Latest news with #OhioSchoolBoardsAssociation
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South-Western City School board joins groups denouncing gender identity, DEI and non-English languages
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — The South-Western City School board voted to join two organizations that promote conservative education standards, including English-only polices and formal stances against gender identity acceptance. At its April 28 meeting, the South-Western City School District school board voted to join four professional development organizations, two of which were founded by conservative Ohioans in the past five years. SWCSD is Ohio's fifth-largest school district, serving sections of southwestern Franklin County. Columbus business among best donut shops in country, according to Yelp list The SWCSD board rejoined the Ohio School Boards Association and also voted to join School Boards for Academic Excellence, the Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition and the National School Board Leadership Council. The latter two organizations were established in Ohio, and both ask members to sign pledges that align with conservative educational policies, including statements denouncing DEI and 'gender confusion.' 'Much like the makeup of our diverse 119-square-mile district, all four organizations represent many differing perspectives and views that the Board will explore in the months to come,' SWCSD communications director Evan Debo said. The Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition and School Boards for Academic Excellence are free to join. The Ohio School Boards Association, which SWCSD boards of education have joined for decades, costs around $11,000 annually, and the NSBLC has an annual $1,500 membership fee. The NSBLC fee is per person, and Debo said only one board member is joining on the district's dime, bringing total membership fees to $12,500. Board Vice President Denise D'Angelo Steele suggested joining the NSBLC, and the measure passed 4-0 with board member Camile Peterson abstaining. In joining, members are asked to sign an oath distancing themselves from 'social emotional teaching,' agree to combat identity politics and offer to open the district up to parental oversight in literature and curriculum decisions. Investigation alleges Kroger overcharges customers on items advertised as on sale The SWCSD board drew public scrutiny for joining the NSBLC, especially as the organization advocates for English-only education, writing 'Non-(E)nglish speaking students provide an unacceptable cost for taxpayers to bear.' According to SWCSD's website, the district is home to more than 3,800 students who are learning English as a second language, speaking 78 languages between them. 'At this time, the board is taking inventory of what each organization has to offer, to see what resources they can provide at a state and national level in terms of training, and then apply our diverse SWCS(D) lens to it to see how elements can be used to meet local needs for the 21,000+ students and families we proudly serve each day,' Debo said. According to the NSBLC website, the organization was founded by Ohioan Kelly Kohls. However, state business records list Kohls as a statutory agent for Jim Burgess, who is on the State Central Committee of the Ohio Republican Party. State business records also list a former Westerville-based nonprofit, Supporters of Youth Activities, as NSBLC's founding organization. Supporters of Youth Activities raised funds for various student organizations, but was canceled by the state for inactivity just months after the NSBLC was founded. While active, Burgess was the nonprofit's vice president. Cities in Ohio with the most UFO sightings Although joining the NSBLC drew public attention, the board also joined the conservative Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition. OSBCC members are also asked to sign a pledge, promising to limit restroom and facility use by biological sex, teach American history in a way that enforces the 'exceptional nature of their country' and promote freedom of speech and religion. OSBCC was founded by Jeremiah Sawyer, a Republican school board member for North Royalton City Schools in northeastern Ohio. Debo stressed that joining these organizations does not mean the district will implement all — or any — of their ideas. However, these groups are one of several conservative ties to the school board. Board members Julie Lisansky and D'Angelo Steele were endorsed by Moms for Liberty during their campaigns for school board, an organization that left-leaning civil rights watchdog group Southern Poverty Law Center classifies as 'extremist.' Although Ohio school board elections are nonpartisan, the Franklin County Republican Party lists all SWSCD school board members except Peterson under current officeholders. It is not uncommon for parties to endorse school board candidates; all three Columbus City Schools board of election candidates who received the most votes in the primary were endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party. The district also pays attorney Omar Tarazi $9,000 each month for legal services. Tarazi has spoken against social emotional learning, including a statewide Protect Ohio Children forum in 2022. See previous coverage of Tarazi in the video player above. Elementary school students lace up for Girls on the Run 5K Debo said joining the four groups allows the school board to absorb a variety of resources, training materials and ideas. School Boards for Academic Excellence says it is nonpartisan and not politically affiliated. However, four of its five directors previously worked for conservative think tanks, and the fifth formerly served as a Republican Representative in the Kansas House. SWCSD's fourth member organization, the Ohio School Boards Association, sets a legislative platform annually, and many of its priorities are more left-leaning, including an embrace of equity programs. However, its annual legislative platform is set by delegates from each member school, and every policy inclusion must be approved by at least 75% of delegates. 'By joining any of these organizations, the board's vote for membership is not an indication of support for some or any of the positions or perspectives advanced by any of these organizations, nor does it remove any existing programming in place for students,' Debo said. On Monday at 7 p.m., more than 1,600 members of the SWCSD teachers union, joined by hundreds more parents and community members, plan to protest the board's affiliation with these groups at South Western Career Academy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bath superintendent, treasurer testify against state budget provision
