Week in Review 8-10-26

Week in Review > Week in Review 8-10-26

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on August 09th, 2026

BALLOT ISSUES

The Ohio Ballot Board met Monday and approved the ballot language for Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require Ohioans to present photo identification to vote in person. Unlike previous years, when Democrats accused Secretary of State Frank LaRose of writing biased ballot language for proposed constitutional amendments dealing with abortion and redistricting, Monday’s meeting saw no fireworks over the adoption of the Issue 3 language.

FY26-27 BUDGET

After capping off a fiscal year where revenue surpluses approached $2 billion, the Office of Budget and Management will revise its forecast for the second half of the biennium, OBM Director Kim Murnieks told Hannah News. OBM released preliminary revenue figures Thursday for July, the first month of FY27, showing total tax collections of $2.58 billion. OBM did not report variances from projections for July because of the updated forecasting, which is scheduled to be available for the August revenues that will be reported in early September. But OBM did per usual provide comparisons to July 2025 collections, when the state brought in about $2.3 billion, meaning taxes generated $259 million or 11.2 percent more last month than a year earlier.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the DeWine administration are observing Child Support Awareness Month in August and encouraging Ohioans to wear green Wednesday as part of the observance. Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel signed a proclamation in observance of Child Support Awareness Month as well.

DISASTERS

Gov. Mike DeWine this week authorized the use of the State Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to support 13 counties affected by severe storms that occurred in March. Counties receiving support are Belmont; Caroll; Coshocton; Guernsey; Harrison; Holmes; Knox; Licking; Morrow; Noble; Perry; Tuscarawas; and Van Wert. The storms occurred from March 11-16.

EDUCATION

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) urges drivers to prepare for school buses during the approaching academic year and school districts to ensure they’re up to date on bus inspections. “Every student in Ohio deserves a safe ride to and from school, and that safety is a responsibility all drivers share,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement. “As summer ends, and school buses get back out on the road, I encourage all drivers to stay alert, eliminate distractions and follow the posted speed limit.”

Ten career-technical planning districts and Ohio Technical Centers will share in a grant of more than $3 million to establish new manufacturing career-technical education programs in areas where students lack access to such programs, the DeWine administration announced. Collectively, the grants are expected to create about 300 new seats in career-tech programs. In the coming academic year, recipients will work on planning and development, with programs to begin serving students in the 2027-2028 academic year.

ENVIRONMENT

All 88 Ohio counties have been designated as in attainment of air quality standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for the first time in more than two decades, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) announced Tuesday. However, Ohio EPA noted, the federal Clean Air Act requires areas redesignated to attainment to continue to meet standards for at least 10 years, meaning E-Check emission reduction programs will remain in place in Northeast Ohio.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff discussed the state’s continuing rise in cyclosporiasis cases during a virtual press conference Tuesday, a day after officials in Michigan said that state had seen two deaths “identified as part of the cyclosporiasis outbreak” where both individuals “had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration.” Ohio’s count of cyclosporiasis cases is nearing 5,000 under data released by ODH Thursday, with the number of July cases having risen from 2,797 in a July 28 update to 3,615 as of Aug. 4. There have been seven cases identified so far in August.

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff joined Dr. Robert Frenck, pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in urging parents to have their children vaccinated as the start of the next school year nears.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) this week launched the Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship (OBHS) Program, a new initiative designed to increase the number of licensed behavioral health professionals serving children, youth and underserved communities across the state. The program will provide $18 million in scholarships to support graduate students pursuing behavioral health degrees at Ohio colleges and universities.