Legislative Watch – June 13, 2025

Senate Passes Budget Bill Setting Stage for Conference Committee

This week, the Senate Finance Committee accepted a 600-page omnibus amendment to House Bill (HB) 96, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. The bill passed the Ohio Senate Finance Committee on June 10, 2025, along party lines. The Ohio Senate passed the bill the following day, on June 11, 2025, with a vote of 23-10, with all Democrat Senators and Republican Senator Louis Blessing (Colerain Township) voting no.  

Notably, the omnibus amendment included restoration of current law in the composition of the State Board of Education (SBOE). The budget passed by the House removed all elected members of the SBOE and replaced the current 19-member Board with a five-member Board all appointed by the Governor. OEA opposes that proposed change. However, the Senate’s omnibus amendment would also make all school board elections, for members of the SBOE and local boards of education, partisan elections. OEA opposes this change and believes this will only add to political division in our local communities and may preclude qualified candidates, including independent voters from seeking office.

The Ohio House voted not to concur with the changes made to HB 96 by the Ohio Senate, sending the bill to conference committee for final negotiations. As the budget heads to conference committee, OEA’s top priorities remain updating and fully funding the Fair School Funding Plan, removal of the school district carryover provision and changes to property taxes, stopping the expansion of private school vouchers, and changes to school board elections.  Now is the time for Ohio’s policymakers to appropriate funding and enact policies that support public school students and educators.

More information regarding the Senate’s changes to House Bill 96, as passed by the Ohio Senate, can be found in OEA’s summary here.

OEA will continue to keep members informed throughout the process on these critical issues.  Please continue sending letters to your Ohio State Senators and Representatives about the importance of fully updating and funding the Fair School Funding plan using OEA’s action alert. Additionally, OEA and allies are planning a rally to Fight for Fair School Funding at the Ohio Statehouse on June 25, 2025. To RSVP for the rally, please click here.

Please also consider calling your legislators and urge them to support fully updating and funding the Fair School Funding Plan, eliminating the carryover cap, and eliminating the Senate’s proposed property tax changes. Please find partner resources from Policy Matters Ohio highlighting the impact of the Senate passed version of HB 96 on legislative districts and local school districts. And partner resources from All in for Ohio Kids campaign showing how much your local school district would benefit from a fully phased in and updated fair school funding plan.

Stand with Ohio Higher Education: Help Repeal SB1 – Sign, Volunteer, Donate

Ohio’s Senate Bill 1 directly threatens academic freedom, diversity, equity, and inclusion in our state’s public colleges and universities. While SB1 primarily targets higher education, its erosion of shared governance and labor rights undermines principles that affect all educators. A referendum campaign is now underway to put the repeal of SB1 before Ohio voters, and we need your help. The below resources are from the YSU-OEA campaign to place SB1 on the ballot. Please note that this information is intended for OEA members and staff informational purposes only.

How You Can Help

• Sign the Referendum Petition
  • Visit and sign the petition at https://tinyurl.com/4y3xv3nd.
  • If you have already signed, please encourage eligible colleagues to do so.
• Volunteer to Collect Signatures
  • Visit the campaign website for volunteer opportunities and training: https://ohsb1petition.com.
  • You may host or attend local signature-collection events, coordinate with fellow educators, or organize workplace/community drives—every signature matters.
• Donate to Support Petition Printing and Outreach
  • Contribute to offset costs of printing petitions, promotional materials, and logistics: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/fund-petition-printing?source=direct_link&.
  • Even small donations help ensure we have enough materials across all 88 counties.
• Stay Informed via the Campaign’s Newsletter
  • Subscribe to regular updates on progress, deadlines, and local events: https://ohsb1petition.substack.com
  • Please share the newsletter link within your network so more Ohioans stay informed and engaged.

Spread the Word

• Share these links on social media, community groups, and among colleagues.
• Forward this email to fellow OEA members about the impact.

Next Week at the General Assembly

Here is your weekly snapshot of notable legislative developments, committee hearings, and bill activity at the Ohio Statehouse. Please review the updates below and take note of key actions or opportunities to engage.

Top Legislative Priorities This Week

House Bill 96 – State Operating Budget for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027

• Status: Before Conference Committee
• Summary: The Senate passed its version of HB 96 on June 11, 2025, to which the House voted to not concur with the Senate’s changes.
  OEA Position: Interested Party

Next Steps: The HB 96 Conference Committee will convene on June 17, 2025, to begin work on crafting a final state budget. Conferees include State Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirkland), State Senator Brian Chavez (R-Marietta), State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), State Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville), State Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea), and State Representative Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake).

Important Committee Hearings Next Week

Ohio HB96 Conference Committee

The HB96 Conference Committee will convene on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, to begin its work on crafting a final version of the state budget. To view the Conference Committee hearings on the Ohio Channel Live, please click here.

Get Involved

Take Action:

• Please continue to send letters to your Ohio State Senators and State Representatives about the importance of fully updating and funding the fair school funding plan by using OEA’s action alert.
• Call Governor DeWine and urge him to support OEA’s position on updating and fully funding the Fair School Funding Plan and oppose the General Assembly’s proposed carryover cap and tax proposals. The Governor’s Riffe Center Office number is 614-644-4357.
• Check out Policy Matters Ohio and All in for Ohio’s Kids updated resources.
• OEA and allies are planning a rally to Fight for Fair School Funding on June 25, 2025, at the Ohio Statehouse. To RSVP for the rally, please click here.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

Senate Substitute Budget Bill Misses the Mark on Fair School Funding

This week, the Ohio Senate Finance Committee adopted a substitute bill to House Bill 96, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026 and 2027.  The bill outlines the Senate’s first changes to the House-passed bill.  OEA believes that the Senate Substitute version of the budget fails to prioritize the 90% of students who attend public school.

