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To: LWVO
From: Joan Platz
Education Update for May 7, 2007
1) 127th General Assembly:
The Ohio House and Senate will meet in session and hold committee
hearings this week.
*Last week the Ohio House approved the biennial budget bill, Am.
Sub. HB 119 (Dolan), by a vote of 97 to 0. There were no amendments
to the bill, and debate, or rather testimonials in support of the
bill, lasted 90 minutes or so. The proposed $52 billion
budget for FY08 and FY09 (General Revenue Fund monies) is already
being debated in the Ohio Senate's Finance and Financial Institutions
Committee, chaired by Senator Carey. The committee is currently
hearing invited testimony from state agencies and departments.
The Ohio Department of Education is scheduled to present testimony
on May 8, 2007, and the Ohio Arts Council on May 11, 2007.
The committee will hear public testimony on Am. Sub. HB 119 later
this month.
*The Ohio House selected Ron Gerberry to replace Representative
Ken Carano, who recently resigned from the 59th Ohio House District
seat to accept the position of Regional Director for the Office
of the Governor for Mahoning Valley. Representative Gerberry
is a former State Representative who served in the Ohio General
Assembly from 1982 to 2000, and chaired the House Education Committee.
*The Senate approved Sub. HB2 (Webster), appointment of the chancellor
of the board of regents, on May 2, 2007 with some changes. The House
must now agree with the Senate changes before the bill becomes law.
The Senate version of HB 2 does the following:
-Allows the governor to appoint the chancellor of the board of regents
for a term of five years with the approval of the Senate. The Senate
must approve the chancellor before the chancellor can take office.
The chancellor can be reappointed by the governor. The governor
can remove the chancellor from office for demonstrated incompetence,
malfeasance, and misfeasance.
-Makes the board of regents an advisory board to the chancellor.
-Transfers the current powers and duties of the board of regents
to the chancellor.
-Assigns the following new duties to the chancellor: (1) adopt rules
prescribing procedures for the chancellor to follow when taking
actions associated with the chancellor's duties and responsibilities,
(2) adopt rules prescribing the advisory duties of the board of
regents, (3) request the board to hold a public hearing on whether
to recommend the elimination of a graduate program at a public institution
of higher education prior to the chancellor issuing a final recommendation,
and (4) respond to requests for information about higher education
from the General Assembly.
-Shortens the terms of members of the board of regents from nine
to six years.
-Requires the board of regents to submit an annual report to the
Governor and the General Assembly on the condition of higher education
in Ohio and the performance of the chancellor.
-Requires the chancellor by September 28, 2007 to report to the
General Assembly how to make college more affordable and increase
access to higher education; keep students in Ohio after graduation;
how higher education can be used to grow the economy; and how to
use the talents of the Ohio Board of Regents.
-Requires the board of regents to meet quarterly, report annually
on the state of higher education and on the chancellor, and conduct
hearings on appropriate topics.
-Declares an emergency.
2) More details on Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan):
The Ohio House approved Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan) on May 1, 2007 with
no debate or amendments. Am. Sub. HB 119 allocates a total
of $52 billion for FY08-09 in General Revenue Funds ($25.3 billion
in FY08 and $26.7 billion in FY09), which is $785 million less than
the proposed Executive Budget request submitted by Governor Strickland
in March 2007. The total budget, including all funds and federal
funds, is $52.5 billion in FY08 and $54.5 billion in FY09.
The General Revenue Fund Budget for K-12 education is $7.735 billion
in FY08 and $8.07 billion in FY09. The total budget for education,
including all funds and federal funds, is $10.9 billion in FY08
and $11.5 billion in FY09, which is slightly higher than the Executive
Budget request.
Am. Sub. HB 119 makes many changes in Governor Strickland's budget
request as introduced. The House version of the biennial budget
reduces spending in several departments and agencies, including
the Department of Development in FY09 and the Department of Mental
Health, makes changes regarding Medicaid eligibility, and restores
certain work requirements for TANF recipients. HB 119 also
eliminates the moratorium on opening new charter schools; restores
the Educational Choice Scholarship Program; creates a new voucher
program for students in special education programs; restores funding
for abstinence-only education; adds $22 million in FY08 and $149
million in FY09 for higher education; adds funds to support early
childhood education, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
schools; and $500,000 each year for Ohio Arts Council, to name a
few examples. (There are several individual organizations
and programs that also receive support through the budget, and these
will be noted in a future Education Update.)
