Week in Review 8-11-25

Week in Review > Week in Review 8-11-25

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on August 11th, 2025

FY26-27 BUDGET

According to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), the state collected a total of $2.3 billion in General Revenue Fund (GRF) tax dollars in July, the first month of FY26. This was 11.4 percent or $238.7 million more than was collected in July 2024 when nearly $2.1 billion was brought in. For FY26, the non-auto sales tax brought in $1.05 billion of the month’s total. Together with the auto sales tax, a total of $1.2 billion was collected. The personal income tax accounted for the next highest total, bringing in $893.3 million in July. This was $150 million or 20.2 percent above last year. The Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) generated $120.3 million, a $7 million or 6.2 percent increase from July 2024.

IT’S IN THE FY26-27 BUDGET

Ohio Supreme Court justices as well as local judges and certain local officials are in line for a pay raise thanks to the biennial budget, HB96 (Stewart). The pay increases were among many of the local government provisions in the budget. Added by the Ohio House and retained by the Senate and the conference committee as part of its final version, HB96 increases and extends pay raises for justices and judges, county and township officials, and board of elections officials from 1.75 percent per year under current law to 5 percent per year through 2029. Additionally, the language provides annual cost of living adjustments beginning in 2030 equal to the increase in the Consumer Price Index, with a 3 percent maximum.

In other local government provisions, lawmakers also require legislative authorities of a political subdivision to adopt a cybersecurity program that safeguards the political subdivision’s data, information technology, and information technology resources “to ensure availability, confidentiality, and integrity.” The program must be consistent with generally accepted best practices for cybersecurity. Under the language added by the Senate and kept in the final version of the budget, local governments are also prohibited from paying a ransom stemming from a ransomware attack or otherwise complying with a ransom demand unless the political subdivision’s legislative authority formally approves the payment or compliance with the ransom demand.

Legislation that would create a unit within the secretary of state’s office to investigate voter fraud and voter suppression finally moved forward after it was inserted into biennial budget bill HB96 by senators and kept in by the conference committee on the bill. Introduced this session as SB4 (Gavarone) and passed out of the Senate mainly along party lines, the Election Integrity Unit would be required to investigate alleged violations of election law upon receiving complaints from the public or on its own initiative. The conference committee also expanded the duties to give the unit jurisdiction over violations of campaign finance law and require the unit to investigate campaign finance complaints filed with the secretary of state. Under the budget language, the unit would be allowed to “administer oaths, issue subpoenas, summon witnesses, compel the production of evidence, and hold hearings.”

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Following the passage of a state operating budget that included some, but not all, of the early childhood provisions advocated for by groups like Groundwork Ohio, some local governments in Ohio are learning to tackle their child care needs in novel ways. Even as groups celebrate the inclusion of provisions like $200 million in federal funds for Ohio’s Child Care Choice Voucher program and $10 million for the Child Care Cred pilot program, the budget failed to expand income-based eligibility for publicly funded child care or appropriate up to $200 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for child care. Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn told a Groundwork Ohio webinar on Wednesday that such budget uncertainty at the state and federal levels can change seemingly daily. Meanwhile, it can take a local government years to tackle an issue like child care. Muryn said Findlay currently has to figure out ways to push against the current federal move to put more onto states without allocating corresponding funds.

Ohio families will have more time and more uses for money in their state-created after-school activity accounts following federal litigation on the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze COVID relief funding. In March, the Trump administration froze spending on programs using federal COVID relief funding, which is what supported the Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) accounts created by lawmakers to give families money for the likes of tutoring, museum admissions and other learning supplements amid pandemic-era disruptions to K-12 education. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) got federal approval to continue use of the money, but only for direct academic services. At the time of the freeze, about $77 million remained in accounts, and more than 45,000 Ohio families had at least $25 in their children’s accounts. Authority to spend the money originally was to have expired last year, but the state requested and received an extension to use it through this summer. Recent litigation, State of New York et al. v. U.S. Department of Education et al. in the Southern District of New York, frees up use of the money.

The DeWine administration has declared August Child Support Awareness Month. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) works on behalf of nearly 600,000 children each year through its child support program. Parents can download the ODJFS Child Support mobile app, which provides access to case information, allows them to make or receive electronic payments and has other convenient features. It can be found HERE.

EDUCATION

School districts and families who won a trial court ruling finding EdChoice violates the Ohio Constitution are hoping to revive part of their case in a cross-appeal of the state’s bid to defend the voucher program. In late June, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page ruled that EdChoice violates provisions of the Ohio Constitution requiring lawmakers to provide a “common” school system and prohibiting the state from giving control of education funding to religious sects. Page immediately stayed her own ruling, acknowledging the certainty of an appeal and the potential effect on families who’d already made decisions on where to send children in the fall. Attorney General Dave Yost and House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) promised a strong defense of the program, and Huffman argued Article I, Section 7 of the Ohio Constitution in fact compels the state to support religious education. Last week, the state filed in the 10th District Court of Appeals, challenging both Page’s June 24 ruling and her December 2022 decision on the state’s motion to dismiss the case. This week, the plaintiffs filed a cross appeal of Page’s ruling against them on the equal protection count.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and its six District Athletic Boards have awarded $200,000 to 200 recent high school graduates as part of the Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Program, OHSAA announced Wednesday. In addition, OHSAA has awarded just over $1 million — $1,250 for each member high school — to assist with items needed by each school’s athletic department, OHSAA said. The money comes from OHSAA’s Athletic Enrichment Fund, which was established in 2023 for the purpose of providing a financial contribution to each member high school’s athletic department to help with costs of equipment, uniforms, game transportation, officials and improving student sportsmanship and adult fan behavior.

