. That represented 16.5 percent of Ohio’s private economy.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced Tuesday that total national nonfarm payroll employment increased by 64,000 jobs to 7.8 million in November as the federal unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent. The latest unemployment numbers, delayed more than a week due to the federal shutdown, show the unemployment rate and total nonfarm payroll employment were higher than a year ago, when the federal unemployment rate was 4.2 percent and the number of unemployed people was 7.1 million.

The Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank recently released survey findings showing more businesses expect to decrease employment over the next year, going from 7 percent in 2024 to 18 percent in the most recent data collected from Oct. 30 through Nov. 6 as part of the Survey of Regional Conditions and Expectations (SORCE). Businesses that expect unchanged employment fell from 54 to 51 percent, while those that project hiring more employees decreased from 39 to 32 percent. There were 134 respondents in 2024 and 164 in 2025. The number of respondents having difficulty filling open positions in the past three months decreased from 61 percent in November 2024 to 58 percent in the newest survey. Those with no job openings over the past three months remained at 11 percent. Those who reported no difficulty in hiring ticked up from 29 percent in 2024 to 31 percent in 2025.

EDUCATION

When the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) adopted bylaws allowing high school athletes to enter into name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals last month, Ohio joined 43 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing students to do so. The OHSAA bylaws, adopted by an emergency vote within the organization, followed shortly after passage by the Senate of HB184 (Stewart-T. Mathews). HB184 was originally introduced as a bill to prescribe limitations on intercollegiate athlete contracts before it became the vehicle for operating budget corrections in its final form. While many of Ohio’s NIL bylaws are similar to those in many of the other states that have permitted NIL deals — including prohibition of student association with gambling, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and firearms and prohibition of NIL deals that use school logos and imagery — Ohio’s NIL rules aren’t as restrictive as some other states.

Ohio school districts, charter and STEM schools have until month’s end to adopt a policy generally barring student cell phone use during class time. Under the state budget bill, HB96 (Stewart), schools have until Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 to adopt such a policy if they’ve not already done so.

Ohio colleges and universities have largely aligned their teacher preparation programs to state requirements to follow science of reading practices for literacy instruction. But auditors also found instances of disfavored practices still in use at many institutions, according to the DeWine administration. Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) Chancellor Mike Duffey announced the audit results Tuesday at a Riffe Center press conference. DeWine described the results as “a bit mixed.”

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) this week launched a nationwide scholarship competition to test high school students’ knowledge of American history and civics. As part of the Presidential 1776 Award, high school students can compete in three rounds of multiple-choice and verbal exams developed by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. National finals will take place in Washington, D.C. in June 2026. Research database company EBSCO will assist with the contest as well. In February, students can take an online, timed multiple-choice civics tests. Four finalists from each state will be selected from the results.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Though the Legislature finished one elections bill and sent it off to the governor before the holiday break, lawmakers may see action on far more extensive legislation in the new year. Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) told Hannah News that it is her hope that her SB153 (Gavarone-Brenner) will move quickly when they return to the Statehouse in 2026. Portions of SB153 were amended into SB293 (Gavarone), which among other provisions eliminated the four-day grace period for absentee ballots to arrive at boards of elections after Election Day and still be counted as long as they were postmarked before the election. Provisions taken from SB153 included voter list maintenance procedures for the secretary of state, as well as giving the secretary of state the ability to use state and federal databases to check for noncitizens on the voter rolls. Additionally, SB293 was also amended to adjust qualifications for members of the Election Integrity Commission, the new panel in the secretary of state’s office that will take over the duties of the Ohio Elections Commission after lawmakers eliminated the latter in budget bill HB96 (Stewart). The new provision states that commission members may hold an appointed public office as long as the person is not exempt from collective bargaining, and adds prohibitions against members of the commission soliciting or being involved in soliciting contributions on behalf of a legislative campaign fund and being compensated for providing goods or services to a candidate, campaign committee, political party, legislative campaign fund, political action committee, or political contributing entities. SB153 still retains provisions requiring proof of citizenship to vote in the state and lists the documents that qualify as documentary proof of citizenship.

Democrats on the Controlling pressed the Ohio Secretary of State’s (SOS) Office and the DeWine administration Monday on the transfer of the newly named Ohio Election Integrity Commission (OEIC) to SOS and a request by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to begin spending $105 million in federal dollars on charter school expansion and facilities funding.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Kent State University (KSU) is entering into a new partnership with the Bio-Med Science Academy Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) School, which the university says will “bring new life” to its Michael Schwartz Center while providing the public STEM school with a facility for its elementary grade students.

Shawnee State University (SSU) recently announced that it is expanding access to advanced business education, offering two new MBA courses at the Adena PACCAR Medical Education Center in Chillicothe. The MBA courses will begin in January and feature a hybrid learning format, allowing students to balance academic and personal responsibilities and to network with other professionals, SSU said.

The Youngstown State University (YSU) Foundation Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee recently passed a resolution providing the Student Investment Fund (SIF) with $1.5 million to increase its managed portfolio, payable over three years in increments of $500,000 beginning this academic year. The funds will be used to invest in fixed-income assets, according to the university. The SIF team now has an opportunity to compete in two different competitions in New York and Chicago. Since the student organization’s inception in 2008, SIF team members have only researched and invested in equities.

A dozen high school students from across the state were awarded $18,000 in scholarships at the 14th annual Ohio State University (OSU) Marion Technical College (MTC) Marion Math Challenge, which took place at OSU’s Marion Campus on Friday, Dec. 12. A total of 107 students from six different high schools competed in the challenge, MTC said.

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College received $250,000 from the GE Aerospace Foundation earlier this fall for the college’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program. The donation will be used to fund start-up salaries for the new faculty in the program, Cincinnati State said, and will also help with the college’s plans to increase enrollment in the program.

In a slate of actions during its December Board of Trustees meeting, Kent State University (KSU) trustees approved a provision to eliminate 19 low enrollment academic programs to comply with SB1 (Cirino).

Clark State College (CSC) recently announced Evon Walters as its next president, following a national search. Walters will assume his role in July 2026, CSC said. Walters will succeed Jo Alice Blondin, who will retire after 13 years as Clark State’s president and 33 years of service in higher education. She expressed her support for Walters in Clark State’s announcement. Walters began his career at the University of Massachusetts and has since held senior leadership roles at colleges including Montgomery County Community College and Suffolk County Community College, according to Clark State.

Carol Bradford, dean of the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine, will be stepping down from her position at the end of the month, OSU Wexner Medical Center CEO John Warner told the medical center’s Board of Trustees during its December meeting. Warner said Bradford had notified him the day before the meeting of her decision to step down. In addition to her role as dean, Bradford serves as the medical center’s vice president of health sciences.

The University of Toledo (UT) recently launched its new Northwest Ohio Cancer Research Institute (NOCRI), an initiative the university says will bring together experts to research and develop new cancer treatment. UT said in its announcement the institute will support collaboration between clinicians and researchers specializing in biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, pharmacy and physics at the university along with partners including ProMedica and the Toledo Clinic.

PENSIONS

The State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) said Wednesday that Aaron DiCenzo, serving as interim chief investment officer for the past several months, will get the title permanently, which also makes him deputy executive director for investments. DiCenzo, who took over in February to succeed the retiring Matt Worley. According to STRS, he has more than two decades of experience in private markets and institutional asset management. He joined STRS in 2018, and the system credits him with the growth in alternative investments and the launch of the direct and co-investment portfolio.