Am. Sub. HB 119 also retains many provisions from the Executive
Budget request. The substitute bill retains the major components
of the school funding formula for primary and secondary education;
funding for early childhood education; changes in the property tax
exemption for the elderly and disabled persons; the provision to
securitize $5 billion in future tobacco settlement funds; the State
Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), and more. The
following are highlights of Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan) as approved
by the Ohio House, including CHANGES and NEW items approved in the
House version. This summary was prepared from the Legislative
Service Commission's (LSC) Budget Comparison Document, LSC's Budget
in Detail, and the LSC Analysis of Am. Sub. HB 119, which are available
at http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/.
BASICS OF THE CURRENT SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA
*Total State
Aid increases by 2.6 percent in FY08 and 4.0 percent in FY09.
*Increases per pupil funding by 3 percent each year to $5,565
in FY08 and $5,732 in FY09.
*Eliminates the cost of doing business factor.
*Eliminates the second formula ADM count currently the 2nd week
in February. The district formula ADM is the final number
verified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and authorizes
the Superintendent to adjust the ADM to correct errors.
*CHANGE. Removes the provision that lowered the base cost
of e-schools to $3,295 in FY08 and $3,387 in FY09 to reflect the
use of a new student teacher ratio of 100 to 1 rather than the
20 to one used for other types of schools.
*Base Cost Formula Amount $3.9 billion in FY 08 and $4.1 billion
in FY09.
*Base Funding Supplements $49.42 in FY08 and $50.90 in FY09 per
pupil. Retains the 75 percent phase-in for base funding
supplement for professional development.
*Special Education
Maintains the weighted per pupil funding for special education
in 1-6 categories, $517.5 million in FY08 & $551 million in
FY09. Keeps the 90 percent phase-in for special education
weights. Increases the threshold amount for catastrophic
special education and related services from $26,500 to $27,375
for categories 2-5 and from $31,800 to $32,850 for category 6.
Changes the term "special education teachers" to "intervention
specialists."
*Career Technical Education. Maintains weighted funding
for career-technical education.
*Gifted Education
Maintains unit funding for gifted ($47.6 million in FY08
& $48 million in FY09).
*Parity Aid
Maintains the changes for parity aid included in the Executive
Budget. Parity aid will provide districts an amount that
represents what 8 mills in FY08 and 8.5 mills in FY09 will raise
in the 123rd wealthiest district. 410 low wealth districts
will qualify in FY08 and 367 districts in FY09, which will cost
$485 million in FY08 and $521 million in FY09.
*Adds poverty based assistance and parity aid to the base cost
and the calculation of the state share percentage.
*Poverty Based Assistance
Increases state aid to poorer school districts through Poverty
Based Assistance, and provides more flexibility to school districts,
but requires districts to annually report to the ODE how they
spend funds, and requires the ODE to find effective ways to spend
funds. ($204 million in FY08 & $225 million in FY09).
Poverty Based Assistance includes funding for All Day Kindergarten,
Increased Classroom Learning Opportunities (K-3 class size reduction),
Intervention - 3 Tiers, Limited English proficient, Teacher Professional
Development, Dropout Prevention for big eight school districts,
Community Outreach for Urban 21, Closing the Achievement Gap (new
in Executive Budget). PBA is determined based on a district's
poverty index, which is calculated using the number of children
whose families qualify for Ohio Works First compared to a state
percentage. Keeps the phase-in for limited-English proficient
at 70 percent, but fully funds dropout prevention, professional
development, and community outreach, rather than phasing in the
levels in current law.
*Transportation
Increases by one percent state funding for transportation in FY08-09
and implements a new ODE recommended transportation formula, which
would begin to operate in the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium.
Also establishes the Biodiesel School Bus Program to award grants
to promote the use of biodiesel fuels.
*Maintains the teacher experience and training adjustment
*Maintains Gap Aid and removes any funds the district receives
to replace tangible personal property tax loss from the Gap Aid
calculation.
*Guarantee
Guarantees that no district will receive less state funds than
the previous year. Provides increases to 302 school districts
in FY08 and 368 school districts in FY09 out of 613 school districts.
Eliminates the guarantees for poverty based assistance, base-cost,
and reappraisal guarantee.
*Maintains funding for Joint Vocational Schools and provides $52
million a year for Educational Service Centers.
*Removes from the calculation gap aid revenue received by a school
district to replace the Tangible Personal Property Tax Replacement
Fund or the phaseout of the tangible personal property tax.
*Lottery Profit
Provides $672.9 million in FY08 and $667.9 million in FY09 from
the Lottery Profit fund.
