A Lame Duck Atop a Blue Wave

We've got a new state government on the horizon in Ohio. Here's just a taste of the election results as they pertain to public education:

• Amy Acton, Ohio's incoming governor, committed in her campaign to implementing the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan and to "bring reform to our corrupt school voucher system, which funnels billions of hardworking Ohio taxpayer dollars to private schools with no transparency or accountability."
• Action was elected on this platform less than one month after an appeals court ruled Ohio's EdChoice Vouchers are unconstitutional, though the program is able to continue operating for now as the ruling is appealed to the State Supreme Court. That court just doubled the number of Democrats on its bench (from one to two, but still!) with the election of Marilyn Zayas and reelection of Jennifer Brunner. The attorney general that will now represent the State of Ohio in this case is Democrat John Kulewicz.
• Many local schools seeking new tax revenue struggled, with voters in Pickerington, Upper Arlington, Bexley and Southwest Licking rejecting proposed tax increases to fund schools. (The South-Western district bucked this trend and passed its bond issue.)

Voter wariness is understandable, particularly in this moment of high inflation. The results are also a predictable outcome of the state's longstanding and unconstitutional funding formula, which puts the onus for school funding on individuals and communities through property taxes.

Meanwhile, students are already feeling the impact: In Pickerington, where fewer than 300 votes decided the outcome, immediate cuts to extracurricular activities outside of varsity sports went into effect.

And while hope for fairer funding is on the horizon—former Ohio House member and education policy expert Stephen Dyer makes the case that EdChoice may be about to quietly fade away—we've got a Lame Duck session beginning in the Ohio Legislature right now.

🌼 Buttercup, we advise buckling up.

What does Lame Duck mean for local education?

In the words of Worthington Schools Superintendent Trent Bowers, "'Lame Duck' is traditionally a time when bad legislation is passed without the normal public input." This year, the legislature may be tempted to work even faster while the Republican supermajority is still in place and a Republican governor is at the helm. And Bowers notes that there are some consequential education bills on the line.

One is Senate Bill 311, a bill CCS has raised concerns about, as it stipulates that school districts would be required to sell or lease underutilized schools to private or charter schools, which could cost the district millions of dollars. Other bills could create what Bowers calls "unfunded mandates" around requiring computer sciences classes to graduate, offering middle school career education, and displaying historical documents—potentially including the Ten Commandments—in high school social studies classrooms.

But it's not all doom and gloom! Some pending education bills would support students in foster care, provide free breakfast and lunch in schools, enact the CROWN act and apply protections in schools, and add reporting, testing and accountability requirements for charter schools.

Actions you can take during Lame Duck

‼️ This is a moment to pay close attention!

🧑‍💻 Rachel Coyle of How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse has put together a comprehensive resource for tracking bills with templates for advocacy. She is leading a training tonight, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. on Zoom with tools to take action. Register here.

☎️ Even if you can't attend, calls to your legislators during this period can go a long way. Here's the directory for the Ohio House and Senate.

🦆🦆🦆 Now get crackin.' Or, perhaps, quackin.'