Opposition Testimony to Ohio SB1 — Ruth Hardy (4.24.2023)

Summary

Ruth Hardy submitted opposition testimony on Ohio SB1, dated 4.24.2023, urging the committee to reject Senate Bill 1. The testimony says the bill shifts control of public education to the governor and strips the roles and duties of elected State Board of Education leaders. It states that the 1953 amendment transferred the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state education agency staff from the Governor's office to the State Board of Education. It also says the takeover would take power away from 11 publicly elected school board members, and cites $117 million lost to ECOT and over 300 failed charter schools.

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“Opposition Testimony to Ohio SB1 — Ruth Hardy (4.24.2023).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-04-25-econ-workforce-dev-testimony-testimony-3342-00172be876/, SHA-256 ea0c2c2a4372e2d58db2fbcc964357d6b2b00ef65b2e06c200e18dd5a80ca168.

Full text

Opposition Testimony to Ohio SB1 2023
Ruth Hardy
4.24.2023
I researched and voted for my state school board members to represent my
interests as a citizen. I do not trust the consolidation of power in an office
handpicked by the Governor - it destroys the balance of power & removes
my right to weigh in on educational policy. Also, the Governor brought us
$117 million lost to ECOT corruption & over 300 failed charter schools,
draining away tax dollars paid by citizens who earnestly care about their
kids' educations. Are we supposed to relinquish educational policy to the
governor’s office after that record?

As an Ohioan who believes every student deserves an honest, high-quality
education and understands the importance of a thriving business economy, I
urge you to reject Senate Bill 1.
Shifting control of public education to the governor and stripping the roles
and duties of democratically elected State Board of Education leaders is a
suppresses our democracy in Ohio: this plan silences families, voters, and
taxpayers, and removes our ability to have a voice at the state level.

The State Board of Education is a governing entity embedded in the Ohio
Constitution. It became a part of the Constitution by an amendment passed
by citizens of Ohio in 1953. The amendment transferred the Superintendent
of Public Instruction and the state education agency staff from the
Governor’s office to the newly established State Board of Education. The
proposed state takeover will take power away from 11 publicly elected
school board members and will negate the votes of over 200,000 Ohio
citizens. Our state school board members were elected to serve the will of
their constituents - not the Governor nor his political party. In fact, when
Ohio voters passed the Constitutional amendment, they sought to separate
the Department of Education from the governor’s office. The Constitution
must be followed as passed by the citizens of Ohio.
Please do not pass SB 1 out of committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony.

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