Ohio school board bill seems likely to pass

A bill by state Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, to remove most of the powers of the elected state school board is picking up lots of momentum and seems likely to pass. Reineke notes that he's been carrying essentially the same legislation for nearly seven years, through three legislative sessions. "I think we're very optimistic about getting it through this session," Reineke said in an interview with the Sandusky Register. The measure would transfer most of the powers and duties of the state school board and the state superintendent of public instruction to a Department of Education and Workforce, to be run by a director named by the governor. Reineke said he believes Gov. Mike DeWine will sign the measure into law. Reineke's Senate Bill 1 passed the Ohio Senate 26-7 Wednesday in a party line vote, sending it to the House for further action. Local lawmakers voting in favor, besides Reineke, included state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville. Moreover, the bill appears to be primed to get a favorable reception in the Ohio House. The new Ohio House speaker, Jason Stephens, recently announced 12 priority bills he intends to get passed during the current session. One of the 12 is House Bill 12, by state Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, and state Rep. Dave Dubos, R-Columbus. The provisions of the bill are identical to Reineke's measure. In addition, the Ohio House Republican Caucus, a group of conservative Republican lawmakers, also appears to list the bill as a priority. In its statement on "School Choice & Education Reform," the group states that "the State Board of Education has for too long empowered a left-wing bias in our education system and needs structural reform." The Ohio House Republican Caucus includes most House Republican lawmakers and is led by state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Township, who lost an election to Stephens for House speaker. Disgruntled Republican lawmakers who resented the fact that Stephens won with the backing of Democrats then formed a separate caucus. Teresa Fedor, a member of the state school board from the Toledo area representing a district that includes Sandusky, said she hasn't given up on defeating Reineke's bill. "We have a long way to go before summer recess," Fedor said. Fedor says if the bill does become law, it will likely be challenged with a lawsuit. The state school board's powers and responsibilities are spelled out in the Ohio Constitution, so Reineke's bill is unconstitutional, Fedor contends. If lawmakers can violate Ohio's constitution, "the rule of law doesn't exist," Fedor said. Referring to a possible lawsuit, Fedor said, "I will do everything in my power to make that happen." Reineke replies that while it's true the state school board is part of the state constitution, it's up to lawmakers to determine the board's duties. If SB 1 becomes law, the state school board will continue to exist, dealing with duties such as educator licensing and discipline and school district territory transfers. During January testimony before an Ohio Senate Education Committee hearing on his bill, Reineke contended that the current system is failing Ohio students and needs to be revamped. Many young people in Ohio are not even aware of career education opportunities for students who are not interested in going to college, he contended. In his interview with the Register, Reineke said he put his measure forward after meeting with local educators in his district who contend that change is needed. Career education to fill jobs needed by Ohio's economy isn't emphasized enough, Reineke contends, but they can produce good paying jobs that offer an alternative to going to college. And "those kids don't have college debt," he noted. Reineke also says his bill would increase accountability in the system. Fedor replied that under the current system, state school board members are elected and can therefore be removed by the voters. The Reineke bill would therefore lessen accountability, she said. Reineke replies that state lawmakers such as himself also are accountable to the voters, and the bill shows that lawmakers have become the path to positive change in education in Ohio. "If they wanted to be acting on this, they could," Reineke said, referring to state board members. "I believe our goals are stalled at the state board." Reineke's bill also would remove most regulations of homeschooling. A few weeks ago, state education officials said they are investigating a Nazi homeschooling network created by a couple in Upper Sandusky. Fedor said reasonable regulation of homeschooling is necessary. "We obviously had an example with the discovery of a Nazi homeschooling network," she said. Fedor and two other Democrats were elected to the state school board in November. She said it seems "very suspect" that since that election, GOP leaders in the Ohio General Assembly have been trying to reduce the state school board's power. "They clearly saw the voters rejected extremism on the board, and extreme candidates, that happened to be from their party," Fedor said. "So you might as well just try to seize power." Reineke responds that he's been working on his bill for years, so it's obviously not a reaction to an election that took place late last year.