Opponent Testimony — Christine Varwig, Toledo Public Schools Board of Education, on Sub. Senate Bill 1

Summary

Christine Varwig, a Board Member of the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education and President of the Ohio School Boards Association, gave opponent testimony on Sub. Senate Bill 1 to the Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The testimony says SB 1 would shift educational oversight from elected members of the State Board of Education to a partisan political appointee. It lists Toledo Public Schools career academies, including an Aerospace Academy and a Pre-Med Academy, and says the district's 3-Es rating has gone from 45% to 95% during the tenure. It urges the committee to vote against the bill.

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Full text

                                                                                            Christine Varwig
                                                                                               419-671-0550
                                                                                           Fax 419-671-0082
                                                                                            cvarwig@tps.org
Toledo Public Schools
Board of Education
Educational Campus
1609 N. Summit Street,
Toledo, Ohio 43604


Chairman Swearingen, Vice Chair Santucci, Ranking Member Upchurch, and Members of the
Economic and Workforce Development Committee,

Thank you for allowing me to provide opponent testimony on Sub. Senate Bill 1.

Good Afternoon, my name is Christine Varwig, I am a Board Member of the Toledo Public Schools
Board of Education and current President of the Ohio School Boards Association.

Please know I would have gladly attended this meeting in person, but as an elected official I myself
have an obligation to attend my own Board of Education meeting tonight.

I, again, find myself in opposition to a bill that is looking to find an answer to a problem that does not
exist. SB 1 would shift educational oversight from elected members of the State Board of Education
to a partisan political appointee, depriving local communities the right to shape education policy.

I am in my 10th year serving on the Toledo Public Board of Education and I know my community.
Each year we continue to focus on career tech options for our students. We have great
relationships with our business community and are constantly seeking to expand educational
opportunities and embed those opportunities within the very work force environments our students
will enter into upon graduation while building relationships with industry. A few examples:
  • TPS Aerospace Academy is located at the Airport
  • TPS Natural Science Academy is located next to our Metroparks
  • TPS Pre-Med Academy is located next to a hospital
  • TPS Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering focuses on project-based learning; and
      a future EV program will be built on that campus next year
  • TPS Jones Leadership Academy of Business is one of 2 schools in the country to offer
      Bloomberg Labs
  • TPS Toledo Early College located on the campus of the University of Toledo
  • We are expanding career focused academies in Construction, Educator Academy, Performing/
      Fine Arts, and bi-lingual
  • TPS offers over 30 career technical programs within our district
  • TPS’s rating in the 3-Es (Enlistment-Enrollment-Employment) has gone from 45% to 95% over
    the course of my tenure, all under the current State Board of Education structure
                               Educating Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Global Economy
                                              An Equal Opportunity Employer

                                                       PAGE 1
Board of Education
Educational Campus
1609 N. Summit Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604

TPS Career Technology




TPS Career Technology
Peterbilt teams with high school to train the next generation of diesel technicians
Toledo Public Schools in Toledo, Ohio, entered into a partnership with Ohio Peterbilt and Peterbilt
Motors to provide Woodward High School diesel tech students access to Peterbilt’s technician training
and curriculum. The curriculum is the same one used by Peterbilt technicians, which is updated
frequently alongside industry changes.
Peterbilt will also offer mentorship, with students able to receive face-to-face testimonials and class
visits from industry professionals. Students will have internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job
training available to them, as well as job shadowing and worksite tours.

I encourage the Economic and Workforce Development Committee to vote against Sub Senate Bill 1.

We like our local control and our local voice on the State Board of Education of Ohio. We are not
seeking another government department with their own vision/agenda of what we should or should
not be doing in our community with respect to workforce development in our schools. There is no
“problem” to fix.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to our state continuing to respect the voice of Ohio voters.

Sincerely,
Christine Varwig
Toledo Public Schools Board of Education Member
419-265-7961

                                    Educating Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Global Economy
                                                   An Equal Opportunity Employer

                                                            PAGE 2


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