Lawmakers are looking over several different bills that would revise the way the state handles school districts in academic distress. There seems to be a consensus that changes are needed.
It’s been nearly four years since former Gov. John Kasich pushed for a last-minute change to a bill that gave the state the power to take over a school district in academic distress.
There are now three bills that aim to change that process.
One calls for tweaks to the system, giving more accountability to local officials.
Another bill calls for a moratorium, while a third bill would get rid of the takeover process and dissolve the existing academic distress commissions in Youngstown and Lorain.
Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) said it is important to discover if this process is working.
“And if it wasn’t, what other factors might be at play to discover why it isn’t working and how we can improve on it," Obhof said.
Obhof said he wants to talk to the House and Gov. Mike DeWine to figure out the best path forward.
