Schools, districts, and education policy in Ohio.
The state directive restricts Cincinnati Public Schools from counting pending levy revenue in its recovery plan, forcing the district to plot cuts to balance a projected $44.5 million shortfall. Failure could escalate to a state-appointed commission with power over the elected school board.
The first of five unpaid days for all employees took place September 21 as part of a plan to close a $58.6 million deficit. Columbus and Cleveland have used position eliminations and school closures instead.
Signed July 10, the law tweaks graduation metrics, adds an IEP diploma exemption, and drops more than a dozen reporting requirements.
State review flags statistical patterns at 37 charter and 15 traditional public schools spanning at least 16 counties. Schools must respond by September 18.
The state eliminated credentials with low employer demand, using labor market data to shrink the list. The new system takes full effect for the Class of 2030.
The district cut 80 jobs and froze pay, but its forecast shows a $2 million shortfall. If the state declares fiscal emergency, a commission could assume board powers.
The August 2026 waiver reduces an earlier list of 16 mandated interventions to a two-tier framework but keeps state approval authority over local improvement plans, stirring debate over local control.
A state task force’s report provides the first comprehensive dataset on the driver shortage and the disproportionate impact of the “impractical to transport” declaration on community and nonpublic school students.
A new state law gives districts until July 2026 to adopt an artificial intelligence policy, but leaves the content largely up to local boards.