Week In Review 3-3-25

Week in Review > Week In Review 3-3-25

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on March 03rd, 2025

FY26-27 BUDGET

The Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) hosted a celebration of research efforts in the Statehouse Atrium this week, with OFRN Vice President for Advanced Development Mark Bartman telling the audience — including members of the General Assembly — they would be able to support additional projects based on their final budget allocation. Under the governor’s proposal, OFRN would receive $5.1 million in both FY26 and FY27 as a line item in the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) budget. It previously received $4.95 million in FY22 and FY23, $5.1 million in FY24 and an estimated $5.25 million in FY25.

More than 80 percent of Ohio school districts would see the state’s share of education costs decline under the introduced version of the biennial budget, according to a new analysis by economist and school funding expert Howard Fleeter. The Ohio Education Policy Institute (OEPI), a research nonprofit supported by school management and labor groups, released the analysis by Fleeter. The analysis relies on funding simulations for Ohio schools from the Legislative Service Commission, based on the executive version of HB96 (Stewart).

The transportation budget bill, HB54 (Stewart), passed the House Finance Committee and the full House unanimously this week after final changes were adopted in committee Tuesday. Changes included removing provisions that required proof of citizenship to be given to Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) deputy registrars before an Ohioan could be registered to vote by that registrar. Instead, the committee required the BMV to not offer the option to register to vote if anything in their system indicates the person is not a citizen. On Wednesday, by a vote of 97-0, the House unanimously passed the $11.4 billion transportation budget, sending it on to the Senate, which has already begun its hearings on the bill. House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) told the chamber that HB54 includes $393 million in new highway construction and includes policy that most Ohioans agree on. He said passing the bill will bring millions of dollars in projects back to the districts of the members.

Members of the Medicaid expansion eligibility group aren’t the only Ohioans who will be affected if the federal government cuts Medicaid funding, Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Director Maureen Corcoran told the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) on Thursday. “Every topic we’ve touched on so far, mobile services and all the rest — all of that is encompassed within the FMAP [federal medical assistance percentage] conversation. Literally our entire budget is really in that category,” Corcoran told Sen. Beth Liston (D-Dublin), before clarifying that the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is funded differently.

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff appeared before the House Health Committee Thursday to give budget testimony, with his remarks and a lengthy series of questions running close to two hours. Vanderhoff said the department budget request is part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s efforts to invest in the health and well-being of all Ohioans, and ODH’s role involves “a public health system of unique partnerships and funding streams focused on continuously improving health outcomes.”

The House Children and Human Services Committee meeting required an overflow room in the Statehouse on Thursday as a series of hearings taking testimony on HB96 (Stewart) culminated in dozens of witnesses submitting interested party testimony requesting more money for various areas of children’s services following Gov. Mike DeWine’s executive budget proposal. Nearly 100 witnesses provided nearly as many unique inputs and requests on the governor’s budget, from an expansion of the Child Tax Credit requested by Groundwork Ohio to an increase in the funding made available for the Ohio Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program requested by the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

EDUCATION

A lawsuit challenging state requirements for Ohio schools to use literacy instruction methods aligned to the science of reading (SOR) will now go to trial in May. The litigation, filed by the Reading Recovery Council of North America, previously was supposed to go to trial earlier this month, but in late January it was rescheduled to 9 a.m. Monday, May 19 by Judge Karen Phipps of Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

Families and administrators urged the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday to extend state support for tuition at schools that do not hold a state charter. The committee took proponent testimony on SB68 (Romanchuk), which would establish educational savings accounts (ESAs) for students attending non-chartered private schools, with award amounts equal to 90 percent of the statewide average base cost per student. The legislation includes a $51 million appropriation to support the program in FY27. About two dozen people signed up to provide testimony to the committee.

Local school officials again emphasized their desire for lawmakers to update input costs underlying the K-12 formula Wednesday in a House Education Committee budget hearing, while also urging a comprehensive study of busing challenges and a boost to educational service centers (ESCs) to help schools share services and pool costs. The committee reconvened its Tuesday hearing on Wednesday morning to accommodate numerous witnesses who’d sign up to offer public testimony on the budget bill, HB96 (Stewart).

State and local school board candidates would be required to run in partisan primaries and appear on the general election ballot with a party designation under legislation proposed by Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware). “School districts across the state elect board members in non-partisan races. This may lead people to believe we are keeping politics out of the classroom. However, non-partisan elections do not mean the candidates running in these races are non-political. Instead, non-partisan elections can hide political beliefs from voters, leading to a mismatch between board members and the communities they are meant to represent,” Brenner told the Senate General Government Committee during sponsor testimony on SB107.

