Toledo City School Board adopts resolution opposing Ohio Senate Bill 127

The Toledo City School District Board of Education on March 25 adopted a formal resolution opposing Ohio Senate Bill 127, which the board said would expand the criteria for labeling schools as ‘‘poorly performing’’ and risk forced closures, state takeovers and staff displacement.

Pastor Parker, who read the resolution for the board, said the measure ‘‘is not offering a solution. It’s imposing a sentence’’ and urged investment in supports rather than punitive action. The resolution cites proposed revisions to the statutory school-closure law (RC 3302.12) that would add new numerical thresholds—such as bottom-percentile performance over consecutive years—to determine closures or restructuring.

Board members described SB 127 in similar terms during debate. One member said the bill ‘‘threatens a student’s neighborhood school while failing to address the root issues behind educational opportunity gaps such as poverty, underfunded mental health resources, and educator shortages.’’ Another argued high-stakes testing and narrow metrics unfairly label schools and noted state budget choices that increase private-school vouchers while reducing public school funding.

The board approved the resolution by roll-call vote. Following the vote, a board member requested that the resolution be emailed to every state legislator and the governor’s office.

What the resolution says and what the board did: the adopted text opposes SB 127’s expanded closure criteria, reaffirms the district’s commitment to invest in vulnerable communities, and declares the resolution effective immediately upon adoption. The board’s action is a formal policy statement reflecting local opposition; it does not change district operations or unilaterally alter state law.

Next steps: board members asked staff to distribute the resolution to state lawmakers and the governor and to continue district advocacy focused on funding and supports rather than structural takeovers.