ACADEMIC DISTRESS
*Changes
current law regarding an academic distress commission.
1) Permits rather than requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
to establish an academic distress commission for a school district
that has been in academic emergency and has not met adequate yearly
progress for four or more consecutive school years;
2) Requires that the two members of an academic distress commission
appointed by the president of the district board be residents of
the district;
3) Changes procedures and requires each commission to adopt an academic
recovery plan approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
*Physical
Education Standards
CHANGE. Removes the provision in the Executive Budget that
required the State Board of Education to adopt the most recent standards
for physical education in grades K-12 developed by the National
Association for Sports and Physical Education.
*Biology
NEW. Changes the biology requirement in the Ohio Core to "life
sciences".
*Agriculture Education
NEW. Requires the ODE to appoint a Director of Agricultural
Education to disseminate information on agricultural education to
school districts, and retain consultants in agricultural education
and provide assistance to school districts, and coordinate Future
Farmers of America.
*Ohio Core
CHANGE. Makes chartered nonpublic schools eligible for funding
as well as school districts for earmarks up to $3,600,000 in each
fiscal year to be distributed to school districts to be used to
obtain contracted instruction with institutions of higher education
in advance mathematics, laboratory-based science, or foreign language
for public high school students that results in dual high school
and college credit.
CHANGE. Eliminates an earmark of up to $2,000,000 in FY08
for National Aeronautics and Space Administration resource centers.
CHANGE. Reduces earmark to $6,425,000 in FY09 to be distributed
to public school districts for supplemental postsecondary enrollment
options.
NEW. Provides $10 million each year for the creation of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academies throughout
the state through GRF appropriation item 235-437, STEM Initiatives.
ACCOUNTABILITY
*School
District and Building Performance Ratings
CHANGE: R.C. 3302.03 - Limits the highest performance rating
a school district or building may receive based on the percentage
of its students who do not take all required achievement tests according
to the following: (1) to continuous improvement if 10
percent to 15 percent of the students are not tested, (2) to academic
watch if more than 15 percent but not more than 20 percent of the
students are not tested, and (3) to academic emergency if more than
20 percent of the students are not tested.
*NEW: Exempts from R.C. 3302.03 (the provision above) community
schools in which a majority of the students are enrolled in a dropout
prevention and recovery program.
*Replaces the current requirement, withholding payments to community
schools and school districts that fail to report data to EMIS, with
a set of sequential actions for ESC, school districts, and educational
service centers that fail to properly report EMIS data.
*NEW. Requires the ODE to inform school districts which academic
content standards and benchmarks were used to develop questions
on the elementary achievement tests that are redacted, upon the
release of those tests to the public.
*Requires a school district to label equipment or materials that
it purchases or leases with state auxiliary services funds and which
are loaned to a chartered nonpublic school, unless the district
determines that they are consumable or have a value of less than
$200.
*Shipping date of elementary achievement tests (R.C. 3301.0711)
Changes the dates to submit the elementary achievement tests to
the scoring company based on the enrollment of the school
district.
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND VOUCHER PROGRAMS
*Requires
community schools to conduct criminal records checks of governing
authority members.
*Community School Payments
CHANGE. Restores parity aid and poverty-based assistance for dropout
prevention and community outreach to "brick and mortar" community
schools. Under continuing law, e-schools do not receive parity aid
or any poverty-based assistance.
*Community School Enrollment Disputes
NEW. Prohibits the ODE from withholding payment to a community
school when a district presents a challenge concerning a student's
enrollment until after the district proves that the student should
not be included in the community school's enrollment.
*Community School Moratorium
CHANGE. Removes the moratorium to open new community schools
in the Executive Budget on "brick and mortar" community schools.
Permits the opening of conversion charter schools. The moratorium
on e-schools remains until the General Assembly enacts standards
for e-schools. New startup community schools may open after
June 30, 2007, but only if the governing authority of the school
contracts with an operator that operates other schools in Ohio or
other states that perform at a level higher than academic watch.
Operators are allowed to manage one start-up school after June 30,
2007 for each school it manages nationwide that performs at a level
higher than academic watch.
*Residential Facility
Prohibits a community school that opened for operation after May
1, 2005, from operating from a residential facility that receives
and cares for children until July 1, 2009.
*Educational Service Centers
CHANGE. Limits an educational service center to sponsoring
community schools that are located in a county or contiguous county
to the ESC, but grandfathers current ESCs.