May 15—COLUMBUS — Bath schools administrators testified before the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday morning in opposition to a proposal that would cap public school cash balances at 30% of operating expenses. Superintendent Mike Estes and Treasurer Joel Parker spoke briefly about how the proposal, included in the House version of the state's two-year operating budget, would affect district control over its own finances. "We've got two aging buildings," Parker said of why a district would carry cash from year to year. "We've got boilers that need replaced. In the past, we've seen budget reduction orders. We've seen COVID. We've seen the Great Recession. We have inflation on medical insurance (and) labor costs. We want to stay off the ballot. We want a better bond rating." The Senate Education Committee met Wednesday to hear testimony from administrators, teachers, parents and other stakeholders opposed or in favor of the House budget bill. Senators are drafting their own version of the budget, which must be reconciled with the House and signed into law before July 1. The bill will determine school funding levels for the next two fiscal years. Parker described Bath schools as a "low-spending, high-performing district." The district earned four out of five stars on its most recent state report card. Parker said the district spends an average of $12,000 per student, compared to the statewide average of $16,000 per pupil. "We feel like we're the smallest level of government, and we feel like we are efficient," Parker said, asking if the state budget would "punish" districts for "doing the right things." House lawmakers introduced the proposed cap on public K-12 school cash balances, also known as carryovers, to provide property tax relief for property owners who saw their assessments increase by double digits this past year. The cap would affect an estimated 500 districts in Ohio, according to the Ohio School Boards Association. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
School funding worries: Area treasurers, superintendents decry policy change
May 10—BATH TOWNSHIP — The Bath school board adopted a resolution Wednesday opposing a provision of the Ohio House's two-year budget bill that would cap public K-12 school cash reserves at 30% of operating expenses. Supporters of the proposed cap on cash reserves, also known as carryover balances, say schools are carrying too much cash from year to year, which they believe should be returned to taxpayers. Opponents say capping cash reserves will hamper long-term planning and result in uneven tax rates, with tax rates rising and falling from year to year based on a district's operating expenses and cash balance. The carryover balance cap would affect more than 500 school districts in Ohio, according to the Ohio School Boards Association, which opposes the measure. Bath's concerns "It would be a loss of local control," said Bath schools Treasurer Joel Parker, who intends to testify before the Senate next week in opposition to the carryover cap. The resolution adopted Wednesday says Bath schools "has taken a conservative approach (to) fiscal management to always be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and excellent bond rating to maximize utilization of taxpayer money and should not be punished for this." The board cites its aging infrastructure, inflation and "unfunded mandates," which require a "well-defined plan for short-term and long-term spending." Such spending is "not flat by design," according to the resolution. The Bath school board is asking lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine "to allow local school districts to manage their districts by funding all schools fairly and continuing to allow management of taxation levels and cash balances at the will of local residents." Parker said he'd like to see lawmakers remove the carryover cap from budget discussions so lawmakers can work on property tax reform separately. Lima's losses at $8.2 million Lima schools could lose as much as $8.2 million in the first year if the proposal is approved, though that figure could change if the school board takes action and based on the timeframe the legislature uses to calculate district spending and reserve balances, Treasurer Heather Sharp said. Sharp said the district's cash balance exceeds operating expenses by 44%. That's down from last year's 68% rate, she said. "We are on the right trajectory in terms of lowering our cash on hand," Sharp said. Spencerville's $5 million cut Spencerville Superintendent Brian Woods said his district could lose as much as $5 million in existing funds if the proposal prevails. The district's cash balance reached 71% of operating expenses as of last June. "This is deeply concerning, as we have a carefully planned, multi-year capital improvement plan that relies on these funds for essential, long-term investments," Woods said. "A cap would not eliminate the need for these projects — it would only eliminate the funds we've responsibly saved to complete them. "The result would force us into an impossible position: either allow our facilities to deteriorate or return to voters to request additional funding. Neither option makes sense when we already have taxpayer-approved dollars set aside for these needs." Deficit spending in St. Marys St. Marys Superintendent Bill Ruane said his district plans to use its cash reserve, which is roughly 62% of the previous year's expenditures, to cover a deficit projected by the district's five-year forecast. "Instead of hiring and creating new positions and using money received during COVID, we offset current expenses to build a healthy cash balance to ensure long-term fiscal health, which under this proposal would be erased," Ruane said. He estimates the district could lose $8.8 million in local revenue if the cap is approved. Budget debate Lawmakers are still drafting the state's biennial budget, which will determine school funding for the next two years. In addition to the debate over carryover balances, lawmakers are debating the future of the Fair School Funding Formula, a bipartisan formula introduced in 2021 to comply with Ohio Supreme Court rulings, which found the state relied too heavily on property taxes to fund public K-12 schools. Gov. Mike DeWine's version of the budget retained the formula but froze cost inputs at 2022 levels. The House version of the bill would increase public K-12 school funding by $226 million using a different formula, but would cap carryover balances at 30% of annual operating expenses. Both bills would increase funding for private school vouchers. The Senate is now working on its version of the bill, which must be reconciled with the House and signed into law no later than June 30. Biggest change in policy Ottawa-Glandorf Superintendent Don Horstman described the carryover cap as "the biggest change to public school tax policy in 50 years" written "in less than a week," the superintendent said during an April town hall in Ottawa. Horstman said it took years of delayed maintenance and an income tax levy for his district to go from having 45 days cash on hand, far below the recommended 90 days cash, to having a $10 million cash reserve, or six months cash. "We were derided by some of the current House leadership for not being more frugal and keeping cash on hand for economic emergencies we were experiencing (in 2008)," Horstman said at the town hall. "Now some of these same leaders are attacking districts for being good stewards." Ottawa-Glandorf schools would lose an estimated $6.9 million in revenue the first year if the 30% carryover cap is approved, Horstman said during a town hall meeting in April. "That is devastating to a school district," he said. The district's $10 million cash reserve balance is enough to cover six months of expenses. The cash balance took years to build: Ottawa-Glandorf once held as little as 45 days cash when it passed an income tax levy in 2019, far below the recommended minimum of 90 days cash balance, Horstman said. The district delayed maintenance projects, but now plans to use its reserves to replace a 25-year-old HVAC and roof at the high school, as well as decades-old parking lots, tennis courts, stadium lights and other projects, Horstman said. Featured Local Savings
