Today, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 178, legislation that would dramatically change the duties of the State Board of Education, create a Department of Education and Workforce Development, and make the new department part of the governor’s cabinet.
“The Senate deserves to be commended for recognizing the urgency of the moment. Post-pandemic, Ohio students are facing tremendous challenges to get back on track, especially in math where students are on average still half a year to a full year behind where they’d typically be,” said Chad Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. “We need strong, aligned, bold leadership to improve our education system. Unfortunately, our current governance structure for K-12 education has proven not to be up to the task.”
Having passed the Senate, SB 178 now moves to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration. With time in lame duck running out, it’s not clear if the House will take action on the measure before adjourning.
“We’d urge the House to join the Senate and move quickly on this important measure,” Aldis added. “To give Ohio students the best chance at future success and to remain internationally competitive as a state, we can’t afford to lose talent and human potential simply because of incoherent and misaligned policy making.”
