Week in Review 6-2-25

Week in Review > Week in Review 6-2-25

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on June 01st, 2025

FY26-27 PROPOSED BUDGET

The Senate should join Gov. Mike DeWine and the House in providing $14 million in the budget to establish the Ohio Institute for Quantum Computing Research, Talent and Commercialization, Miami University President Greg Crawford told the Senate Finance Committee Thursday. Miami University and the Cleveland Clinic are partnering to establish the institute, and will collectively invest an additional $70 million in the institute over the next 10 years, Crawford said during proponent testimony on HB96. Both the executive budget proposal and the House version of the budget include a $14 million appropriation from the General Revenue Fund (GRF) in FY26 to support the project. “Quantum computing is poised to reshape the global economy, with projections estimating 250,000 new jobs by 2030 and 840,000 by 2035,” Crawford said. “These high-skill, high-wage roles — ranging from software development and systems integration to advanced research and development — represent a massive opportunity. Ohio can lead this transformation and secure a significant share of these jobs by staying at the forefront of quantum workforce development.”

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Gov. Mike DeWine charged the General Assembly Tuesday to enact legislation addressing Ohio’s growing list of missing persons. He said state law should strengthen penalties on child custody violators to 18 months behind bars for taking minors across state lines and eight years for removing children from the U.S. and authorize law enforcement to execute warrants for records and information on “high-risk” persons. DeWine, Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Andy Wilson, chair of the Missing Persons Working Group convened this year, and other members held a news conference to issue 18 recommendations to identify and recover missing persons quicker through greatly improved communications across state and federal jurisdictions and data clearinghouses. Ohio’s current penalty in R.C. 2929.23 for moving children under custody orders out-of-state and even out of the country is barely one step above a misdemeanor, specifically a fourth-degree felony with as little as six months’ jail time. “Because the crime of interference with custody is also classified as a nonviolent offense, the suspect must be sentenced to probation absent any other aggravating factors. Only requiring probation for those found guilty of unlawfully taking a child from home demeans the seriousness of the offense,” the report states, calling it a “serious crime.”

EDUCATION

A primary sponsor of the Fair School Funding plan rallied with the Ohio Farmers Union and the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Ohio at the Statehouse Wednesday to urge the Senate to continue the phase-in of the funding plan in budget bill HB96 (Stewart). The rally, dubbed a “tailgate” by organizers, focused on the impact of the funding plan on rural public schools, with speakers noting many schools are the centerpiece of their community in the rural areas of the state. Attendees were also encouraged to visit with senators and provide them with district-level information. Former Rep. John Patterson, who introduced the funding plan along with former House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima), told the crowd that he spent “a great deal of time” to put together a plan for the Legislature to use “that is sustainable, that is transparent, and that is good for the future, and it’s justifiable. It’s based on research.” He said they knew there would be difficult challenges as the plan was getting phased in, but he pointed to the Ohio Constitution and said school funding is a mandate.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Development (DEW) announced the six finalists representing Ohio for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). For mathematics, Ohio’s 2025 finalists include the following:

– Joshua Amstutz, Winton Woods High School, Cincinnati

– Kristen Fouss, Anderson High School, Cincinnati

– Sarah LeVeck, Ashland Middle School, Ashland

In science, the finalists include the following:

– Heidi Edwards, Oakwood High School, Oakwood

– Eric Sullenberger, Russia High School, Russia

– Lisa Salyers, Chagrin Falls High School, Chagrin Falls

ELECTIONS

It could be “functionally illegal” for Ohioans to register to vote online or by mail under SB153 (Gavarone-Brenner), attorney and former Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper said Tuesday. “The logistics of this bill require … that [voter registration and re-registration] has to be done in person, with the board of elections,” Pepper told the Senate General Government Committee during opponent testimony on the bill. “Ninety-five percent of Americans don’t register that way ….” Pepper said boards of elections would be overwhelmed by the number of people registering in person, because they don’t have enough staff to meet the demand. “Unless you can clarify that it doesn’t have to work that way, the legacy you will leave here … you will be the one responsible for the fact that hundreds of thousands of people will be sitting in line waiting at boards of elections. They’ve never had to wait before — wasting time, wasting money,” Pepper said. Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), a sponsor of the bill, pushed back on Pepper’s characterization of the bill.