On Thursday, June 5, 2025, OEA President Scott DiMauro testified on the Senate’s proposed changes before the Senate Finance Committee. You can watch the entire testimony here. A copy of the testimony outlining our positions can be read here. You may view funding simulations for districts here, and career technical simulations here. Click here, for the simulations of performance supplements.

Below are the major policy changes contained within the Substitute measure.  

School Funding 

• Reinstates the Fair School Funding Plan framework and phases in years 5 and 6 but fails to update the base cost components.
• Guarantees district funding at FY 2021 levels.
• Amends the House-passed per-pupil enrollment growth to be $225 in FY 2026 for districts whose enrollment grew by at least 5% and $250 in FY 2027 for districts whose enrollment grew by at least 3%.  
• Creates a new measure to provide districts funding based on state report card performance.  
• Under the Senate funding proposal, 146 districts would receive less money from the state next year than this year, and 180 districts would see state revenue decline between FY 2026 and FY 2027.  

School District Carryover Balances

• Raises the threshold for carryover balances from 30% to 50% before the County Budget Commission is required to reduce a school district’s property tax collections.
• Allows a school district to adopt a resolution to reserve a portion of the carryover balances for current or future permanent improvement expenses to be utilized within the next three years. These funds would not count toward the 50% threshold.  However, the funds would be used to reduce property taxes if not used within three years.  
• Under the 50% threshold, approximately 239 school districts would be impacted.
• Requires school boards to submit appropriations, revenue, and fund balance assumptions for the current fiscal year in addition to three-year projections of operational revenue and expenditures.  

Property Taxes

• Requires school boards to obtain a two-thirds vote from all members to put a tax levy on the ballot.  
• Requires that current emergency and substitute tax levies be included in calculating a school district’s 20-mill floor or a joint vocational school district’s 2-mill floor for property tax purposes. 
• Eliminates the following types of levies: replacement property tax levy, fixed-sum emergency levy, substitute levy, and combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levy, generally beginning with elections held on or after Jan. 1, 2026. 
• Prohibits a school district from proposing a current expense levy if it has a general fund carryover balance of over 100%. 
• Requires current expense levy ballot language to include the percentage and dollar amount of general fund carryover balances.  
• Prohibits a school district or other education-related taxing authority from combining a renewal levy with an increase to an existing levy and making other changes. Increase the reduction amount of the standard property tax homestead exemption from $28,000 to $32,000 while increasing the income threshold from $40,000 to $42,500. It also increases the enhanced homestead exemptions for disabled veterans and surviving spouses from $56,000 to $59,000. 

School Vouchers

• Removes a provision in the House-passed bill that would have established “education savings accounts” for students who attend non-chartered public schools.  
• Expand eligibility for the Jon Peterson and Autism voucher programs by expanding eligibility to students from age 3 to 22, non-chartered private school students, and those who are home-schooled.  It also allows these services to be provided virtually.  

Other Provisions

• Retains OEA opposed language that requires a school district superintendent to assign teachers based on the “best interests of the students” and prohibits them from using seniority or continuing contract status as the primary factor in determining assignments. Specifies that the law pertaining to teacher assignments prevails over conflicting provisions of collective bargaining agreements entered into on or after the provision’s effective date.
• Reinstates OEA supported language that requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) to annually collect school district employment and vacancy data for teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, providers of specialized services, principals, assistant principals, and any other positions determined by the department.
• Retains language that proposes the creation of a transportation workgroup to annually monitor and review the student transportation system and develop recommendations for changes to student transportation needs.  
• Retains language that allows evaluation to be used as a “measure of progression” in the resident educator program.

Income Tax

• Reduces Ohio state income tax to a flat rate of 2.75% starting in the tax year 2026.
• Maintains that Ohioans earning less than $26,050 pay no state income tax. 
• Reduces the marginal tax paid on income over $26,050 in tax year 2023 for those making less than $100,000 and in tax year 2026 for all taxpayers.  Taxpayers with higher incomes will begin to phase out eligibility for the joint filer credit and personal, dependent, and spousal deductions. 
• Reduces revenue to the state by $1.68 billion over the biennium.  

OEA will provide a detailed summary of the bill next week once the Ohio Senate Finance Committee accepts the omnibus amendment.

Advocates Host Townhall on the Impact of Federal Medicaid Cuts

On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, OEA members and staff joined other advocates to learn about the impact of proposed federal cuts to Medicaid in the current federal spending proposal currently before the U.S. Senate. Nearly 3 million Ohioans depend on Medicaid for health care coverage.  Hundreds of thousands of students benefit from Medicaid in Schools and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In collaboration with Policy Matters Ohio, participants heard from organizers and experts in state and national organizations.  See NEA’s resources on the impact of these programs by the federal proposal.

To find the recording and all the resources sent to participants of Tuesday night’s call, please click here. 

Next Week at the General Assembly

Here is your weekly snapshot of notable legislative developments, committee hearings, and bill activity at the Ohio Statehouse. Please review the updates below and take note of key actions or opportunities to engage.

Top Legislative Priorities This Week

House Bill 96 – State Operating Budget for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027

• Status: Currently pending before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee.
• Summary: The Senate adopted a Substitute version of HB 96 on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. See the above article for details.  
• OEA Position: Interested Party

Next Steps: The Ohio Senate Finance Committee heard public testimony on their substitute bill this week.  The Senate Finance Committee is expected to adopt an omnibus amendment, and the full Senate will vote to pass the budget next week.

Important Committee Hearings Next Week

Ohio Senate Finance Committee

While the Ohio Senate Finance Committee has yet to schedule hearings for the week of June 9, 2025, it is anticipated that the committee will schedule hearings focused on adopting omnibus and stand-alone amendments to their version of HB 96. To view committee hearings on the Ohio Channel Live, please click here.

