03/07/2018

Education Merger Bill Attracts Overflow Crowd of Opponents

OABA, OASBO speak out in defense of Ohio's school children, educators

In a hearing so crowded that security had to direct people to overflow rooms, home-school parents and traditional public school advocates joined to oppose a bill that would dismantle much of the Ohio Department of Education.

“How does any of this better prepare kids for the 21st Century learning we all profess to want?” said Stephen Dyer, an education policy fellow with Innovation Ohio, a liberal policy group, summing up a question raised by multiple opponents.

Under the bill, the Department of Education would merge with the Department of Higher Education and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development into a new agency under the governor’s control. Supporters say the consolidation would streamline efforts, improve communications and better prepare students for the workforce of the future.

“There is much more to preparing students to be responsible and productive citizens than simply talking about job readiness,” said Barbara Shaner of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Columbus Dispatch.