Senate committee weighs measures to identify and intervene in persistently low-performing schools

Senate Bill 127, a proposal to identify and intervene in persistently low-performing school buildings across Ohio, drew extended testimony and questions at the Senate Education Committee’s third hearing.

Supporters said the bill brings consistent standards and accountability to schools that repeatedly show weak academic performance; opponents warned that the bill's reliance on narrow test-based cutoffs and mandated remedies risks destabilizing already struggling schools and communities.

The bill would use state report card measures — a bottom-5 percent statewide performance index (PI) and a bottom-10 percent value-added or growth measure across three consecutive years — to identify chronically underperforming school buildings. Once identified, buildings would be required to adopt one of several structured interventions, which could include closure, restructuring, transfer to an external operator, or other remedies laid out in the bill.

Greg Lawson, senior policy witness for the Buckeye Institute, argued the state must apply a consistent accountability framework to district and charter buildings.…