Get Involved

Take Action: 

• Please continue sending letters to your Ohio Senators about the importance of fully updating and funding the Fair School Funding plan using OEA’s action alert.
• OEA and allies are planning a rally to Fight for Fair School Funding at the Ohio Statehouse on June 25, 2025. To RSVP for the rally, please click here.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

Election Bill Draws Broad Opposition

An election bill opposed by OEA and many other groups, drew broad opposition at its third hearing before the Senate General Government Committee. Senate Bill (SB) 153, sponsored by State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), drew overwhelming criticism as it would create new regulations making it harder for citizens to collect signatures for statewide ballot issues, and create barriers for new or updated voter registration. Please click here to read a summary of SB 153 put together by our partners at Common Cause Ohio.

At the hearing on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 69 individuals and organizations provided opposition testimony on the bill. By contrast, only one group—a free enterprise advocacy organization headquartered in Florida—has testified as a proponent.

OEA was one of 140 organizations to sign on to an opposition letter on the bill. You can view the letter here. 

Policy Matters Ohio to host virtual town hall on defending Medicaid, including critical school-based services like CHIP

The U.S. House recently passed a dangerous budget proposal that would cut funding for vital services to millions of Americans. The bill is now under Senate consideration and contains provisions that threaten to slash Medicaid funding, including critical school-based services that support students’ health and learning. These cuts would severely impact Ohio schools’ ability to provide Medicaid-reimbursed services like nursing care, school counseling, therapy, and psychological services.

In Ohio, more than 1 in 3 children rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for health coverage. In many school districts, particularly in rural and high-poverty areas, that number is significantly higher. These programs fund essential services that help students stay healthy, focused, and ready to learn.

Click here to see the percentage of students enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP by school district in Ohio: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/03/17/medicaid-chip-coverage-in-ohio-school-districts-2019-2023/

We invite you to join our partners at Policy Matters Ohio for a virtual town hall focused on defending Medicaid, including protecting CHIP and preserving access to school-based health services for Ohio students.

When: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Where: Zoom – Register here and share with your network

Featured Panelists:

• Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE)
• Ohio Association of Foodbanks
• Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio (UHCAN)

Please make time to attend and help us spread the word to fellow members, parents, and community partners. Together, we can protect Medicaid and CHIP—and ensure that every Ohio student has access to the health care they need, where they need it most.

Next Week at the General Assembly

Here is your weekly snapshot of notable legislative developments, committee hearings, and bill activity at the Ohio Statehouse. Please review the updates below and take note of key actions or opportunities to engage.

Top Legislative Priorities This Week

House Bill 96 — State Operating Budget for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027

• Status: Currently pending before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee.
• Summary: HB 96 as passed by the Ohio House creates a school funding shortfall by replacing the Fair School Funding Plan with a “Bridge Formula” and a 30% year-over-year carryover cap for local school districts.
• OEA Position: Interested Party
• Next Steps: The Ohio Senate Finance Committee heard public testimony this week and is anticipated to adopt a substitute bill on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. After adoption of the substitute bill, the Senate Finance Committee will hear public testimony on the bill through Friday, June 6, 2025.

Senate Bill 158 — Ban on Cell Phone Use in Schools

• Status: Currently pending before the Ohio House Education Committee, passed by the Ohio Senate on May 15, 2025, with a vote of 30 yeas to 2 nays.
• Summary: Requires school districts to adopt policies governing the use of cellphones during instructional day, however the bill maintains an exception to this prohibition permitting the use of cellphones for student learning or to monitor or address a health concern deemed appropriate by the school’s governing body or if included in a student’s IEP or 504 plan.
• OEA Position: Interested Party—OEA supports the ability for local school districts to make the determination on appropriate use of cell phones as passed in HB 250 from the 135^th Ohio General Assembly.
• Next Steps: The Ohio House Education Committee will hear sponsor testimony on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, from the bill’s sponsor, State Senator Jane Timken (R-Jackson Twp.).  

Important Committee Hearings Next Week

Ohio Senate Finance Committee

The Ohio Senate Finance Committee has scheduled multiple hearings for the week of June 2–6, 2025, focusing on the state operating budget (Amended Substitute House Bill 96). All hearings are set to take place in the Finance Hearing Room. To view committee hearings on the Ohio Channel Live, please click here.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

• Time: 2:30 PM
• Agenda: Am. Sub. H.B. 96 – 9th Hearing

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

• Time: 9:00 AM
• Agenda: Am. Sub. H.B. 96 – 10th Hearing

Thursday, June 5, 2025

• Time: 9:00 AM
• Agenda: Am. Sub. H.B. 96 – 11th Hearing

Friday, June 6, 2025

• Time: 9:00 AM
• Agenda: Am. Sub. H.B. 96 – 12th Hearing

These hearings are part of the ongoing deliberations on the state operating appropriations for Fiscal Years 2026–2027. Stakeholders interested in providing testimony should refer to the committee’s guidelines and submission deadlines.

For real-time updates and to access meeting materials, please visit the Senate Finance Committee Meetings page.

Ohio House Education Committee

The Ohio House Education Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 2:15 PM in Room 121 of the Ohio Statehouse. During next week’s hearing, the committee will hear testimony on the following bills:

First Hearings (Sponsor Testimony)

• H.B. 269 (Reps. Ritter, Newman)
  Topic: Regards success sequence and character education curriculum
  Note: Possible amendment
• H.B. 294 (Reps. Mathews, T., Ritter)
  Topic: Addresses intradistrict open enrollment policies
• Sub. S.B. 158 (Sen. Timken)
  Topic: Prohibits student cell phone use in public schools

Second Hearings (Proponent/Opponent/Interested Party Testimony; Possible Vote)

• H.B. 187 (Reps. Click, Synenberg)
  Topic: Requires daily moment of silence in schools
• H.C.R. 7 (Reps. Ghanbari, Miller, J.)
  Topic: Supports American Legion Buckeye Boys State and Buckeye Girls State

Third Hearing (Possible Vote)

• H.B. 117 (Reps. Richardson, Brennan)
  Topic: Enacts The Pledge of Allegiance Act

For real-time updates and to access meeting materials, please visit the House Education Committee meetings page.

