Legislative Update

EDUCATION POLICY AND THE STATE BUDGET BILL

BY BARBARA SHANER

When this issue of the Navigator went to print, the Ohio General Assembly was still in the process of finalizing the 2-year state budget bill for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020 and 2021, House Bill (HB) 166. For OAESA members, the important thing to know is that FY translates into “school year.” In other words, state funding for Ohio schools is distributed to districts on a school year basis beginning on July 1 every year. The deadline for the new 2-year budget is June 30 in the second year of a current budget. This time, the House and Senate had trouble agreeing on the bill’s provisions, and had to utilize the authority to extend the June 30 deadline. That’s right, every two years districts don’t know for sure how much money they’ll receive from the state until a few days before the school year starts. This school year, that deadline was postponed so the school year started with some financial uncertainty for school districts. Fortunately, even though lawmakers in the House and Senate had a hard time agreeing on the state budget as a whole, they weren’t far apart in their views about school funding. In fact, throughout the budget process (which began on March 15th), the school funding provisions in the bill didn’t change much. As a school administrator you may be thinking how fortunate that the state budget process isn’t something you need to follow closely. For the most part, there are others in your district whose responsibility it is to follow those proceedings. Given the many challenges administrators face, particularly during the months when the state budget is debated, there is little time to stay informed about legislation. However, it may come as a surprise that increasingly, the legislature has been using the biennial budget bill to enact education policy changes that could affect the education of students and the operation of your school building. It is much easier to adopt new laws for education policy through a massive budget bill than it is to pass a single subject bill. Lawmakers who might not support an individual law change may still be inclined to approve a budget bill. And, the bill is so big that some lawmakers may not know about everything contained in its pages. In the most recent budget bill, a range of education policy changes were debated. Everything from report card changes to new restrictions on decisions by the Ohio High School Athletic Association could be found within its pages. New school breakfast requirements, testing changes, and graduation requirement changes are all among the many education topics considered. Perhaps the topic of most interest to OAESA members is both funding and policy related. In March, Governor DeWine proposed through HB 166, funds to be used to address the noneducation barriers for kids in poverty called Student Wellness and Success Funds (SWSFs). This is one portion of the budget bill on which both the House and the Senate could agree and the governor’s proposal remained intact. “The social and emotional needs of students may well be the concern of the larger community; not just the leaders responsible for their educational success.”

The social, emotional needs of students were a theme the governor heard from educators since before he was elected in November 2018. It’s also been a theme addressed in various professional development events hosted by OAESA. There seems to be broad agreement that the challenge in helping many students succeed are related to events and opportunities (or the lack thereof) students experience outside the classroom. School leaders and educators have made the case for the need of assistance to address these challenges.

HB 166 provides some resources for school districts to address the non-educational barriers for students. The funding for each district is based on a formula that relies on its percent of residents that live in poverty using census data.

The “catch” for districts’ use of these funds is a requirement for collaboration with at least one local agency to develop a plan (a list of potential organizations/agencies is contained in the bill). The plan must follow a prescribed list of areas the new funds can be used for. The plan will be submitted to the state, and then a report filed at the end of the year as to how the funds were spent.

Some may view the requirement to collaborate with a local agency to jointly determine the use of the SWSFs as another mandate from the state. Yet as the common thread of this Navigator issue bears out, more can be accomplished with collaboration. Further, the social and emotional needs of students may well be the concern of the larger community; not just the leaders responsible for their educational success. OAESA commends members for identifying the need for resources to address Student Wellness and Success, as this message has clearly reached the governor’s office. The challenge now will be to make sure the school administrator’s voice becomes part of collaborative efforts in the use of the new SWSFs. OAESA members have the knowledge and experience on the front lines to make the most of these new resources.

Even though following the state’s budget bill may not be high on members’ priority list, collaboration can be utilized in that effort, too. Stay in touch with others in your district who may already be following the proceedings, making sure they know you’re interested. The more people talking about pending legislation, the easier it will be to be informed. You’ll be better prepared to make that legislative contact when it’s needed.

If you’re ready to start building relationships with your legislative representatives, OAESA has tools for you on its website—a link to the new “Principals Advocating with Legislators” (PAL) toolkit is right there on the homepage for easy access. You can utilize the toolkit on your own, or in collaboration with others in your district or from neighboring districts. The next time there’s a bill or a state budget proposal, you’ll be better prepared to influence the outcome.

Barbara Shaner is OAESA’s Advocacy Specialist. If you need more information, contact the author at barbaracshaner@gmail.com.

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