BCHF announces 2021 School Leadership Summit
Buckeye Community Hope Foundation is pleased to announce its annual Leadership Summit will be The Courageous School: Reclaiming Student Learning through Culturally Responsive Education. Read more

State Board committee considers report card reform bills
As the Ohio House and Senate continue to consider how best to overhaul state district and school report cards, members of the State Board of Education's Legislative Committee are reviewing and assessing two legislative proposals. Read more

House passes budget bill with new K-12 education funding strategy
The Ohio House of Representatives passed the state biennial budget bill (H.B. 110) on April 13, following weeks of deliberations. The bill includes the far-reaching overhaul of Ohio’s approach to funding K-12 education commonly known as the “Cupp-Patterson” plan in recognition of the legislation’s original sponsors.

The new K-12 funding plan received bipartisan support in the House, clearing the lower chamber by a vote of 70-27. A dozen Democrats joined Republicans in support of H.B. 110, with a half dozen Republications voting in opposition with the majority of Democrats.

The new K-12 funding formula faces challenges in the Senate with leadership expressing concerns including over the estimated $2 billion annual increase in spending.

Legislation focuses on assessmentsn
The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee recently heard testimony on a bipartisan bill that would eliminate student retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and require school districts to form work groups to evaluate the amount of time students spend on testing.

Co-sponsored by Representative Gail Manning (R-N. Ridgeville), who chairs the committee, and Representative Erica Crawley (D-Columbus), H.B. 73 would reduce the amount of time spent on testing by eliminating the requirement that high school students take a college admissions assessment as a graduation requirement and combining the American government and American history end-of-course exams into one test.

The Ohio Department of Education would be required to publish a report on the amount of time Ohio students spend on assessments.

House committee advances students records bill
The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee advanced legislation (H.B. 34) that would require schools to transfer academic records within five school days after receiving a request from the student’s new school or district.

Three lawmakers who serve on the committee were compelled to vote in opposition to advancing the bill after objections were raised by the Ohio Association of Independent Schools which defended withholding student records as the “least intrusive way” to motivate parents who have failed to meet their financial obligations to schools.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), said she believes that other tools are available to settle debts and that schools have contracts with parents that are legal and binding.

Changes to educator license renewals considered
The State Board of Education is considering a plan providing for less-intensive pathways back to the classroom for individuals with professional or associate educator licenses.

Part of a five-year review process under the authority of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), the proposed changes include allowing for the reinstatement of licenses lapsed for more than five years upon successful completion of 12 semester hours of college coursework – or nine hours under a proposal being considered by the State Board’s Teaching, Leading and Learning Committee.

The Ohio Department of Education recommends the creation of a new one-year, non-renewable reinstatement license for individuals absent from teaching for at least one year. These individuals would work with their local professional development committees to complete renewal requirements. The license would be issued for the same grade level and subjects as the educator’s lapsed license.

Bill would eliminate ACT, SAT graduation requirement
The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee recently heard testimony on legislation (H.B. 82) that would eliminate the requirements that students take a national standardized college and career readiness assessment to be eligible to graduate.

Co-sponsor Representatives Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Jon Cross (R-Kenton) say that the requirement is unnecessary for students and has negative consequences for schools and districts.

“As we all know, students today have different planned career and education pathways, post high school graduation, with some attending college and some entering the workforce, trades or continuing education that doesn’t require this specific test,” Representative Jones said.

“We have learned that many students who are not interested in the ACT test do not take the test seriously,” Representative Cross added. “A student’s lack of interest in the exam is reflected on scores, and therefore providing a false narrative and score of the state school report cards.”

Bill calls for age appropriate sexual abuse prevention instruction
Legislation (H.B. 105) introduced by Representatives Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Scott Lipps (R-Franklin), is under consideration by the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee.

“This bill would require age-appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse prevention for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, including information on available counseling and resources for children who are sexually abused,” Representative Kelly testified. “For seventh through twelfth grades, the bill would require age-appropriate instruction in sexual violence prevention education.”

The bill tasks the Ohio Department of Education with identifying the most appropriate curriculum with schools and districts potentially having multiple options from which to choose.

Report examines Ohio’s school-based behavioral health services
The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers recently released the 2021 School-Based Behavioral Health Services Summary report based on survey responses submitted by 76 provider organizations. The findings demonstrated continued growth of nine percent over the previous year despite COVID related interruptions or downsizing -- expanding to 224 buildings.

Highlights of the report include:

The 76 participating organizations deliver services in more than 2800 school buildings

This cohort of community behavioral health organizations currently provides services in approximately 73 percent of Ohio schools

80 percent of community providers reported being involved in general planning activities with school partners and two-thirds are members of school districts planning teams

While COVID-19 changed the way education and behavioral health services have been provided over the past year, the report is a reminder that access to mental health services and supports remains essential.

Learn more online at: Health Services