Opponent Testimony — Polly Taylor-Gerken, Toledo City School District, on Senate Bill 1 (May 9, 2023)

Summary

Polly Taylor-Gerken, a Member of the Board of Education of the Toledo City School District, filed a Witness Information Form dated May 9, 2023 for Senate Bill 1, marked as an opponent with written testimony only. The testimony urges the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee to vote no on Senate Bill 1. It states that 11 of the 19 members of the State Board of Education are elected by the people and that the bill would transfer power from the Board to an individual appointed by the Governor. It carries the notation /s/ Polly Taylor-Gerken.

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“Opponent Testimony — Polly Taylor-Gerken, Toledo City School District, on Senate Bill 1 (May 9, 2023).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-05-09-econ-workforce-dev-testimony-05-09sb1testimony-pollytaylor-c86cc8eaf7/, SHA-256 e892f153f4299578456a49b7fe9d927127cbca6a4705280073018a8971172148.

Full text

             WITNESS INFORMATION FORM
                Please complete the Witness Information Form before testifying:


Date:    May 9, 2023

Name:     Polly Taylor-Gerken

Are you representing: Yourself
                                 □ Organization □
                                                ✔

Organization (If Applicable):    Board of Education of the Toledo City School District

Position/Title: Member
Address: 1609 N Summit St.
City: Toledo           State: Ohio                           Zip: 43604
Best Contact Telephone: 419-671-0001                  Email: ptaylorgerken@tps.org
Do you wish to be added to the committee notice email distribution list? Yes
                                                                                □ No □
Business before the committee
        Legislation (Bill/Resolution Number):     Senate Bill 1

        Specific Issue: Public Education / Revisions to Education Law and State Board
Are you testifying as a: Proponent
                                     □ Opponent □
                                                ✔ Interested Party
                                                                   □
Will you have a written statement, visual aids, or other material to distribute? Yes ✔ No
                                                                                     □      □
(If yes, please send an electronic version of the documents, if possible, to the Chair’s office prior
to committee. You may also submit hard copies to the Chair’s staff prior to committee.)
How much time will your testimony require? written testimony only.


Please provide a brief statement on your position:
Senate Bill 1 inserts partisan politics into Ohio's nonpartisan system of public education.
Ohio citizens deserve direct representation at the state level to advance education policy. In
shifting oversight from the elected State Board of Education to a political appointee, Senate
Bill 1 is not only bad governance, but endangers our students’ right to a quality education.

Please be advised that this form and any materials (written or otherwise) submitted or presented
to this committee are records that may be requested by the public and may be published online.
                                                       Toledo City School District Board of Education
                                                                       Polly Taylor-Gerken, Member

                                                                                   Toledo Public Schools
                                                                                     1609 N. Summit St.
                                                                                     Toledo, Ohio 43604
                                                                                            www.tps.org



                     House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
                                  Senate Bill 1 Opponent Testimony
                                              May 9, 2023


Chairman Swearingen, Vice Chairman Santucci, Ranking Member Upchurch and members of the
House Economic and Workforce Development Committee, I urge you to keep partisan politics out
of our system of public education and vote no on Senate Bill 1.
My name is Polly Taylor-Gerken and as a member of the Board of Education of the Toledo City
School District, one of the largest public school districts in the State of Ohio, I fight for our students
every day. I, along with my colleagues, understand that all students deserve a high-quality
education which will enable them to achieve success and continue to advance this state and our
country.
In 1953, the citizens amended the Ohio Constitution and entrusted a non-partisan entity, the State
Board of Education, to advance Ohio’s education policy along with local boards of education. With
11 of the 19 members of the State Board of Education elected by the people, Ohio citizens have
always had direct representation and the ability to hold this body accountable for its actions. Senate
Bill 1 eliminates the voice of everyday Ohioans and seeks to dismantle the education framework
set up by the people seventy years ago.
Specifically, Senate Bill 1 would transfer power from the State Board of Education to an individual
appointed by the Governor who is not directly answerable to the citizens. This legislation is not
only anti-democratic as it silences the voices of Ohio families, but it seeks to inject partisan politics
into Ohio’s nonpartisan system of public education.
Senate Bill 1 would allow whichever party is in power to prioritize their own political agenda and
dramatically alter education policy and funding with little oversight or accountability. While
Senate Bill 1 may serve your agenda today, what will come when your party may no longer be in
power? We cannot afford to play games with our children’s education.
Education reform in Ohio must be student-centered and made by individuals with knowledge and
expertise. For Toledo Public Schools, this means focusing on our relationships with students and
their families to address inequities in public education, and advancing policies that allow our
teachers, administrators, and staff to achieve professional success.
Give our students, their families, and our hardworking educators the system of public education
they deserve, the democratic system of public education that the people advanced seventy years
ago and vote no on Senate Bill 1.
Thank you Chairman Swearingen and members of the House Economic and Workforce
Development Committee for your attention and the opportunity to explain why Senate Bill 1 is not
only bad governance, but endangers our students’ right to a quality education.


/s/ Polly Taylor-Gerken
Toledo City School District, Board of Education

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Our copy: 2023-05-09_econ-workforce-dev_testimony_05-09sb1testimony-pollytaylor-gerken.pdf
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