*Compliance with State Education Laws and Rules
CHANGE. Eliminates the provision in the Executive Budget that
required community schools to comply with all state laws and rules
pertaining to other public schools, school districts, and boards
of education, such as providing a curriculum that includes the arts,
foreign languages, family and consumer science, etc.; assigning
qualified staff; minimum standards covering instructional materials,
equipment, and facilities (such as library facilities and school
grounds); requirements for admission and promotion of students;
instructional requirements (such as phonics and energy and resource
conservation); reporting requirements, and other laws and rules
from which community schools are currently exempt. The cost
of operation for many community schools may have increased if they
were held to the same operating standards as public schools.
*Community School Facilities
CHANGE. Removes the provision that repealed the process for
community schools to purchase school district property.
Revises current law to require that a school district offer property
suitable for classroom space for sale to start-up community schools
in the district if the district (a) has not used at least 75 percent
of a building for "academic instruction" for at least 75 percent
of a school year, and (b) has not adopted a plan to use at least
75 percent of it for academic instruction for at least 75 percent
of the next year (rather than a plan to use the whole building within
the next three years as under current law). This will eliminate
an option to use the building for other "educational purposes,"
including administration or storage.
*Community School Operators
CHANGE. Removes the provision in the Executive Budget that
required operators of community schools to be nonprofit entities,
and a provision that required community schools to select operators
through a competitive bidding process established by ODE. 151 community
schools currently have contracts with operators, and 68 community
schools contract with for-profit operators. There are a total of
six for-profit and seven nonprofit operators of community schools
in Ohio.
*Community School Minimum Enrollment
CHANGE. Eliminates the provision in the Executive Budget that
increased the minimum enrollment for community schools from 25 students
to 100 students, and the requirement for the ODE to develop criteria
to grant waivers. Currently there are 114 community schools
with a total average daily membership (ADM) of less than 100.
For these schools formula ADM totals 6,608 and total state aid is
$58.7 million. The State Board of Education has recommended
an increase in the minimum enrollment of community schools.
*Community School Minimum School Year
CHANGE. Eliminates the provision that required community schools
to provide students with 180 days, instead of 920 hours, of learning
opportunities each school year. Currently in statute and administrative
code school districts are required to provide 182 days of instruction:
five days per week; five hours for grades 1-6 and 5.5 hours for
grades 7-12. Five hours are required in law for grades 7-12,
but the State Board of Education has set 5.5 hours in rule for grades
7-12 for school districts. Community schools are required to operate
920 hours.
*Community School Attendance
CHANGE. Eliminates the provision in the Executive Budget that required
a community school to withdraw a student who fails to participate
in 21 consecutive days of learning opportunities without excuse,
and, unless the school primarily serves dropouts, prohibits the
community school from re-enrolling the student for the duration
of the school year. Current law states that the student must miss
105 consecutive hours of instruction in order to be withdrawn.
*Community School Student Enrollment in Career-Technical Program
NEW. Permits a community school student to enroll in the career-technical
program of the student's resident district. Permits both the district
and the community school to receive state funds for the student
for the proportion of the time the student attends each school.
*Closed Schools
Specifies that funds remaining after payment of debts after a community
school permanently closes, must be paid to the Department of Education
for redistribution to the resident school districts of the community
school's students.
*E-school Teachers
CHANGE. Eliminates the requirement in the Executive Budget
that each e-school employ (rather than retain an affiliation with,
as under current law) at least one full-time teacher of record for
up to 125 students. Currently e-school teachers may be affiliated
with more than one school, and so they could be responsible for
up to 125 students in each of those schools.
*Unauditable Community Schools
NEW. Requires the Auditor of State to provide notification of a
finding that a community school is unauditable to the school, its
sponsor, and ODE, and to post the notification on the Auditor's
web site.
NEW. Prohibits the sponsor of an unauditable community school from
entering into contracts with additional community schools until
the Auditor completes a financial audit of the school.
NEW: Requires the sponsor of an unauditable community school
to respond to the Auditor with a description of the actions it will
take as a result of the finding that the school is unauditable.
NEW: Requires ODE to cease all state payments to a community
school that fails to make progress in bringing its records into
auditable condition within 90 days after being declared unauditable,
but release withheld funds when the Auditor is able to complete
an audit of the school.
VOUCHERS PROGRAMS
*NEW. Creates the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program
to provide scholarships for children with Individual Education Plans
in grades K-12 to attend alternative public or private special education
programs in fiscal years 2008 through 2013. Limits the number
of scholarships to not more than three percent of the number of
identified students residing in the state. School districts
are obligated to continue certain services, such as transportation,
and review the child's IEP. Requires the ODE to develop a
document that compares the rights under state and federal special
education law and those under the Special Education Scholarship
Pilot Program, and distribute that information to parents.
