LFC Comments: Thanks to patriot Kirsten Hill, member of the State Board of Education – District 2, for this article.
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Friends,
I am writing to inform you of an upcoming hearing for a bill in the Ohio House to return the State Board of Education to an all-elected board. Please forward this message to your contacts.
Return to all-elected State Board of Education
Ohio House Bill 298 would change the voting membership of the State Board of Education back to an all-elected board of 11 members. Currently, there are 11 elected plus 8 governor-appointed voting members of the State Board of Education.
This is a very simple, straightforward bill. SUPPORT HB 298. There are 2 primary sponsors plus 41 cosponsors for HB 298. See list of all sponsors here. https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/134/hb298
Hearing Details HB 298 will have a hearing Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. It will be with the Government Oversight Committee.
Location of hearing: Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio 43215
Attachments
1. HB 298 Bill language – 6 pages
2. HB 298 analysis – 1.5 pages
3. Representative Bird’s testimony (Rep.) – The history of the formation of the State Board of Education is fascinating. This is a must-read.
4. Representative Miller’s testimony (Dem.) – Miller concurs with history described by Bird and emphasizes giving voice to the voters on issues and policies.
5. Witness Information Form – Please email this along with your testimony in SUPPORT of HB 298 to Government Oversight Committee Chairman Wilkin at rep91@ohiohouse.gov. Due date: Monday, September 27, 2021, at 10 a.m.
Please forward this to your contacts and encourage them to write brief testimony in SUPPORT of HB 298 and email it to Chair Wilkin by Monday Morning at 10 a.m.
Email me with any questions or comments. I welcome them.
Yours truly,
Kirsten Hill
Elected Member, State Board of Education, District 2 (Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lorain, Lucas, Ottawa and Wood Counties)
kirsten@kirstenhill.com
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Here are the co-sponsors of the bill: https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/134/hb298
REPRESENTATIVES
Cindy Abrams
Brian Baldridge
Richard D. Brown
Gary Click
Rodney Creech
Jon Cross
Jeffrey A. Crossman
Al Cutrona
Bill Dean
Ron Ferguson
Sarah Fowler Arthur
Diane V. Grendell
Jennifer Gross
Thomas Hall
Adam Holmes
James M. Hoops
Marilyn S. John
Mark Johnson
Don Jones
Kris Jordan
J. Kyle Koehler
Mary Lightbody
Mike Loychik
Riordan T. McClain
Derek Merrin
Adam C. Miller
Jessica E. Miranda
Michael J. O’Brien
Gail K. Pavliga
Phil Plummer
Sharon A. Ray
Craig S. Riedel
Bill Roemer
Bill Seitz
Lisa A. Sobecki
Jason Stephens
Brian Stewart
Reggie Stoltzfus
Scott Wiggam
Bob Young
Tom Young
Who is missing from the list of co-sponsors?
Jamie Callender, Republican representing District 61 Lake County
https://ohiohouse.gov/members/jamie-callender/biography
From his biography:
“State Representative Jamie Callender is currently serving his second term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 61st House District in the eastern portion of Lake County.”
“He was also widely regarded for his leadership for Ohio’s schools. His efforts included work to improve academic achievement and improve school accountability while lessoning the reliance on property taxes.” [LFC Comments: Hmmm…really]
https://ohiohouse.gov/members/daniel-p-troy/biography
From his biography:
“Daniel P. Troy is the current state representative for Ohio’s 60th House District, representing the cities of Eastlake, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willowick, Mentor (Ward 4 only), the villages of Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Timberlake, and a portion of Painesville Township.”
“His priorities include protecting Lake Erie, building back the state’s economy, and fighting for working people, families and local communities of the 60th House District.”
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We sent an email to Representative Bird asking if our two Representatives were asked to co-sponsor the bill. Here is the reply we received on 9/24/21:
Good afternoon Brian,
Thank you for reaching out to Representative Bird’s office. We appreciate your support of HB 298. The bill will be up for a proponent testimony hearing on Tuesday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. Please let me know if you would like to provide proponent testimony before the committee, either in-person or as a written statement.
All members of the Ohio House of Representatives were contacted via email and given the opportunity to co-sponsor. Those who wished to do so replied individually. Additionally, Representative Bird spoke with several members in person as he encountered them in passing around the Statehouse. I do not know whether or not he was able to speak with either Rep. Callender or Rep. Troy about the bill prior to its introduction, and I am unaware of any specific comments they may have made.
I would encourage you to reach out to Rep. Callender’s and Rep. Troy’s offices with any further specific questions about their decisions regarding co-sponsorship. I am happy to assist with any general questions regarding the bill or the proponent hearing.
Best,
Adam J. Headlee
Legislative Aide
Office of State Representative Adam Bird
Ohio House of Representatives, District 66
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215
614.644.6034
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We did sent emails to both Representative Callender and Troy asking if they would co-sponsor HB 298 and would ultimately vote for it. We will update this article when we receive a reply from our Representatives.
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Categories: Education, State of Ohio