Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Legislation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board members, public raise concerns about Ohio bills on character education and funding pressures
Summary
Board members and a League of Women Voters representative discussed Ohio Senate Bill 156 and House Bill 269 — described in the meeting as proposals affecting character education and curriculum — and raised concerns about state funding declines and potential impacts on local districts; the board urged civic engagement and public comment.
Board members used their comments period to flag two pieces of state legislation and to warn of budgetary pressures that could increase reliance on local property taxpayers.
One board member urged people to review Ohio Senate Bill 156 and House Bill 269, which she described as requiring a ‘‘success sequence’’ and character education that, in her view, contains language favoring particular religious viewpoints and could constrain curricular sources. She named groups that support the bills — including the Center for Christian Virtue and the American Enterprise Institute — and groups that oppose them, including Planned Parenthood of Ohio and local teachers’ associations.
The board member said provisions cited in the bills include instruction that emphasizes ‘‘respect for lifelong marriage’’ and ‘‘fidelity within marriage’’ and would restrict use of curricula from organizations that provide or refer for abortion-related services; she told residents to contact elected officials and said such measures can return in future sessions.
Separately, board members discussed long-term state funding trends. Treasurer Kent Zeman and board members referenced the DeRolph-era litigation that found Ohio’s school funding method unconstitutional and noted the state share of public education funding has fallen over decades; Zeman said the state contribution is lower now than in earlier decades and that local property taxes have increased proportionally. Zeman also noted that the recent state budget included a performance supplement that, given the district’s ratings, will add roughly $200,000 per year.
In public comment, Linda Beebe of the Lakewood League of Women Voters told the board the League is hosting a public forum on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Lakewood Public Library on ‘‘2025 schools and library funding’’ that will discuss how state and federal legislation may affect the district; she encouraged residents to write to elected officials.
No board action on the state bills was taken at the meeting; board members characterized the matters as topics for civic engagement and monitoring at the state and federal level.