Get Involved

• Take Action: Please continue to send letters to your Ohio Senators about the importance of fully updating and funding the fair school funding plan by using OEA’s action alert.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

OEA Members Advocate at the Statehouse for Fair School Funding and Respect for Educators’ Voice

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, nearly 100 OEA members and allies from across the state gathered at the Ohio Statehouse for OEA’s second Member Lobby Day of the 136th General Assembly. Educators met directly with their legislators to share firsthand stories about how decisions in Columbus impact their students, schools, and communities. The focus of the day was advocating for the full and fair implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan, opposing harmful provisions in House Bill (HB) 96, and defending Educators’ voices at the State Board of Education and State Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, and supporting the Future Educators Support Act. 

Throughout the day, members urged lawmakers to reject arbitrary budget caps, restore evidence-based funding, and ensure accountability for all institutions receiving public dollars—including private school voucher programs. Legislators heard loud and clear that educators are united in their demand for a budget that reflects the actual cost of educating every child and supports the vital role of public schools in Ohio’s communities.

OEA thanks all the members who took time to travel, speak up, and make a difference. Your voice is essential to shaping policy that puts students first and strengthens public education.

If you were unable to attend the lobby day, please consider using OEA’s virtual lobby day alert to engage your state senator and/or representative and request a meeting to discuss these critical issues. 

Other ways you can engage in OEA’s HB 96 advocacy include:

• Send a letter using OEA’s action alert
• Use Policy Matters Ohio’s local school district or legislative district fact sheets with your colleagues, friends, family and neighbors and ask them to engage your elected officials. 
• Urge your local school district to pass a school board resolution in support of the Fair School Funding Plan using All in for Ohio Kids campaign resources.

Immigration Status Reporting Bill Raises Alarms for Public Schools

On May 20, 2025, the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee held a second hearing on House Bill (HB) 42, legislation mandating public schools and other state agencies to collect and report data on individuals’ citizenship and immigration status. The bill, sponsored by State Representative Tex Fischer (R-Howland Twp.) and State Representative Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.), has drawn sharp criticism from education and civil rights advocates who warn it could lead to discrimination and funding cuts for districts serving immigrant communities. 

Under HB 42, school districts would be required to gather and disclose information about students’ immigration status, which opponents argue is both unnecessary and harmful. Critics contend that the bill targets schools with large immigrant populations, potentially leading to reduced funding for already under-resourced programs. Under the Plyer decision, schools have a legal responsibility to educate all children, regardless of immigration status. HB 42 could undermine that mandate.

In response to the bill’s progression, the Honesty for Ohio Education, a nonpartisan statewide coalition in which OEA is a leading partner, has introduced a model resolution for local school boards to formally oppose HB 42. The resolution emphasizes the importance of protecting students’ rights and maintaining inclusive educational environments. Honesty for Ohio Education urges school boards across the state to adopt this resolution to send a clear message against policies that could harm vulnerable student populations.

OEA stands in solidarity with educators, families, and community leaders who oppose HB 42. We encourage members to contact their local school boards to support the adoption of the resolution against HB 42 and to reach out to their state representatives to express concerns about the bill’s potential impact on public education.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

Senate Education Committee Deliberation of State Budget Concludes

Last week, the Ohio Senate wrapped up its consideration of the K-12 and other education provisions of House Bill (HB) 96. The bill now returns to the full Senate Finance Committee for amendments based on testimony before and reports from standing committees. It is anticipated that the Ohio Senate will adopt a substitute bill the week of June 2, 2025, with additional amendments adopted by the committee the week of June 9. It is also anticipated that the Senate Finance Committee will report their amended version of HB 96 on either June 11 or 12, with the full Senate taking up the budget bill for final consideration on Thursday, June 12. Once passed by the Senate, the House will take up the budget for concurrence with the Senate amendments. If the House does not concur, the budget will then head to conference committee for final negotiations on the differences between the two chambers, which is anticipated to occur over the weeks of June 16 and June 23.

As such, we would like to elevate the email below sent to local leaders last week and ask that all members continue to contact their Ohio Senators and Representatives to urge their support for restoring and updating the Fair School Funding Plan and repealing the 30% carryover cap. Please use the links below to send letters, sign OEA’s petition, and find resources from partners to engage your elected officials and organize your communities.

Congressional Recess: Schedule Your Member Meetings

With Congress on recess from May 27 through June 2, now is the ideal window to meet with your U.S. Representative and Senators in your home district. In-person meetings during recess are one of the most powerful ways to make our voices heard. Here’s how to get started:

• Find your members of Congress
  • Visit www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to look up your district’s Representative and Senators.
• Request a meeting
  • Use their online “District Office” scheduling portals or call their local offices directly.
• Prepare your message
  • Oppose proposed federal cuts: Explain how rollback of Title I, IDEA, ESSA and other critical education programs would widen opportunity gaps, undermine supports for students with disabilities, and force cuts to classroom staff and school services.
  • Highlight equity impacts: Emphasize that reduced funding disproportionately harms low-income and rural communities, jeopardizing after-school programs, mental-health services, and resources for English learners.
  • Call for investment: Urge them to protect and increase federal education funding so every student has access to qualified teachers, up-to-date materials, and safe learning environments.
• Bring allies
  • Invite fellow educators, parents, or community members to join you for greater impact.
• Provide feedback
  • Use OEA’s member lobbying feedback form to let us know how the conversation with you elected officials went and what subjects you discussed. Please also indicate if your requests went unanswered using OEA’s feedback form.