ETHICS

A new Ohio Ethics Commission advisory opinion would allow public officials or employees to use frequent flyer miles that were earned during official travel for personal travel. The commission adopted the opinion Monday, partially reversing a previous restriction on the use of frequent flyer miles accrued during official travel. Under the opinion, public officials and employees may use the miles for personal travel if they have earned the miles under the same conditions as the public and at no additional cost to their public agencies. “The commission recognizes that removing restrictions on personal use of frequent flyer miles would increase administrative efficiency by removing the need to track rewards miles accrued on an individual traveler’s account,” the opinion states, adding that the commission believes it is time to reevaluate its previous opinion to better align it with the federal government and other jurisdictions’ guidance on the matter. The federal government has permitted federal employees to retain any “promotional items” such as frequent flyer miles since 2002.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Sen. Bill Reineke’s (R-Tiffin) pronouncement this week of a bid for the Senate presidency brought into public view an often behind-the-scenes campaign. His rival for the job, Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), was taken aback by that. Both Reineke and Cirino serve in prominent caucus roles now — the former as president pro tempore, the latter as Senate Finance Committee chair — and will be heading into the back half of a second term next session, meaning neither could be president more than two years. Reineke used the occasion of Thursday’s campaign filing deadline to announce his leadership bid. Cirino told Hannah News he was perplexed by Reineke’s public announcement Thursday given that the ultimate decision is an internal one.

Rep. Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati) resigned from the Ohio House effective Friday, Aug. 8, the House Democratic Caucus announced. He was currently serving in his final term in the House. His 26th House District covers portions of Hamilton County. House Democrats said they will soon announce a screening panel for filling the vacancy. The recommended appointee will then need to be voted on by the full House of Representatives.

The Ohio Statehouse will be closed to the public from Sunday, Aug. 10 through Wednesday, Aug. 13, according to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB). The closure will come as CSRAB performs scheduled electrical and HVAC maintenance, which it said “will ensure the safety and comfort of the building’s occupants and require the shutdown of the entire Capitol Square complex.” Public access to the building will resume on Thursday, Aug. 14, to allow time for the air conditioning systems to properly cool down the building. The building will be accessible to staff and stakeholders only on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

A recent report by personal finance site WalletHub found Ohio ranked 25th nationally among the best states for health care, with a fourth-place finish among neighboring states. Pennsylvania led them at 13th nationally, followed by Michigan, 21st; Indiana, 22nd; Kentucky, 43rd; and West Virginia, 46th.

The top five states were New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Iowa and Massachusetts. The five lowest were Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Alaska and Mississippi. WalletHub ranked the District of Columbia at 36th nationally as well. WalletHub also ranked states by three subcategories, with Ohio seventh nationally and second among neighbors in cost; 34th nationally and second-to-last among neighbors in access; and 39th nationally and fourth among neighbors in outcomes. Pennsylvania led neighbors for cost and outcomes while Kentucky led for access.

INTEL

President Donald Trump added to microchip manufacturer Intel’s woes on Thursday by demanding the immediate resignation of its CEO, but Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said the administration believes in Intel and its promises to manufacture chips in Central Ohio. Trump took to social media on Thursday saying Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is “highly conflicted” in the wake of reports that Tan has invested hundreds of millions in Chinese firms. “The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately,” Trump posted on his Truth Social website. “There is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!” Trump’s post came after he threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on all foreign-made computer chips earlier in the week.

WORKFORCE

The Ohio Department of Development (DOD) announced this week the opening of a new round of company applications through a state-sponsored internship program that will help reimburse businesses. Under the program, tech-based companies, or businesses with a technological need, can be reimbursed through the College Technology Internship Program for up to two-thirds of each intern’s salary. The Ohio Third Frontier, an economic development initiative within the Department of Development, will reimburse companies for two-thirds of an intern’s wages — up to $7,500. The company can hire as many as 10 interns per round, and the minimum wage for interns is $15 per hour but can exceed that amount. The program is accepting company applications through Friday, Aug. 29.

Ohio is fortunate to have around 150 workforce initiatives in operation around the state currently, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel told the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Workforce Summit on Thursday. Tressel said that while initiatives like JobsOhio can talk about big numbers saying that the state of Ohio will need to fill hundreds of thousands of jobs in coming years, the state needs to do a better job of raising awareness of job training and assistance already available in each of the state’s regions. Tressel’s comments echoed recent comments from Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin on a recent CNBC survey that ranked Ohio number five overall on how easy it is to do business in the state, while ranking Ohio 31 for workforce and 27 for education.

Both students and businesses can learn from one another in addressing Ohio’s current and future workforce gaps, and leaders at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Workforce Summit on Thursday called on both groups to take an active role in that process. In a panel on “Addressing Ohio’s Workforce Gaps,” Superintendent Keith Horner of Apollo Career Center in Lima hearkened to the summit’s opening keynote by Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel in emphasizing the importance to students of exposing them to the workforce needs of businesses and making students aware of career opportunities available. Horner said that hands-on experiences for students are invaluable. Panelist Jake Vasilj of COSI likened the education that leads to a career to football, in that a student normally doesn’t just walk on to the Ohio State University team. Rather, they have to work, level by level, from a young age, starting long before high school.