ELECTIONS 2026

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer Wednesday confirmed he will run for fellow Justice Jennifer Brunner’s seat in 2026 as he seeks to avoid running up against age limits when his term expires in 2028. Fischer’s entry into the race will be the second straight cycle where one sitting justice has sought to challenge one of their colleagues on the Court. Republican Justice Joe Deters, appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to serve out the remaining term of Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy after she was elected to the top spot, challenged and successfully unseated fellow Justice – and Democrat — Melody Stewart in the 2024 election rather than running to retain his own seat. Brunner is the last remaining statewide-elected Democrat to hold office in Ohio. Democrats have not won an Ohio Supreme Court race since legislative Republicans passed a law requiring party identification on the ballot for Supreme Court and state appeals court races.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Electricity costs will eclipse 10 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in parts of the state with the symbolic start of summer on June 1, and the energy portion of all Ohioans’ bills will rise between 10 percent in AES Ohio’s service territory to more than 36 percent in American Electric Power (AEP) of Ohio’s territory for customers who remain on their local utility’s standard service offer (SSO). Ohioans can track their energy charge — minus the distribution cost of wires and other grid hardware — with the price-to-compare on their electric bills. Duke Energy Ohio will lead the state with the highest absolute cost of 10.5 cents/kWh as of Sunday, June 1, followed by AEP at 10 cents/kWh, AES at 9.5 cents/kWh, and FirstEnergy averaging 9.3 cents/kWh across its three regional utilities: Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and The Illuminating Co. Clevelanders and other residents of northeast Lake Erie counties who remain on The Illuminating Co.’s SSO will pay the lowest price-to-compare or energy cost of 9.1 cents/kWh on June 1. Ohioans always have the option of checking Energy Choice Ohio’s “Apples to Apples” price comparisons for electricity and natural gas to see whether they can beat their local utility’s price-to-compare with competitive retail electric service (CRES) provider: www.energychoice.ohio.gov.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) is resigning from the Ohio House effective Sunday, June 1, to become the state executive director for the Ohio Farm Service Agency, House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) announced Tuesday. Jones is currently in his fourth term and faces term-limits at the end of this session. He will be resigning from his seat as state representative of the 95th Ohio House District and will begin his work in his new role with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday, June 2. The 95th Ohio House District includes all of Harrison, Noble and Morgan Counties and portions of Belmont, Guernsey, and Athens counties. The resignation also opens up the chair position for the House Agriculture Committee, to which Jones was recently appointed.

Residents of the 95th House District who wish to be considered for the appointment should provide a resume, letters of recommendation, and any other supporting materials to Speaker Huffman at 77 S. High St., 14th Floor, Columbus OH 43215; and to Mike Dittoe, chief of staff, 77 S. High St., 14th Floor, Columbus OH 43215. Applicants may also email their materials to Huffman at Rep78@ohiohouse.gov and to Dittoe at Mike.Dittoe@ohiohouse.gov. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 6 at 5 p.m. The panel will begin screening applicants the week of Monday, June 9, with the new member expected to be sworn in before the summer recess begins at the end of June.

The House Wednesday unanimously passed all of the bills on its calendar, including legislation requiring feminine hygiene products to be offered to female inmates at state and local correctional facilities – HB29 (John-Humphrey) — as well as a ban on ticket quotas for law enforcement agencies, HB131 (K. Miller-Sweeney).

Also passing Wednesday were the following bills:

– HB86 (Demetriou) makes changes to the law relating to tax foreclosures and county land reutilization corporations. Sponsor Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Chagrin Falls) said the bill is the first significant update to the law governing land banks since they were first established.

– HB127 (A. Mathews-Odioso) permits schools to withhold directory information and to remove directory information from the public record definition. Sponsor Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) said that while there is already authority for parents and students to request information to not be public in student directories, there is ambiguity in the law on whether a school board can withhold that information.

– HR101 (Bird-Brewer) urges the Special Olympics to pick Cleveland for the 2030 games.

– HB204 (White-M. Miller) designates March 9 as “6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Day.”

The Senate unanimously cleared all legislation on its calendar Wednesday, including a bill to give wildlife rehabilitation centers access to euthanasia medications. Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) said his SB152 would help the wild animal rehabilitation facilities (WARFs) that admit tens of thousands of injured or orphaned wild animals, most of which cannot be rehabilitated.

Also passing the Senate was SCR2 (Johnson), a resolution urging action to address vulnerabilities in the electricity grid, and SB18 (Reynolds-Craig), which designates Feb. 14 as “Cardiovascular Health Awareness Day.”

Legislation prohibiting “obscene” public drag shows and other adult cabaret performances received its first hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” HB249 (Williams-King), is a modified and rebranded version of 135-HB245 (Williams-King), which received two hearings in the House Criminal Justice Committee during the last General Assembly and never made it out of committee. Rep. Josh Williams (R-Oregon) said the bill changes the term “private parts” to “private area” in the Ohio Revised Code.