Face-to-face conversations during recess show our elected officials that public education isn’t just a talking point—it’s our top priority.

As always, please contact OEA Government Relations with any questions or for additional support in engaging with your elected representatives.

In Solidarity,

OEA Government Relations

At this weekend’s Representative Assembly, OEA launched a petition to “Protect Ohio Classrooms.” You can download the flyer we used, which lays out three simple but critical actions your members can take right now to defend the Fair School Funding Plan. Please share this with your colleagues and emphasize that we need to move quickly this week to build momentum before the Ohio Senate adopts its substitute amendments on House Bill 96, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027, next week. Specifically, ask your colleagues to:

1. Sign OEA’s Petition to Protect Ohio Classrooms:
   Direct members to add their name in support of a student centered, adequate, and predictable funding formula. The petition helps demonstrate overwhelming grassroots support for fully funding our schools.
2. Email Their State Senator:
   Urgency is paramount—encourage members to use the flyer’s talking points to explain why scrapping the Fair School Funding Plan underfunds schools by $2.75 billion, caps carryover reserves at 30%, and undermines student success.

To help your leaders make these actions as powerful as possible, please direct them to these Policy Matters Ohio resources:

• District by District Impact: Compare the House passed plan versus a fully updated Fair School Funding Plan
• Legislative District Details: See how full implementation would affect their legislative district.
• Pass a Local School District Resolution: Using the All in for Ohio Kids campaign resources to urge support from your district, administrators, parents and community.

If anyone needs to confirm their state senator, they can look up who represents them here: www.ohea.org/scorecard.

Thank you for your leadership in mobilizing our members. By standing together—signing the petition, calling senators immediately, and joining us in Columbus on May 20—we will protect the resources every Ohio student deserves.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

OEA President DiMauro Testifies on State Budget Bill in Ohio Senate

OEA President Scott DiMauro provided testimony on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, before the Senate Education Committee on Substitute House Bill 96, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. The testimony highlighted the following:

• The need for the Senate to restore and update the Fair School Funding Plan.
• Request that the Senate eliminate the House added provision that would limit a school district’s year-over-year carryover fund to 30% of the previous fiscal year’s operating expenses.
• Opposition to the newly created Education Savings Accounts.
• Request that the Senate eliminate the teacher assignment provision.
• Request support for the elimination of the video requirement of the Resident Educator (RE) program contained in the governor’s proposal and removal of language that inappropriately entangles the process for earning a statewide teaching license with local processes for evaluating teachers.
• Support for the House’s language that restores district flexibility in diagnostic testing for students with severe cognitive disabilities.
• Request the removal of the budget provision allowing a school district to adopt a policy to excuse students from the financial literacy high school graduation requirement if they participate in a financial literacy program offered through the student branch of a credit union or by a bank during high school.
• Support for the House creation of a K-12 Transportation Workgroup and request for a bus driver to be added to the workgroup.
• Request the removal of language that would eliminate the elected members on the State Board of Education.
• Request the Senate to restore language from the Executive Budget proposal that would create a school employee vacancy survey.

You can view OEA’s testimony by clicking here. You may also view President DiMauro’s remarks before the committee here. As the Senate now takes up the budget, please consider the following actions to urge support for the Fair School Funding Plan and oppose the House’s cash carryover cap proposal and handouts to unaccountable private schools and billionaires:

• Send an email to your State Senator using OEA’s updated HB 96 action alert.
• Call your State Senator’s office to speak with them about your concerns with the House version of HB 96 and/or request a meeting with your State Senator or their staff.
• Check out Policy Matters Ohio’s resources on how your district is impacted by the House version of HB 96 and a NEW RESOURCE that highlights how much schools your legislative districts would benefit from a fully updated and funded Fair School Funding Plan and the impact of the House school funding and private school voucher proposals.

STRS Board Election Results Announced

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, STRS announced the results of the election for two members of the retirement system board of trustees representing active members. OEA’s recommended candidate was Michael Harkness, a teacher from Akron Public Schools, who was re-elected to the Board. Also elected was Chad Smith, a teacher from Columbus City Schools. Harkness and Smith will begin four-year terms on September 1, 2025. OEA would like to congratulate them on their election to the STRS Board. Full voting results are listed below:

ORSC Looks at Educator Pension Fund Governance

On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) who serves as Chair of the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC), held a press conference at the statehouse to announce planned presentations to the STRS Subcommittee. The subcommittee agenda would focus on educator pension governance across the country.

On Thursday, May 8, 2025, ORSC’s STRS Subcommittee heard presentations from the National Conference of State Legislatures and RVK, an investment consulting firm, on the subject. Those presentations can be found on the ORSC website here. However, it would be hard to draw any conclusions from them. Pension board structures vary greatly among the 50 states. Often the boards are a mixture of elected and appointed members. STRS is not an outlier and has similar composition to the other retirement system boards in Ohio.

The STRS Board is comprised of eleven members. Five members are active members of the system elected by the active members. Two members are retired members of the system elected by the retired members. The remaining four are appointees—a representative of the Department of Education and Workforce, and three investment experts appointed by the Governor, the Treasurer, and the Ohio General Assembly. It should be noted that the legislative appointment on the STRS Board is currently vacant.

OEA opposes changes to the composition of the STRS Board. Elected board members who represent participants in the system are the best stewards of the pension fund. The current composition of the Board provides for this along with significant input from four appointed members. While there is no currently proposed change in law, OEA is actively engaging legislators to reiterate our position on board composition and will advocate on this issue throughout the legislative process.

