Week in Review 8-17-26

Week in Review > Week in Review 8-17-26

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

ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is seeking lead-plaintiff status on behalf of public pensions including the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in the national class action lawsuit against Canadian-born billionaire David Buszucki and online gaming platform Roblox Corp. for massive stock losses allegedly due to lax child safety controls and financial misrepresentations. Attorney General Andy Wilson announced Monday that his office had filed a request in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last Friday to be named lead plaintiff and to consolidate Police and Fire Retirement System of Detroit et al v. Roblox, Baszucki, Guthrie and Chopra with Mukherjee et al v. Roblox, Baszucki and Chopra following Roblox’s 66 percent stock loss from $133.74 per share on Oct. 30, 2025 to $45.13 on May 1, 2026.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office released the raw numbers Friday for last week’s statewide bust of retail theft syndicates, an organized crime costing Ohio businesses up to $3 billion annually. The arrest and indictment of four dozen actors follow the passage and signing of 135-HB366’s (Ghanbari) Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement (FORCE) Act, written in cooperation with the attorney general’s office to create the Organized Retail Theft Council (ORTC) and establish tougher penalties and regional cooperation in combating retail crime.

DATA CENTERS

Ashville officials did not have sufficient reasons to declare a resolution on data center development an emergency, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a dispute on whether a village council vote can be put up for referendum. In the opinion, justices said their precedent holds that while they may not pass judgement on the validity of the reason for passing a resolution as an emergency, they can determine whether it was “purely conclusory, tautological or illusory” and invalidate emergency determinations for a resolution that “simply parrots” state law criteria for an emergency resolution — “preservation of the public peace, health and safety.”

DISASTERS

The chain of thunderstorms that left flooding and power outages in its wake across Ohio will not end in a single day, Gov. Mike DeWine said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon addressing the severe weather. DeWine signed a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in Perry and Muskingum counties following flooding in those places, and he also noted that such declarations for more locations likely would follow if and when necessary. “We are in a very dangerous weather situation that really involves all of Ohio,” said DeWine from the Emergency Operations Center of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (EMA) in Columbus. “It is unusual to see this, but danger can be anywhere in the state.”

As Ohioans assessed the damage from Tuesday’s strong rain and wind storms and endured another onslaught Wednesday, Attorney General Andy Wilson offered tips for finding reputable contractors and avoiding unscrupulous storm chasers. The attorney general’s office maintains a guide, available HERE, covering signs of a scam, legitimate versus exploitive charitable responses to natural disasters, vehicle damage and other post-disaster concerns. Ohioans can file or search for consumer complaints at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov as well, Wilson’s office noted.

The DeWine administration released additional information late Tuesday on the Ohio National Guard deployment to Perry and Muskingum counties in support of emergency rescue operations. Forty total Guard members are being deployed from the 1484th Transportation Company in North Canton and the 1485th Transportation Company in Coshocton. Both companies, part of the 28th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, will use 20 light medium tactical vehicles (LMTV) for rescue and evacuation.

ELECTIONS 2026

Voters in the 89th House District in North Central Ohio will now see Caleb Stidham as the Republican candidate on November’s general election ballot after the district’s Republican officials named him Monday to fill the ballot vacancy created when incumbent Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) withdrew from the race last week. Stidham is currently Erie County treasurer and chairman of the Erie County Republican Party.

With three months remaining until election day, the U.S. Senate race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) and challenger Sherrod Brown is shaping up to dwarf 2024’s then-record campaign ad spending during Brown’s unsuccessful reelection bid against now-U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH). As of Aug. 4, the combined ad spending of the Husted and Brown campaigns as well as outside groups has surpassed $220 million in 2026 on ads already or yet to be run in broadcasts or digital formats before election day in November.

Ahead of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on Tuesday, Aug. 11, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is once again encouraging Ohioans to answer the call to serve as poll workers and help ensure another successful Election Day. “Every election depends on dedicated Ohioans who are willing to serve their communities,” said LaRose. “This November, voters across the state will be casting ballots in important races that will shape Ohio’s future. Poll workers are the men and women who ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot conveniently and with confidence.” Ohioans interested in serving can learn more and apply through their local county board of elections or by visiting VoteOhio.gov.

Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) would rather earn the 13th Senate District seat from voters than be appointed to the now-vacant seat by legislative leadership. Rep. Manning’s son and former senator, Nathan Manning, vacated the seat after Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to the Ninth District Court of Appeals to serve the remainder of the term of retiring Judge Donna Carr. “I didn’t think anybody would want to come back [to Columbus] just to put me in the Senate, including me,” said Manning. “I don’t know if they would be as inclined to want to work with me after they have to drive three hours to vote me in.”

While the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton released its first television ad of the cycle this week, the advantage in ad spending by her opponent, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, has only continued to grow this summer, as total spending continues to climb before the general election in November. Acton’s campaign spent over $700,000 in the ad’s first week across broadcast, cable and connected TV channels throughout Ohio.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine reiterated his position Wednesday that dumping the state income tax would be a zero-sum game for public revenues without improving Ohio’s economic climate beyond its CNBC ranking as “Top State for Business.” He told the annual ReadOhio kickoff in Columbus that companies instead seek literate and trainable workers — one of DeWine’s leading priorities in his final months as governor. DeWine told the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s (DEW) 2026-27 gathering of ReadOhio coaches near the state capitol that people top buildings and budgets in producing competent employees.

HIGHER EDUCATION

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon recently issued a national call to action to university presidents and governing boards across the country, urging them to reaffirm commitment to restoring public trust in higher education through academic excellence, research and national service. McMahon called on every postsecondary institution to publish, by the end of 2026, a public statement outlining its commitment to specified principles intended to guide a “long overdue” conversation with the American people.

Ohio State University (OSU) recently announced its hiring of John Marschhausen, soon-to-be former Dublin City Schools superintendent, as the university’s inaugural assistant vice provost for academic program pathways, pending OSU Board of Trustees approval.

OHIO STATE FAIR

Ohio State Fair managers reported Thursday that this year’s event set records for attendance and spending on rides, games, food and drink. According to the Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds, total attendance of 1,025,190 was 5.8 percent higher than 2025 and 2 percent higher than the prior record of 1,006,228, set in 2023.

PENSIONS

Members of the Ohio Retirement Study Council are hoping to hear directly from two academics or at least get them in touch with council staff after publication of an article in a finance journal that asserted the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) paid out incentive compensation to investment staff based on performance figures that exceed the system’s audited investment returns. STRS leadership pushed back on the conclusions of the article, and a council researcher raised questions about numbers on which it is based.

TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE

Ohio’s state government, multiple universities, economic development organization JobsOhio and the Ohio Educational Service Center Association (OESCA) were among the entities named in a list of “25 companies and organizations” defining Ohio’s artificial intelligence (AI) economy released by Ohio Tech News recently. The state of Ohio was named for “setting the pace on AI governance in both government and education,” including the release of a formal AI policy for the state government and an Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) AI policy that served as a model for the policy all traditional public school districts, community schools and STEM schools were required to adopt by July 1.