In other action, the House Community Revitalization Committee reported out SB147 (Reineke) which addresses disposal of solid waste; the House Finance Committee reported out HB3 (Willis-C. Thomas), the School Bus Safety Act; the House Health Committee reported out HB141 (Baker-Abrams) which addresses pediatric extended care centers; the House Insurance Committee reported out SB100 (Manchester) which deals with agricultural nonprofit-insurance organizations; the House Judiciary Committee reported out HB47 (Williams) which increases human trafficking penalties; the House Local Government Committee reported out HB124 (D. Thomas-T. Hall) which deals with property tax; the House Public Safety Committee reported out HB210 (Roemer-Plummer) which deals with the sale of used catalytic converters; the House Ways and Means Committee reported out HB48 (A. Mathews – Santucci) which deals with 529/ABLE accounts; and HB133 (Craig) which addresses small employers’ providing health coverage; and the Senate Judiciary Committee reported out SB155 (Brenner-Ingram) which deals with real estate wholesalers.

JUDICIAL

St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School will not be the nation’s first taxpayer-funded religious charter school — for now at least. In an evenly split 4-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a one-sentence decision upholding the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision that a taxpayer-funded religious charter school violates the Oklahoma Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court,” the per curiam opinion states. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, celebrated the decision in a statement. “The Supreme Court’s decision represents a resounding victory for religious liberty and for the foundational principles that have guided our nation since its founding,” Drummond said. “This ruling ensures that Oklahoma taxpayers will not be forced to fund radical Islamic schools, while protecting the religious rights of families to choose any school they wish for their children,” Drummond continued. “I have always maintained that we must faithfully uphold the Constitution, even when it requires us to make difficult decisions. I will continue upholding the law, protecting our Christian values, and defending religious liberty — regardless of how difficult the battle may be.”

PENSIONS

The Ohio Ethics Commission wants prospective leaders of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) to file financial disclosure forms before the pension fund’s board makes a hiring decision. The request mirrors new scrutiny of finalists for appointment to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. In a letter to STRS Interim Director Aaron Hood earlier this month, Ethics Commission Executive Director Paul Nick wrote that STRS’ leadership search came up during the commission’s May 9 meeting. That meeting came one day after Gov. Mike DeWine, Treasurer Robert Sprague and GOP legislative leaders sought delay in STRS’ hiring decision to allow time for filling a board vacancy by the legislative leaders – a development Nick’s letter also notes.

Meanwhile, House and Senate leaders named their appointee to the STRS board: Lynn Sautter Beal as an investment expert. Beal works with Upstart, an AI-based lending platform.

STUDIES/POLLS

The Council of State Governments (CSG) announced a new four-part policy research series examining today’s top policy priorities through a nonpartisan, state-by-state lens. CSG said its 50-State Scan offers insights into how states are addressing shared challenges and developing strategies to strengthen governance. The first installment, “Maximizing the Impact of State Tax Dollars: A 50-State Overview of Government Performance and Reform Initiatives,” explores how states are working to enhance government efficiency and accountability through strategies involving efficiency offices, waste reduction, performance-based budgeting, oversight and audits, and Medicaid fraud prevention. David Adkins, executive director/CEO of CSG, said, “We’re not prescribing solutions — we’re highlighting practical, state-led strategies that allow leaders to learn from one another and consider what works in different contexts. Government efficiency and accountability were natural starting points, because trust in public institutions begins with transparency, responsiveness and responsible stewardship.”

According to Pew Charitable Trusts, state budget officers are contemplating what new policy proposals that would reduce federal funding to states will mean for the traditional state-federal fiscal relationship. According to Pew, there’s a saying in the state budget world that there is no such thing as a “normal” budget cycle. Part of the budgeting process requires allowing for unforeseen events. The past five years have underscored that sentiment as state policymakers navigated new spending needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the revenue surge that followed, and historic levels of federal aid. Federal dollars are the second-largest source of funding for state governments, historically ranging from about a quarter to a third of total revenue; the vast majority goes toward Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that provides medical and health-related services to low-income people. During his first months in office, President Donald Trump and his administration have issued dozens of orders directly affecting aspects of these funding flows. Meanwhile, the legislative proposals to make significant changes to the tax code and drastically change Medicaid funding wait in the wings, Pew said in its recent analysis.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Chairman Chan Cochran defended the agency Thursday against prominent, albeit anonymous, speculation about privatizing BWC, one of only four remaining state insurance monopolies. The comment came during open remarks on the bureau’s performance, branded as a “Relentless Pursuit of Excellence.” “A person of some statewide prominence was quoted the other day as saying that perhaps the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation should be privatized,” Cochran observed, noting BWC’s various contracts with outside vendors. “Certainly, we’re deriving the best of both forms of governance.”