Week in Review 8-14-26

Week in Review > Week in Review 8-14-26

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on September 14th, 2026

FY26-27 BUDGET

Tax collections yielded almost $30 million or 1.1 percent more than expected, even after the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) updated its forecasts in light of FY26 revenues that far exceeded estimates. August tax collections netted $2.68 billion, $29.2 million more than forecast. Compared to this point in FY26, revenues are $370 million or 7.6 percent ahead.

DATA CENTERS

Build American AI, an industry group advocating for U.S. leadership in technology development, released a new report highlighting’s Ohio’s place as a hub for data center development, while a campaign group concerned about that development reported incremental progress on its efforts to restrict data centers in the Ohio Constitution and its assistance with local bans. The industry report, “AI and the Future of Ohio’s Economy,” highlights widescale capital spending in the tens of billions of dollars, competitive wages for skill trades workers needed to construct data centers and a “reindustrialization” of the region. Meanwhile, Conserve Ohio, the campaign group seeking a constitutional ban on large data centers, reported Tuesday that it has collected 130,000 signatures across all 88 counties.

EDUCATION

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) announced Friday it identified “significant testing anomalies” at 52 additional school buildings statewide as result of the ongoing investigation launched earlier this summer into spring 2026 state testing results at Columbus City Schools after the district self-reported testing anomalies at two high school buildings.

The state may add an additional school district to its list of districts in fiscal emergency, bumping the number to a total of three. Pending approval from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and Auditor of State’s (AOS) Office, Barberton City Schools, which just last month approved a resolution asking the state to declare the district in a state of fiscal emergency, will join Mt. Healthy City Schools and Trimble Local Schools on the state’s official list of districts in fiscal emergency.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

All items on the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) regular and no-change agendas cleared the committee during Tuesday’s meeting, though Reps. Mark Hiner (R-Howard) and Sean Brennan (D-Parma) each had separate questions regarding items brought forth by the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Division of Food Stamps.

Lawmakers with experience in health care and insurance matters offered their predictions for future policy development and lame duck session priorities at Wednesday’s Healthcare Transformation Summit convened by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. House Insurance Committee Chair Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek), House Health Committee Chair Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland), Senate Health Committee Chair Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) and Senate Majority Whip George Lang (R-West Chester) participated in a panel discussion moderated by Alex Weingarth-O’Bryant, state director of government affairs for AmeriHealth Caritas, one of Ohio’s Medicaid managed care companies.

Lawmakers officially have no plans to vote on legislation before the November election, after the Senate announced cancellation of three if-needed sessions in the coming weeks. The Senate cancelled if-needed dates for three upcoming Wednesdays – Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Oct. 7. According to the Senate clerk’s office, if-needed committee hearing dates for Sept. 15 and Sept. 22 also were cancelled, but tentative committee plans for Oct. 6 were not. Both the House and Senate are next scheduled to be in session Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The Ohio Supreme Court recently unanimously upheld two laws passed as part of a biennial budget bill that had been challenged under the Ohio Constitution’s “single subject” rule, reversing a lower court ruling that struck down those laws. Lawmakers passed the laws as part of 133-HB166 (Oelslager). The first, the “accident victim solicitation law,” prevented health care providers from soliciting crime or motor vehicle accident victims for 30 days after the crime or accident occurred. The second, the “victim telephone privacy law,” added a new section to the Ohio Public Records Act and exempted records containing victim phone numbers in police reports.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) announced this week that tickets are now on sale at the Statehouse Museum Shop for the annual Haunted Tours at the Ohio Statehouse. Tickets are $16 per person for Statehouse Haunted Tours and are available for purchase now at statehouseshop.com. This is available for ages 12 and up. Those with specific accommodation needs or plan to bring a group of six or more children should contact tours@ohiostatehouse.org.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Ohio is one of just two states to win a federal Talent Search grant meant to help students overcome barriers to furthering their education, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday at the 2026 Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) Trustees Conference. In a nod to his expiring time in office, DeWine also laid out his suggestions for future governors, lawmakers and college leaders to help the higher education sector adapt to changing dynamics and remain successful. DeWine said higher education leaders should keep everything on the table when it comes to partnerships and mergers among public and private institutions alike, but argues that the state should not try to establish a centrally administered system or force consolidation. He also suggested any proposals to do so would be unable to overcome opposition.

LABOR

Workers, families, businesses and communities across Ohio are paying a steep price for legislators’ failure to act on issues like child care, raising the minimum wage and other economic stimuli, according to the annual State of Working Ohio report, released by progressive think tank Policy Matters Ohio (PMO) on the eve of Labor Day. PMO says that challenges including suppressed wages, weakened worker bargaining power and underfunded public systems are not inevitable, and instead have resulted from decades of state-level policy choices.

The Buckeye Institute released a policy brief on expanding the state’s workforce pipeline recently, noting CNBC’s ranking of Ohio as the top state for business came with a 35th-place subranking on workforce that is down from 31st in 2025. “Despite its top overall rating, Ohio’s limited population growth and softening labor force participation remain a hindrance. From January 2025 to June 2026, Ohio’s labor force participation slipped from 62.9 percent to 61.6 percent, and the state lost approximately 74,000 jobs between January 2025 and May 2026. Retirements may account for some of that decline, but the numbers also suggest that Ohio still struggles to train and retain a ready-to-hire workforce. Without a labor force built for the 21st century, Ohio risks losing the economic ground it has so strategically gained,” Buckeye Institute Senior Research Fellow Greg Lawson wrote in the brief.

PEOPLE

The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) announced its chief legal counsel, Sara C. Clark, will become the association’s deputy chief executive. Clark has been chief legal counsel since 2015, previously served as deputy director of legal services and also served as interim CEO during a leadership transition.