Also requires the ODE to conduct a formative evaluation of the program
by December 31, 2009.
*Educational Choice Scholarship
CHANGE. Removes language that repealed the Educational Choice
Scholarship Pilot Program R.C. 3310.01, 3310.02 through 3310.14,
3310.17. This program provides a voucher of up to $5,200 for
eligible students in grades 1-12 and up to $2,700 for students in
Kindergarten to attend eligible private schools. 312 chartered
non public schools participated in the program this year; 2880 students
participated in 2006-7 school year; up to 14,000 scholarships are
available.
*Retains the Cleveland Scholarship and the Autism Scholarship Program.
The Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program served 5,813 students
in 2006-7, and 46 chartered public schools participated. The Autism
Scholarship program served 570 students this year, and 50 percent
were between 3-5 years of age. 150 service providers participated
in the program, and the average cost per student was approximately
$17,000 per student. The program provides reimbursement up
to $20,000 per student.
NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS
*Transportation
of Nonpublic School Students
NEW. Permits a school district, upon request, to transport
a student in grades K through 12 who does not reside in the district
to a nonpublic school the student attends, if (1) the student's
resident district is not required to transport the student because
the travel time is more than 30 minutes, and (2) the parent agrees
to reimburse the nonresident district for the costs that exceed
the amount the district receives from the state for transporting
the student. If the nonresident district declines the request, requires
the district to state in writing its reasons.
SCHOOL FACILITIES
COMMISSION
*Accelerates
the state's school building program, and securitizes future funds
for that program ($2.2 billion for school facilities.)
*Permits a school district to use the interest earned on district
moneys in the project construction fund to pay the cost of facilities
not included in the project.
*Eliminates the Career-Technical School Building Loan Program, but
does not affect the Vocational School Facilities Assistance Program.
Requires that existing money in the program be transferred into
the Public School Building Fund (school facilities cash fund) and
that remaining loan repayments under the repealed loan program be
deposited into the Public School Building Fund.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
*CHANGE:
Removes the earmark of $601,165 in each fiscal year to support educational
media centers to provide Ohio public schools with instructional
resources and services.
*CHANGE: Reduces to $236,250 in each year the earmark Project
GRAD.
*CHANGE: Increases the earmark to $75,000 in FY08 and FY09
to Southern State Community College for the Pilot Post-Secondary
Enrollment Options Program with Miami Trace High School.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ENHANCEMENTS
*CHANGE.
Earmarks up to $400,000 in each fiscal year to be used for the Collaborative
Language and Literacy Instruction Project.
*NEW. Earmarks $325,000 in each fiscal year for OCALI to contract
with the Delaware-Union ESC to provide autism transition services.
*NEW. Earmarks $75,000 in each fiscal year for Leaf Lake/Geauga
Educational Assistance Funding.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
*CHANGE:
Removes an earmark of up to $25,000 in each fiscal year of GRF appropriation
item 200-320, Maintenance and Equipment, for State Board of Education
out-of-state travel.
TEACHER PREPARATION AND TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
*Teacher
on Loan Programs
CHANGE. Removes the earmark of $747,912 in each fiscal year
to provide funds to school districts that have teachers participating
in the teacher-on-loan program.
*Entry Year
CHANGE: Increases from $8,715,817 in each fiscal year to $9,515,817
for entry year programs for beginning teachers in school districts
and chartered nonpublic schools, and permits the earmark to be used
for entry year programs for principals as well as teachers.
*Alternative Education Programs
CHANGE: Removes the earmark of $100,000 in each fiscal year
to be used for Youth Opportunities United, Inc.
CHANGE. Removes the earmark of $250,000 in each fiscal year
to support Amer-I-Can.
NEW. Earmarks $100,000 in each fiscal year for the Cincinnati
Arts and Technology Center to increase program support for high-risk
teens and unemployed urban adults.
NEW. Earmarks $2,000,000 in FY08 to support Improved Solutions
for Urban Students (ISUS) in Dayton/Sinclair Youth Initiative.
*Educator Preparation
CHANGE. Removes the earmark $100,000 in each fiscal year for
the
Teacher Quality Partnership project.
