A new bill to merge three state departments to better prepare students for jobs or college brings a major political change – shifting power from elected members of the state school board to the governor.
The bill proposed by Ohio House Republicans would merge the Ohio Department of Education with the departments of Higher Education and Workforce Transformation, placing them all under a single director appointed by the governor.
While voters would still elect 11 of the 19 members of the state school board, the bill would take away about 80 percent of the powers of the board and state superintendent, according to State Rep. Bill Reineke, the bill’s sponsor.
The board and state superintendent would mainly handle licensure and discipline of school employees, but lose all policy-making power. A new cabinet-level director appointed by the governor would handle issues that the board has dealt with, like testing, high school graduation requirements, state takeover of failing districts and the department’s handling of charter school oversight evaluations.
The proposal drew some immediate opposition – as have previous attempts by governors to divert education policy away from elected school board members.
Richard Lewis, executive director of the Ohio School Boards Association, said the bill would “undermine” the authority of voters.
“By stripping it of all but its regulatory role, the board would no longer be acting in any significant way on behalf of the citizens the members represent,” Lewis said in a prepared statement. “At the core of our existence is the notion that education in Ohio will be at its best when the interests of the people are served through publicly elected boards. The State Board of Education is no exception.”
State Sen. Joe Schiavonni, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, had sharper criticism.
“I’ll have a full assessment when I see the bill, but we already know it’s an unacceptable power grab by politicians,” he said in a press release. “There’s no excuse for taking control from Ohio voters and giving it to yourself – especially when it comes to our children’s education.”
Kasich spokesman Jon Keeling said that the plan is not a power grab by Kasich, since he is leaving office at the end of the year.
“The governor’s term is up in less than a year, so this isn’t about him – and it’s not about any other governor,” Keeling said. “It’s about Ohio’s children getting the fair shot at a quality education that they deserve.”
Gary Barber, former Marion City Schools superintendent and currently at Tiffin schools, said the merger will give clarity to districts of how to prepare students for an ever-changing workplace.
“No longer are we in position to graduate our students, wish them well and hope they go out and discover their passion,” Barber said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure our students have a successful transition.”
The bill was announced less than two weeks after Kasich called for merging the Education and Higher Education departments under his authority. The higher education chancellor is an appointed cabinet position, while the state school board picks the state superintendent.
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