“Support Future Educators Act” Gets Sponsor Testimony

House Bill (HB) 205 received sponsor testimony from State Representative Sean Brennan (D-Parma) and State Representative Don Jones (R-Freeport) this week before the House Education Committee. OEA strongly supports HB 205, known as the “Future Educators Support Act.” OEA thanks Rep. Brennan and Rep. Jones for sponsoring this bi-partisan bill in support of aspiring educators.

HB 205 establishes several provisions to support student teachers, attract new educators, address teacher shortages, and provide more comprehensive data on the educational workforce in Ohio. These provisions include requiring the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to conduct an annual online staffing survey for school districts. Additionally, under the bill, DEW is permitted to offer a cost of living stipend or waive or reimburse test fees.The bill also permits local school districts to offer financial support for student teachers such as being paid at least the state minimum hourly wage or inclusion in health care plans provided to school employees. Additionally, the bill expressly authorizes state higher education institutions to waive tuition for students during their student teaching period. The bill further directs the Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to include teachers on the list of in-demand jobs. OEA’s Aspiring Educator members are engaged in advocating for this important legislation. HB 205 will be on the agenda for the OEA Educator Lobby Day scheduled for May 20, 2025.

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

Ohio General Assembly Returns from Legislative Recess

The Ohio General Assembly returned from legislative spring break this week.   Importantly, the Ohio Senate continued its consideration of Substitute House Bill (HB) 96, the biennial budget proposal for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Testimony before various standing committees commenced this week and will continue over the next two before the budget heads back to the full Senate Finance Committee. K-12 education portions of the budget – including school funding – will be considered by the Ohio Senate Education Committee.  To look up the members of the Senate Education Committee and the committee’s schedule, please click here.

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Senate Education Committee held invited state agencies and commissions. The Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) provided testimony before the Senate committee on Wednesday.  Over the next two weeks, the Senate Education Committee plans to hold invited and open public testimony on education funding components of the bill. OEA has been invited to provide testimony before the committee on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.  

As a reminder, before legislative recess began, the Ohio House passed its version of the budget bill.  The House plan abandons the final phase in of the Fair School Funding Plan, shorting public school funding by nearly $2.75 billion. Instead, the House proposal creates  a “bridge formula” that returns school funding to a process dictated by political whims over a formula that is cost-based, adequate, and predictable. Under the House’s plan, a vast majority of districts will only receive $50 more per student over biennium.  On top of that, the House plan also creates a school district cash carryover cap at 30% of their prior year’s cash balance.  This cap, coupled with underfunding, would increase financial instability at the local level, leading to potential staff cuts, program eliminations, and/or increase frequency of property tax levies to ensure that districts have enough in their budgets to operate

The House plan also creates an all-new voucher for non-charted private schools and gives millions of dollars to billionaire sports team owners. These schools are not eligible even for the EdChoice voucher because they don’t even want to have the scant oversight that current chartered private schools are required to have to accept vouchers. And as we saw in Arizona, programs like the one proposed by the Ohio House lead to rampant waste, fraud, and abuse.

As the Senate now takes up the budget, please consider the following actions to urge support for the Fair School Funding Plan and oppose the House’s cash carryover cap proposal and handouts to unaccountable private schools and billionaires: 

• Send an email to your State Senator using OEA’s updated HB 96 action alert. 
• Call your State Senator’s office to speak with them about your concerns with the House version of HB 96 and/or request a meeting with your State Senator or their staff. 

OEA Lobby Day and Legislative Reception

Another effective way OEA members can advocate for public schools, students, and educators, is to join members from across the state on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, for OEA’s second Member Lobby Day of the 136th Ohio General Assembly.  Like the lobby day in March, the May lobby day will focus on OEA’s priorities in House Bill 96, the state’s proposed FY 2026 and FY 2027 biennial budget.  

To RSVP for OEA’s May Lobby Day, please click here.

Additionally, OEA members are invited to participate in OEA’s Legislative Reception which will be held on the same day.  Details for the OEA Legislative Reception are as follows:

• When: Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
• Where: Museum Viewing Gallery of the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215
• RSVP: Please RSVP your attendance by Tuesday, May 14th with Lisa Simpson at 1-800-282-1500 x 3056 or simpsonl@ohea.org

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

Ohio House Passes State Budget Bill

On Tuesday, April 8, the Ohio House Finance Committee made further changes to the state budget bill via an omnibus amendment before sending Substitute House Bill (HB) 96 to the full Ohio House.  Democrats didn’t offer any committee amendments, and the bill was passed in the House on a party-line vote, with all committee Democrats voting no.   

On Wednesday, April 9, after lengthy House floor deliberations, the amendments to modify the property tax carryover balance provision and changes to the school funding formula were tabled, and the Ohio House passed HB 96 by a vote of 60-39. Five House Republicans – Representative Levi Dean (R-Xenia), Representative Ron Furgeson (R-Wintersville), Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill), and Representative Michelle Teska (R-Clearcreek Twp.) – joined all House Democrats in voting against passage of the budget bill.     

OEA continues to have serious objections to provisions contained in the House measure.  You may view our concerns outlined in OEA’s substitute bill letter. It is important to note that we are halfway through the state budget process, and funding and policy provisions are likely to change.  Attention now shifts to the Ohio Senate, where budget hearings are underway.
 
