Ohio House seeks End Run around Constitution

A long long time ago, in a galaxy far... Wait... Wrong one? Okay, I'll start over.

Before 1953, Education policy in Ohio was dictated by Governor appointees. This caused a host of issues such as lack of continuity, instability, and worst of all; education was used as a pawn in political games. The People of Ohio were upset. A constitutional amendment was passed in the State of Ohio November of 1953. This amendment separated Educational policy from the Governor's administration and created the State Board of Education.

"There shall be a state board of education which shall be selected in such manner and for such terms as shall be provided by law. There shall be a superintendent of public instruction, who shall be appointed by the state board of education. The respective powers and duties of the board and of the superintendent shall be prescribed by law."

The State Board of Education is currently comprised of 8 appointed and 11 elected members. These elected members serve as representatives of the People of Ohio on matters of Education and allow for public input into their proceedings. HB512 seeks to limit the SBOE to an administrative role, handling only teacher licensure and disciplinary actions.

I believe Sarah Fowler, a current SBOE representative, put it best when she said in her testimony to the Government Accountability and Oversight committee (available in full on the committee's website) "HB 512 undermines our constitutional separation of powers, transparency of the rule making process, and accountability to the voters for regulations created by the proposed mega-agency."

Don't let our state go backwards! Please contact members of the Government Accountability and Oversight committee as well as your Representative and ask them to protect your constitutional rights. Oppose HB512.

Government Accountability and Oversight Committee: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/government-accountability-and-oversight

To read the 2,436 page bill, set aside 3 days and visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA132-HB-512