Trending
Though they have already significantly weakened the State Board of Education, Ohio lawmakers are now working to eliminate the public's voice on the board.
Members of the House of Representatives passed their version of the state budget last month. It included the reduction of the state board's membership from 11 elected members and eight members appointed by the governor to five -- all appointed by the governor.
According to the Capital Journal, as the terms expire for each of the current elected members or their positions become vacant, the seats would simply be eliminated.
Savings to taxpayers by eliminating elected spots? Approximately $50,000.
The House plan also eliminates the teacher licensure fund on which the board had been relying since the establishment of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. With that change, the state board would then have its operating expenses paid out of the fund that also pays into assistance funds for nursing education, veterinary student debt and certified public accountant education.
It's impossible not to wonder how the state Senate and Gov. Mike DeWine will react to such a significant assault on the way the state's education bureaucracy interacts with its constituents. It also begs the question, what message are members of the House trying to send to ordinary Ohioans?
Change is desperately needed, of course. Perhaps this effort will serve as the starting point for conversation that will lead to positive change.