Details of the significant policy changes in the House’s version of the bill since last week’s legislative watch are outlined below: 

• Modifies the requirement for any school district with a carryover balance of greater than 30%, instead of 25%, for the county budget commission to reduce millage rates of the district so that the reduction equals the difference between the district’s current cash balance and what it would be at 30%.   
• Reduces from five to three years the duration for operational revenue and expenditure forecasts school districts are required to develop twice annually. 
• Requires that the Auditor of State or Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) examine the projections to determine whether a district has the potential to incur a deficit during the first two years of the three-year period, rather than the first three years of the five-year period under current law. 
• Requires school districts to permit students to attend a released time course in religious instruction for at least one period per week instead of one hour as in the bill’s current version. 
• Limits elementary school student attendance in religious leave to no more than two periods per week, instead of 120 minutes, as in the current version of the bill. 
• Makes permanent an exception set to expire after the 2024-2025 school year that permits a licensed teacher who completes specified professional development to teach computer science without otherwise being licensed in that subject area. 
• Eliminates current law requiring DEW to develop a mandatory training program on career pathways in building and construction trades and that each licensed school counselor serving students in grades 7-12 to must complete four hours of that training every five years. 
• Clarifies that a community school, when purchasing mass transit passes for its students because their resident school districts have opted to cover the cost of those passes in lieu of transporting them, may only be directly reimbursed by DEW for the cost of passes purchased for students in grades 9-12. 
• Restores the current law requirement to permit an individual to pay cash for a ticket to a school-affiliated event, and if they do not accept cash, to grant the individual a free ticket if tickets are available. 

We need members to take action at the local level to help build our coalition to support the Fair School Funding Plan. All In for Ohio Kids created a resource kit to help members engage their administrations, school boards, and communities.  

The kit includes (link in PDFs):  

• How-to Guide 
• Sample Email 
• Model Resolution 
• Media Guide 
• Community Meeting Toolkit 

Also, please consider joining us in Columbus on May 20 for OEA’s next Lobby Day to speak out for public schools.   

Congressional and General Assembly Legislative Recesses Begins 

The U.S. Congress and Ohio General Assembly are on legislative recess from April 14, 2025, through April 25, 2025. During this period, federal and state legislators return to their home districts, allowing OEA members an opportunity to engage directly with their elected representatives. During this period, legislators are more accessible for in-person meetings, town halls, and community events.  

NEA developed the following toolkit to help members plan and engage elected officials during the upcoming legislative recess. The toolkit provides a guide on scheduling events, messaging ideas, and sample social media posts.  

OEA encourages members to reach out to their legislators during this period and engage them on the importance of protecting and strengthening public education. To find the contact information for legislators, please use the following links:  

• For Ohio’s U.S. Senators 
• For Ohio’s Delegation to Congress 
• For Members of the Ohio General Assembly 

If you can meet with your legislators and/or their staff, please use OEA’s member lobbying feedback form to provide OEA with conversation details to help inform further advocacy.  

For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive. 

House Finance Committee Adopts Substitute Budget Bill

Earlier this week, the House Finance Committee adopted a substitute version of House Bill 96, the state budget bill for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. You may view our letter to the Ohio House of Representatives detailing our positions on the major provisions of the substitute bill here. The spreadsheets for school district estimate for the substitute bill are available by clicking here, and for JVSD estimates, click here. 

We anticipate that the Ohio House Finance Committee will adopt additional changes to the bill via an omnibus amendment at its hearing next Tuesday, April 8, 2025, and favorably report the amended substitute bill. The full Ohio House is expected to take up the bill and pass it on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. 

In its version of the budget, the House Majority chose to fund unaccountable private school voucher schemes and give handouts to billionaires over funding the Fair School Funding Plan, which provides an adequate, equitable, and consistent funding system for our public schools. Instead, they would prefer to return to a funding system for public schools that is based on political whims. The House budget scraps the Fair School Funding Plan and shortchanges public schools for what they should receive.  Some actions you can take to advocate for the Fair School Funding Plan:

1. Find out the impact to your district from a new policy brief created by our partners at Policy Matters Ohio, who generated district-by-district sheets comparing what districts should receive under the Fair School Funding Plan and the House Majority’s plan.  
2. Go to the All in for Ohio Kids website.  There you can sign the petition calling on state leaders to support the Fair School Funding Plan.  Additionally, please see the following AOK resources that you can use in your local district:
   • Model School Board Resolution.
   • Sample email to engage your Superintendent and School Board Members urging them to support the Fair School Funding Plan.
   • Resources on how to host a community meeting to educate your community about how public schools are funded in Ohio. 
3. Call or email your State Representative and State Senator and urge them to support the full updating and implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan. Please click here and fill out the “Who Represents Me?” form to find your State Legislators. 

Highlighted below are the major provisions of the substitute measure:  

School Funding

• Freezes the use of the Fair School Funding methodology for the biennium and instead creates a mechanism for temporary foundation funding. It provides an increase for public school funding over the next biennium compared to FY 2025 funding levels.  (OEA is opposed to not using the Fair School Funding formula)
• Maintains current law regarding required uses for student wellness and success funds and Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA). (OEA supports)

School District Cash Balance Carryover

• Requires for any school district with a carryover balance of greater than 25%, the county budget commission to reduce millage rates of the district so that the reduction equals the difference between the district’s current cash balance and what it would be at 25%. (OEA Opposed)

Vouchers

• Creates yet another voucher program to use taxpayer money to fund private school tuition for some students. The bill would establish an “education savings account” for K-12 students at participating non-chartered private schools beginning with the 2026-27 school year. (OEA opposed)
  • Non-chartered private schools are mainly religious schools that eschew state oversight or regulation and are not eligible for the EdChoice voucher program.
  • The award amount would be 75% of the EdChoice amount (currently, $4,625 for K-8 and $6,306 for high school students). The amounts would be reduced for households with income above 450% of poverty.
  • The Treasurer of the State would administer the program. Funds could be used for tuition, fees, textbooks, instructional materials, and supplies.
• Expand eligibility for the Autism and Jon Peterson Special Needs voucher programs. (OEA opposed)
  • Expand eligibility to three- and four-year olds and up to 22 years of age. 
  • Qualifies children enrolled in chartered or non-chartered private schools or those who are home-educated. 
  • Permits intervention, educational, academic, and other services related to special education to be provided virtually.