*Improving Teacher Quality
NEW. Requires ODE to provide $600,000 in each fiscal year
from FED Fund 3Y6 appropriation item 200-635, Improving Teach Quality,
to the Columbiana County Educational Service Center for the Ohio
Wyami Appalachian Teacher Cohorts Program.
*Literacy Improvement
CHANGE: Reduces earmark to $9,690,000 in each fiscal year
for educator training in literacy for classroom teachers, administrators,
and literacy specialists.
*Teachers Qualifies all public and chartered nonpublic school teachers
who hold a valid teaching certification issued by the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards to an annual $2,500 stipend.
TAX POLICIES; CUTS; AND REIMBURSEMENTS
*Provides
property tax relief for the elderly and disabled ($385.5 million
- 775,000 homeowners) through an exemption from local property taxes
on the first $25,000 of a home's value for all Ohioans age 65 and
older and those who are permanently disabled.
*Property Tax Reimbursement $794.5 mill in FY08 & $885 in FY09.
(This does not include all reimbursements.)
*Sales tax exemption for school fundraising sales (R.C. 5739.02(B)(9))
Removes the six day limit on exemptions for primary and secondary
school and student-related sales so that school sales are tax exempt
no matter. Current law granted a sales tax exemption for sales
made by school- and student-related nonprofit organizations (and
by churches and other nonprofit or tax-exempt organizations), for
six days in a year.
*Dual Purpose Levies Authorizes school boards to levy, with voter
approval, a dual-purpose income tax for both current expenses and
permanent improvements.
*School District Income Tax Rate Increments Reduces the required
increment that school district income taxes are to be levied from
.25 percent to .10 percent.
*Rate Reduction
Allows board of education to reduce school district income taxes
in increments of .10 percent.
MISCELLANEOUS
*Transfer
of adult education programs to Board of Regents (Section 269.60.30)
Directs the ODE and the BOR to identify which "adult and career-technical
education programs," other than adult basic and literacy education
(ABLE) programs should be transferred from the ODE to the BOR to
better align Ohio workforce education July 1, 2008.
*School District Reductions in Force
CHANGE. Eliminates the provision in the Executive Budget that
removed the phrase "for financial reasons" from the list of statutory
reasons a school district or education service center (ESC) may
make reductions in force in its teaching staff.
*NEW. Implements but changes the delayed requirement of the
126th General Assembly (HB 66) for the formation of School Employee
Health Care Board and implementation of health care plans. Requires
the health care board to adopt a set of standards to be termed "best
practices" for school district health care plans; oversee the implementation
of health care plans; request the Attorney General to seek appropriate
court orders to enforce compliance with health care plans; and makes
other significant changes in current law.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
*State
Funded Early Care (Section 269.10.20) - Continues GRF funding for
early childhood education programs provided by eligible school districts,
joint vocational districts, and Educational Service Centers (ESCs)
for children at least three years old and whose families meet income
requirements. The Executive Budget allocated approximately $29.0
million in FY08 and $31.5 million in FY09 for the Early Childhood
Education Program (Section 269.10.20 of HB119). Of this amount
$10.4 million in FY08 and $12.9 million in FY09 are for new providers.
The House version adds another $2.4 million in FY08 and $2.7 million
in FY09 through an earmark of GRF appropriation item 200-550, Foundation
Funding. This program can serve children in families that
earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
*Staff Qualifications for Early Childhood Education Programs
CHANGE: Eliminates the provision in the Executive Budget that
postponed from FY08 until FY10 and sets new dates to implement the
requirement that staff for state-funded early childhood education
programs established prior to July 1, 2006, have at least an associate
degree and teachers have bachelor's degrees. This may cause
programs to close because they lack qualified staff.
*Requires the ODE to compile and distribute an annual report on
state funded early childhood education programs and early learning
program guidelines for school readiness.
*Early Childhood Education Early Learning Initiative (ELI) (Section
309.40.60) Establishes the Early Learning Initiative (ELI), which
will be paid for with federal Title IV-A (TANF) funds. This
program will serve up to 12,000 children who meet the income and
other eligibility requirements, and are at least three years of
age. The program may also serve children whose families do
not meet the federal poverty income level. The program will
provide full-day, part-day, or a combination of services, and those
services are specifically outlined in the bill. The ODE and the
Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services are required to develop
the rules and administer the program, including the development
of guidelines for school readiness to evaluate the success of the
ELIs, and oversee proper credentials of the ELI agencies.
The bill also specifies that the purpose of the EL services relate
to preventing and reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
*Changes current law to allow any school district to establish a
preschool program, even if the district is not eligible for poverty
based assistance.
