Craig Condemns Passage of Education Overhaul

Today, state Senator Hearcel Craig (D-COLUMBUS) issued a statement after the Ohio Senate voted along party lines to pass Senate Bill 1, which drastically limits the duties and function of the State Board of Education and Department of Education.
 
“This legislation leaves the future of education beholden to political control, not to the people of Ohio,” said Senator Craig. “Transparency and accountability are crucial to the mission of the State Board of Education. Public education should not be a partisan issue. Millions of Ohioans, falling all across the political spectrum, depend on our public schools. By electing members to the State Board of Education, Ohioans are able to voice their ideas about our school system. Depriving them of this right by putting public education in the hands of politicians is a disservice to our children and teachers."
 
S.B. 1 would transfer almost all the current powers and duties of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the new Department of Education and Workforce (DEW), which would be a cabinet-level agency. It would allow the Governor to appoint the director of the DEW. S.B. 1 also weakens homeschooling regulations.
 
The bill is a politically motivated takeover of public education that Democrats believe will not serve Ohio’s students.
 
S.B. 1 now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.