Hicks-Hudson Issues Statement of Support on the Lawsuit Filed Against Overhaul of Board of Education

Today, state Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) commented on the lawsuit filed by members of the Ohio State Board of Education challenging the constitutionality of the K-12 education overhaul that passed as part of the state operating budget, House Bill 33.

“The members of the Ohio State Board of Education are to be commended for taking action to prevent the Governor and the Legislature from usurping their responsibilities,” said Hicks-Hudson. “When the people of Ohio elected representatives to the board, they selected individuals they believed would have the best interests of Ohio’s children in mind and best represent their interests."

“In fear that the Senate Bill 1 power grab would not pass on its own merits, the Majority chose to circumvent the process by including it in the biannual budget, violating the single subject rule. In doing so, they also chose to disenfranchise duly elected representatives to the Board of Education.”

Senate Bill 1 was a politically motivated takeover of public education, transferring almost all powers of the democratically elected State Board of Education to the Governor and the newly-created Department of Education and Workforce (DEW).

This deeply controversial and complex legislation was passed by the Ohio Senate in March of this year but was never voted on in the Ohio House of Representatives. Instead, with objections from Senate Democrats, the bill passed in its entirety as part of a last-minute amendment to unrelated legislation, House Bill 33, the state operating budget.