HIGHER EDUCATION
*Higher
Education Compact
CHANGE. Removes language in the Executive Budget referring
to the Higher Education Compact.
*Choose Ohio First Scholarship
NEW. Adds $100 million to support the Choose Ohio First Scholarship
Program for students pursuing degrees in STEM area, and specifies
that it is the intent of the House of Representatives to work with
the Senate and the Governor to design the criteria for the program,
which is funded under GRF appropriation item, 235-569, Choose Ohio
First Scholarship.
*Eligibility for Student Choice Grants.
CHANGE. Removes the provision in the Executive Budget that
narrows the eligibility for student choice grants specified in section
3333.27 of the Revised Code by adding a requirement that a student
must also qualify for a needs-based Ohio College Opportunity Grant.
CHANGE. Requires that GRF appropriation item 235-531, Student
Choice Grants, be awarded only to students who have family incomes
of $95,000 or less. This is a $900 grant. This increase
will cost the state approximately $41 million.
CHANGE. Increases the student choice grant appropriations
to $38.5 million in each year.
*Ohio College Opportunity Grants (R.C. 3333.122)
Disqualifies students from receiving an Ohio College Opportunity
Grant (OCOG) who first enroll after the 2007-2008 academic year
in proprietary schools certified by the State Board of Career Colleges
and Schools. The bill also disqualifies students from receiving
the OCOG who first enroll after 2007-2008 in two-year education
programs sponsored by private institutions of higher education,
if the sponsors do not have certificates of authorization from the
Board of Regents. Eligible students who enrolled in these institutions
or programs in 2006-2007 or 2007-2008 may continue to apply for
the OCOG. The OCOG program will replace the Ohio Instructional
Grants. The OCOG provides need-based tuition assistance to
Ohio resident students from low- to moderate-income families and
are enrolled in eligible institutes of higher education. (Have a
certificate of authorization from the Board of Regents.)
*Co-located Technical Colleges
NEW. Allows technical colleges that are co-located with other state
institutions of higher education to offer baccalaureate oriented
programs that would enable students to obtain an associate degree
or to transfer to colleges and universities to obtain a baccalaureate
degree.
*Health technology workforce development pilot project (R.C. 3333.55)
Requires the Ohio Board of Regents to establish the Health Information
and Imaging Technology Workforce Development Pilot Project to develop
a collaborative project in Clark, Greene, and Montgomery counties,
that would explore in 2008-2010 ways to enhance P-16 education and
workforce development in the field of health information and imaging
technology. Specifies the participating parties and school
districts.
*Distribution of Challenge Funds
NEW. Requires Board of Regents (BOR) to study the effectiveness
and appropriateness the Jobs Challenge, Access Challenge, Success
Challenge, and Economic Growth Challenge programs. The study is
to focus on the student-based funding, the current workforce development
needs, and incentives for student success in the context of a knowledge-based
economy. Requires the BOR to recommend a distribution of the funds
provided for FY09 and seek Controlling Board's approval for the
recommended distribution by May 1, 2008.
*State Share of Instruction (SSI) for FY08 and 09 increases two
percent in FY08 and ten percent in FY09.
NEW. Limits the increase in instate undergraduate fees
(including instructional, general and all other fees) to no more
than 3 percent in FY08 and prohibits any increase in instate undergraduate
fees in FY09.
NEW. Guarantees each institution in FY08 and FY09 to receive
the same amount of SSI funding as received in the prior year, notwithstanding
the SSI distribution formulas outlined in Section 275.30.20.
NEW. Specifies that in each fiscal year, each institution
also receive its proportional share of total SSI appropriation increase
for that year (2.0 percent for FY 08 and 10.0 percent for FY09)
if the institution meets savings requirements of 1 percent for FY08
and 3 percent for FY09.
NEW. Requires BOR, in consultation with the Department of
Development, to commission a study on the needs of the business
community relative to higher education in Ohio, including necessary
skills and talents required by the business community. The study
is to be completed by December 31, 2007.
NEW. Requires BOR, in consultation with state-supported institutions
of higher education, to develop a plan that addresses five specific
areas of higher education: access, success, affordability, research
and development support, and higher education awareness. The plan,
which is to be completed by December 31, 2007, is to include outcome
measures and progress indicators for each area.
NEW. Institutions are required to commit to increasing interinstitutional
collaborations and partnerships with the goal of increasing savings.
NEW. Requires BOR, in consultation with state-supported institutions
of higher education, to study the feasibility of establishing and
implementing a tuition flexibility plan. The study is to be completed
by December 31, 2007.