All public high schools would need to offer at least one computer science course by the 2027-2028 school year, and their students would need to take one in order to earn a diploma starting with the class of 2032, under bicameral legislation set for introduction soon. Lawmakers of both parties and both chambers gathered with technology education advocates and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce for a press conference Wednesday to argue for the proposal’s necessity.

Time matters, and the more time students spend learning, the better they’ll do academically and socially, said Rep. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati) on Thursday while introducing a House bill to increase the total required instructional hours per year in Ohio schools. Bird noted that he was a middle school principal during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and students have still not recovered from their regression during that era. Additionally, Bird said schools have inserted more three-day weekends and longer spring, fall and winter breaks into their school years.

ELECTIONS 2026

Ohio needs a governor with “fresh legs” to lead the state toward a future where nobody pays income or property taxes, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said while announcing his gubernatorial campaign on Monday. “Today, young people on the Internet, if they want to make fun of something for being a little old, or a little bit off — it’s sad, and it annoys me — they say, ‘Only in Ohio,'” Ramaswamy said, speaking to supporters during his event at CTL Aerospace Inc. in Cincinnati. “That wasn’t always the case. … We were the state of excellence. And we can be the state of excellence again.” Ramaswamy, 39, grew up in Cincinnati before graduating with a biology degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Yale University. Ramaswamy is an author, biotech company founder and former Republican presidential candidate.

Shortly after entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy officially announced his gubernatorial campaign, he received the coveted endorsement of President Donald Trump. “I know him well, competed against him, and he is something special,” Trump wrote on social media. “He will be a great governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my complete and total endorsement.”

Former state Rep. Elliot Forhan announced Thursday that he is running for attorney general in 2026, becoming the first Democrat in the race. “The law is for everyone,” said Forhan in his announcement. “It belongs to and protects all of us, and it should hold everyone accountable — including the rich and powerful. But that’s not what’s happening right now in our state or across the country.”

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Rep. Thad Claggett (R-Newark) addressed the House Technology and Innovation Committee on his vision as chair during the committee’s first meeting of the 136th General Assembly Tuesday. Claggett called for members to share what they know on technology areas and conduct research as needed, saying the bills they work on will have long-lasting effects for the state.

Local government officials and American Electric Power (AEP) of Ohio gave opponent testimony on the current version of energy reform bill HB15 (Klopfenstein) in the House Energy Committee Wednesday, though Chair Adam Holmes (R-Nashport) and Vice Chair Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) said changes will be made in a substitute bill coming soon. Holmes said he wants the committee to move quickly and be aggressive but not reckless. He raised the possibility of a substitute bill during the Wednesday, March 5 hearing and requested members and the public provide potential amendments for inclusion to Klopfenstein’s office by end of day Friday.

The House Energy Committee heard a presentation Wednesday by Ohio Business Roundtable (OBRT) Vice President of Government Relations and Communications Alexandra Denney on findings of OBRT’s report on energy policy released earlier in February. She detailed recommendations from the report including implementation of permitting and siting reform; establishing a Governor’s Office of Energy Resilience; creating Priority Investment Areas focused on past coal and brownfield sites; enhancing and clarifying frameworks for behind-the-meter generation; reducing regulatory lag; and promoting the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies at both utility and business levels.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Rep. Thad Claggett (R-Newark) addressed the House Technology and Innovation Committee on his vision as chair during the committee’s first meeting of the 136th General Assembly Tuesday. Claggett called for members to share what they know on technology areas and conduct research as needed, saying the bills they work on will have long-lasting effects for the state.

In addition to approving the transportation budget, the House’s Wednesday session included passage of HB43 (Fowler Arthur-D. Thomas), providing a waiver of the minimum instructional hours for Ashtabula Lakeside High School following heavy snow that caused a roof collapse.

In addition to approving marijuana bill SB56 (Huffman), the Senate’s Wednesday session included passage of SCR1 (Johnson), urging the federal government to designate illicit fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction”; SB17 (Reynolds-Craig), which designates March 9 as “6888th Central Postal Directory Battallion Day”; and SB20 (Antonio-Manning), which designates the first week of May as “Ohio Stroke Awareness Week.”

In other legislative action, House General Government Committee reported out HB13 (Pizzulli), recognizing Nov. 5 as “Roy Rogers Day”; Senate Workforce Development Committee reported out SB33 (Wilson-Lang), regarding posting of labor law notices; Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety reported out SB39 (Johnson-Craig), regarding posting of information on benefits and services for veterans.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee held the first hearings Wednesday for the Ohio Industrial Commission (OIC) budget, HB80 (Stewart), and Bureau of Workers’ Compensation budget, HB81 (Stewart).