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Superintendents urge CCP reforms, cite high district costs and lower rigor of online courses
Summary
Superintendents Dawn Wallace and Kyle Newton testified in support of House Bill 62, saying College Credit Plus imposes unpredictable textbook and online‑course costs (Wallace cited $421,000 total CCP cost and $61,360 in textbooks for her district) and arguing HB 62 would align online‑course rates, require open‑source materials when available and reduce administrative burdens.
Superintendents from rural districts testified in favor of House Bill 62, a proposal to reform College Credit Plus (CCP) cost structures and textbook policies, focusing on online coursework and district fiscal strain.
Dawn Wallace, superintendent of Adams County Ohio Valley Schools, told the committee her district recorded 3,071 college credits last year and that 1,617 of those hours were completed online. She said CCP cost her district $421,000 (excluding textbooks) and $61,360.37 on textbooks, which become the students' property. "This would, at minimum, reduce this amount to half and likely even greater due to the requirement to use open source when available for materials," Wallace said, arguing HB 62 would reduce unpredictable textbook expenditures.
Kyle Newton, superintendent of Warren Local Schools, said online CCP courses accounted for a high share of district CCP costs and that asynchronous online offerings frequently lack the rigor of in‑person instruction and weaken school culture. Newton cited data from the state auditor and district experience to support aligning online rates with the lower rate paid when a college professor teaches on a high‑school campus (proposed in the bill as roughly $83.28 per class in sponsors' discussion).
Both superintendents urged the committee to consider shared services and partnerships with educational service centers and community colleges to improve on‑campus offerings, but they warned that administrative burdens—textbook purchasing and coordination—are real costs. They also said restoring in‑person instruction where appropriate could enhance student engagement and leadership opportunities in high schools.
The committee received proponent testimony and extensive member questions but took no vote.