*Community Project Transfer
CHANGE. Removes language from the Executive Budget that
would have transferred two community project appropriation items
from Cleveland State University to Cuyahoga Community College: CAP-166,
Playhouse Square Center-Hanna Theatre, in the amount of $750,000,
and CAP-169, Cleveland Museum of Art, in the amount of $3,000,000.
*Requires each state university, community college, state community
college, university branch, and technical college to provide students
with an itemized list of fees and charges owed by the student in
2008.
*Eliminates the Student Workforce Development Grant ($300 grant)
which provided tuition assistance to students enrolled full-time
in Ohio proprietary schools and are pursuing an associate's or bachelor's
degree.
3) Senate Education Committee Hearing:
The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Padgett, met on
May 1, 2007. The committee reported out favorably HB 2 (Webster),
which grants the governor authority to appoint the chancellor of the
Ohio Board of Regents, and accepted testimony from several proponents
of SB143 (Padgett), which establishes a limited student permit category
for speech language pathology interns. The committee also heard
sponsor testimony on two bills. SB151 (Roberts) would require
publishers to control the high cost of college textbooks and course
materials, and partner with institutions of higher education and the
Ohio Board of Regents to reduce the high cost of college materials.
Senator Padgett also presented sponsor testimony on SB141 (Padgett),
community school sponsors. Senator Padgett explained that the
bill reflects the recommendations of the State Board of Education.
It would give the board the authority to evaluate all community school
sponsors and intervene with progressive sanctions; require sponsors
to assure compliance with requirements to open a new community schools;
and require sponsors from other states to show that they have managed
schools at the minimum of "continuous improvement" level before they
are allowed to sponsor a community school in Ohio. Two of the
provisions are currently included in Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan), the
biennial budget.
4) This Week at the Statehouse
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2007
*The Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired
by Senator Carey (614-466-8156), will meet at 10:00 AM in the Senate
Finance Hearing Rm. The Department of Education will present
testimony on HB119 Biennial Budget (Dolan). The Ohio Board of Regents
will testify in the afternoon. (2:00 PM or after session.)
*The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Setzer (614-644-8051)
will meet at 4:00 PM in room 116. The committee will hear testimony
on the following bills:
HB155 (Setzer) Establishes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Schools;
HB180 Speech Language Pathology Interns (Setzer) Establishes a limited
student permit category for speech language pathology interns and
to declares an emergency;
HB143 Requirements for Boards of Education (Wagner) Eliminates certain
requirements/prohibitions applying to school district boards of education;
HB175 Calamity Days (Fessler) Makes up calamity days by adding hours
to remaining days in the school year, and declares an emergency; HB94
Undergraduate Education (Koziura) Requires universities to guarantee
undergraduate students can complete study in a specified time:
HCR9 (Skindell) Amends the No Child Left Behind Act to fully fund
the appropriations.
*The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Padgett (614-466-8076)
will meet at 4:00 PM in the North Hearing Room. The committee
will hear testimony on SB143 (Padgett) Speech Language Pathology Interns.
A vote is possible.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2007
*The Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired
by Senator Carey (614-466-8156), will meet at 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM
in the Senate Finance Hearing Rm. The committee will hear
invited testimony on Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan) from invited state agencies
and departments, including the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2007
*The Senate Financial and Financial Institutions, chaired
by Senator Carey (614-466-8156), will meet at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM
in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will hear
testimony on Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan) the FY08-09 State Budget from
the Department of Development; Department of Commerce: and Liquor
Control Commission in the morning.
*The House State Government and Elections Committee, chaired by Representative
Daniels (614-466-3506), will meet at 10:00 AM in room 122. The
committee will hear testimony on HB26 Urban Homestead Zones (Wolpert),
which would permit the creation of urban homestead zones, and provide
vouchers to families living in these zones to attend private schools.
FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2007
*The Senate Financial and Financial Institutions, chaired by
Senator Carey (614-466-8156) will meet at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM in the
Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will hear testimony
on Am. Sub. HB 119 (Dolan) the FY08-09 State Budget from several agencies,
including the Ohio Historical Society, the Ethics Commission, and
the Ohio Arts Council (in the afternoon).
5) Bills Introduced:
HB197 (Boyd) Provides for the reporting of assaults in public schools
to administrators and law enforcement.
HB204 (Boyd) Permits school districts to employ school security personnel
officers and authorizes training programs that qualify persons as
school security personnel officers.
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