Note: On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Ohio House Education Committee heard public testimony on the education provisions in House Bill 96—the next biennial state budget.
Today, Governor Mike DeWine released his biennial budget proposal, outlining his commitment to Ohio’s students through continued investment in key education areas including statewide literacy improvements, high-quality charter schools, and
Ohio’s push to improve charter school funding has made real progress in recent years. But there are still thousands of charter students who need—and deserve—more support.
The uproar over private school scholarship programs, which support the education of more than 150,000 Ohio students, continues to drone on.
The Cupp-Patterson school funding plan was heralded as a “fair” and “constitutional” replacement for Ohio’s previous formula. After four years of implementation, it’s clear there is still plenty of room for improvement.
In just a few short months, Ohio lawmakers will be knee-deep in the state budget for FY 2026 and 2027. A large portion of the budget is K–12 education, and Ohio’s school funding model is sure to be a topic of discussion.
This is the fifth in a series in which I examine issues in K–12 education that Ohio leaders should tackle in the next biennial state budget.
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This is fourth in a series in which I examine issues in K–12 education that Ohio leaders should tackle in the next biennial state budget.
Changes to the way districts are funded when they accept open enrolled students from outside their borders threatens to shrink a popular and important public school choice program. This longstanding option must remain widely available and robust.
The soap opera at the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), the entity that manages Ohio’s teacher pensions, has made non-stop headlines of late.
This is second in a series where I examine issues in K–12 education that Ohio leaders should tackle in the next biennial state budget.
Ohio regularly creates and funds major education policies in a two-year biennial budget, so it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2025 cycle. This is the first of several posts where I’ll discuss issues that should be on lawmakers’ radars as they gear up.
As we approach September 2024, the education community is bracing for the expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. There’s a growing narrative that this marks a significant funding cut for schools.
What is the impact of teacher salary increases on recruitment and retention? A new report gives us an interesting on-the-ground look using data from Washington State.
Between 2007 and 2022, California saw its K–12 public school enrollment decrease by more than 390,000 students, or more than 6 percent statewide, according to data from the state’s Department of Education.
For nearly two decades, Ohio’s EdChoice program has unlocked private school options for tens of thousands of students by offering state-funded scholarships.
Some Ohio public schools may be headed for a world of hurt.
The start of a new school year means that big yellow school buses are back on the road. For many, they’re a welcome sign that a familiar routine has resumed. For others, they spark nostalgia. But for district and school administrators across Ohio, the sight of a yellow bus likely spurs stress and concern thanks to widespread bus driver shortages.
On June 30, the Ohio House and Senate passed the state’s biennial budget bill for FYs 2024–25, and Governor DeWine signed the bill into law on July 3.
The end of our parental education journey is drawing near: Less than a year from now, both of our children will be looking at college graduation.
In its biennial budget plan for FYs 2024–25, the Senate—as did the House—proposed a hefty increase in K–12 education spending.
To use football parlance, education reform often feels like three yards and a cloud of dust. Yet sometimes the gains are bigger—a long forward pass—and that’s what the Ohio Senate’s final budget bill, which passed the chamber yesterday, would amount to. These are the key proposals in their game plan.
Today, the Ohio Senate unveiled its version of the biennial state budget (Substitute House Bill 33). Among the K-12 education highlights from the upper chamber’s bill include: Increasing accountability for the state education agency to rigorously implement education laws through much-needed governance reforms;
Earlier this week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the state budget bill for FYs 2024 and 2025. The House legislation follows up on Governor DeWine’s budget introduced in February. Included in this massive legislation are hundreds of provisions affecting K–12 education. How did the lower chamber do?
The state budget bill that was passed by the House this week contains a provision that, if enacted, would be a boon to some of Ohio’s most vulnerable children and a vital support to the schools that serve them.
A basic principle of school funding is that dollars ought to follow students to the schools they actually attend. Funds shouldn’t be directed to the schools that children attended last year or the year before. That’s because the schools serving students today bear the responsibility—and costs—of educating them today.
In a series of articles, I’ve been looking at various issues
NOTE: Today, the Ohio House's Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 33, legislation establishing the state’s budget for fis
During his first term, Governor DeWine established a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at helping schools address the non-academic needs of students.
