Superintendent warns Senate bill forcing school-property sales could undercut local planning and community uses

Jeff Talbert, co-chair of the Ohio 8 Coalition and superintendent of Canton City Schools, testified in opposition to Senate Bill 311, focusing on provisions that would require or narrow how school districts sell property. Talbert said the bill's forced-sale language does not account for long-term facilities plans, swing space needs during construction, specialized programming space, or voter-approved permanent improvement levies and bonds. He told the committee that the legislation would "force the sale of property to a predetermined list of organizations instead of a third party that could pay at or above market price," and that could reduce proceeds available for reinvestment in district facilities and programming.

Talbert described examples from Canton where districts chose to retain, demolish, swap or repurpose buildings as part of long-term planning; he said a forced-sale mandate could limit local options and impede economic development collaborations with municipalities. He argued the law should preserve local control and suggested exemptions for buildings tied to voter-approved levies or bonds and for facilities with unique programmatic value.

Senator Smith and other members discussed scenarios in which buildings had been closed and later reopened as enrollment changed, underscoring Talbert's point that building life-cycles and community needs evolve over time. Talbert concluded by urging the committee to retain local authority over property sales and to consider broader systemic solutions rather than punitive measures such as license revocation or elimination of qualified immunity for school boards.