COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio House yesterday approved a bill that would make big changes in the embattled Columbus schools.
The so-called “Columbus School Plan” requires a levy on the November ballot, allows the district to share funds with charter schools and hire an independent auditor if voters approve.
“House Bill 167 provides Columbus schools with more resources and gives parents additional options for educating their children, tailored to the specific needs of Columbus families,” said Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City), who sponsored the bill.
“I am pleased with the outcome of this vote. The best form of public policy is to allow the voters to weigh in and this legislation does just that,” Rep. Kevin Boyce (D-Columbus) said in a statement released yesterday after he voted with the majority to pass the Columbus Education Plan.
The bill establishes new statutes for a school district with an average daily membership of more than 60,000 students located in primarily a city of 700,000 or greater. The Columbus City School District is currently the only district to meet the criteria.
It includes some of the recommendations made by the Columbus Education Commission, established by Mayor Michael Coleman in the midst of the Columbus district’s data-scrubbing scandal. Coleman and OSU President E. Gordon Gee testified in support of the bill before the House Education Committee.
The measure authorizes the district to put a levy on the November ballot, which would create the Office of the Independent Auditor which would review reports and data and investigate suspected fraud, abuse, or wrongful or illegal acts. The independent auditor will also report on the cost-effectiveness of district operations, make sure levy requests are based on accurate district needs watch spending.
The bill also permits sharing of levy proceeds with charter schools and allows the mayor of eligible communities to sponsor community schools with the approval of city council.