Testing

• Eliminates the requirement for schools to administer the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA).
• Removes provision in the Executive budget that required the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to adopt diagnostic assessments for reading in math for students in grades K-3. (OEA supports)
• Restores testing exemptions and alternative assessments in current law for students with significant cognitive disability. (OEA supports)

Teacher Assignment

• Retains language that authorizes the superintendent of each school district to assign teachers to positions “based on the best interests of the students enrolled in the district.” In assigning, reassigning, or transferring a teacher, whether voluntary or involuntary, on the part of the teacher, the superintendent shall not use seniority or continuing contract status as the primary factor in determining the teacher’s assignment.  (OEA Opposed) 
• Retains the stipulation that this provision of the revised code prevails over any conflicting provisions of agreements between employee organizations and public employers entered on or after the effective date of this section. (OEA Opposed)

School Employee Vacancy Survey

• Removes the provision requiring the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to collect school district employment and vacancy data annually. (OEA Opposed to the elimination of this provision)

Resident Educator

• Retains elimination of performance-based assessment (video) portion of resident educator program. As such, the bill also eliminates the option of a board of education to elect not to conduct an evaluation of a teacher doing the performance-based assessment for the first time. (OEA Supports)
• Retains language that allows the teacher evaluation system adopted under ORC 3319.111 (OTES or other) to be used to assess an individual participating in the teacher residency program. (OEA Opposed)

State Board of Education

• Removes all elected members from the composition of the State Board of Education (SBOE) and reduces the membership of the Board from nineteen members to five members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Ohio Senate. (OEA opposed)
  • Five appointed members of the SBOE would represent a rural school district, a suburban school district, an urban school district, a charter school, and a chartered private school.
• Abolishes the SBOE Licensure Fund and requires that the SBOE’s operating expenses be paid from, and the license, certificate, or permitting fees it collects be paid into, the Occupational Licensing and Regulatory Fund. (OEA Opposed)
• Requires the SBOE to establish license, certificate, or permit fee amounts, along with any appropriations made by the General Assembly, to be enough to cover its estimated operating expenses rather than just the cost of administering the SBOE’s licensure system. (OEA Opposed)

Transportation

• Establishes a student transportation workgroup to develop recommendations. (OEA supports, requests bus drivers to be part of workgroup)
• Allows a school district board of education to enter into a contract with a ridesharing company for the transportation of unaccompanied minors if the company meets certain conditions.
• Eliminates the school bus safety grant and appropriation.

Other K-12

• Eliminates the requirement that districts report the number of individuals who have completed Science of Reading training.
• Removes requirement for public schools to report their math core curriculum and instructional materials.
• Requires schools to report the causes of student absences by category.
• Removes requirement that student graduation plans identify post-graduation career goals. 
• Increases the maximum educator state income tax deductions to $300.
• Requires a school district to permit students to attend a released time course in religious instruction for at least one hour per week but capping it at two hours per week.  
• Requires school districts to excuse up to eight hours for the absence of high school students to attend a private driver education course.  
• Removes the principal apprenticeship program and its appropriation.

Higher Education

• Increases the State Share of Instruction by 2% in FY26 and FY27. (OEA supports)

OEA Testifies in Opposition to Bill to Shut Down Schools 

OEA President Scott DiMauro presented opponent testimony on Senate Bill (SB)127, sponsored by State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), this week before the Ohio Senate Education Committee. SB 127 proposes heavy-handed and overreaching state penalties for local schools that receive low ratings on state report cards. A copy of OEA SB 127 opponent testimony can be read here.  

SB 127 would expand the reliance on standardized test scores for labeling schools as underperforming, arbitrarily forcing districts to take extreme measures such as squandering prior investments in school buildings by closing them, transferring control to external operators that have no link to the community, or indiscriminately replacing at least half a building’s staff, regardless of the ability to replace that staff.  

The proposals in SB 127 mirror the failed policies of the past that focus on penalizing districts without addressing the root causes of opportunity gaps, such as poverty, mental health challenges, community disengagement, underfunding, and the educator staffing shortage.

Upcoming Days of Action

Public education continues to be under attack at the national and state levels. Executive orders from the Trump Administration or the expansion of unaccountable private school vouchers threatening funding for public schools.  OEA, NEA, and other partners are working to protect and strengthen public schools for our students, families, and educators. See below ways you can advocate for public education. 

April 5 – Hands Off! National Day of Action: National mass activation day to stand up to the Administration’s Billionaire backed takeover of our schools and communities. Find an event near you by clicking here. 

April 7 & 8 – Governor Tim Walz to hold Two Town Halls in Ohio: Join educators and allies as Governor Tim Walz holds two town halls in Ohio. The first in Youngstown (on Monday, April 7) and the second in Lorain (on Tuesday, April 8). You can RSVP for Youngstown here and for Lorain here.

April 14-25 – Congressional and General Assembly Recess: Ohio’s legislators will return to their districts as the U.S. Congress and Ohio General Assembly go on recess.  During this time, consider reaching out to your members of Congress and State Legislators to let them know how their actions or inactions in Washington, D.C., and Columbus matter and how they impact our communities, families, students, and public schools.  Consider joining fellow educators and allies to speak up at town halls, meet with your district legislators, or participate in other activities to advocate for public education during this period. 

• To find your U.S. Representative, click here. 
• To find contact information for our U.S. Senators, click here.
• To find your State Legislators, click here and fill out the ‘Who Represents Me’ form. 

May 1 – National Day of Action: On May Day, the labor movement will honor the countless workers whose sacrifices paved the way for the rights we have today.  From school campuses to community spaces, educators and allies will gather to raise our voices to continue the fight for dignity and justice for working people. On this day, educators and allies in central Ohio will be picketing at the Ohio Statehouse from 4:30 to 7 pm to defend public education.  More info on how to register for the event is forthcoming. 
 
For an archive of past Legislative Watch releases, visit the Legislative Watch archive.