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SB 311/HB 565

The Ohio CORE Curriculum, SB 311 and HB 565, was passed by the lame-duck session of the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Bob Taft before he left office in early 2007. It is a wide-ranging, lengthy bill that will significantly impact education. The bill’s summary, for example, lists 29 provisions.

However, it is being positioned in the media mainly as a bill that specifies a core curriculum that every student must pass to graduate from high school as well as gain admission to public universities (except for three, which are termed “access” universities). Another objective of this bill appears to be reducing the need for costly remedial classes at the college level.

Branches interested in public education might want to devote some time in the coming year to studying this act and the impact it may have on the public education. With new Governor Ted Strickland in Columbus, AAUW branch opinions might receive greater consideration than they have in recent years.

This more rigorous high school curriculum requires students who enter the ninth grade after July 1, 2010, to earn four credits of math, including Algebra II; three credits of science, choosing from physical science, biology, chemistry and physics; four years of English; three years of social studies; and five credits to be chosen from among foreign language, fine arts, business, technology and Career Technical.

Gov. Taft’s Fact Sheet notes that only 24 percent of today’s students complete this rigorous curriculum. The fact that many inner city students do not complete the current, less rigorous curriculum and drop out at a high rate begs the question: Is it realistic to expect them to meet these more rigorous requirements? Branches might engage in an analysis of this Fact Sheet.

The bill addresses this issue by providing an alternate, which requires parents to opt their students out of the core curriculum and sign a form indicating they realize that their children will not be permitted to apply for admission to a state university and requires students to complete the less rigorous curriculum currently in force. It also specifically exempts students who are in certain drop-out and recovery programs.

This is, no doubt, the reason that Gov. Strickland has expressed concern about creating a “two-tier diploma system.” Quoted in the Columbus Dispatch, Strickland said, “"I don’t want us to set up a system that will forever consign a student that may have unique gifts and abilities to a secondary place within our society simply because they do not have the ability to function in other areas."

Gov. Taft argued in his Fact Sheet that an increasingly high percentage of jobs require post high school education and that more focus on English, math and science will help students succeed in these educational settings.

However, a Columbus Education Association member said, “The Ohio CORE Curriculum is a good concept without sound planning and realistic cost expectations. That’s a major concern to us in Columbus and other Central Ohio school districts, where it is already a challenge to meet state and federal requirements.”

H.B. 276

H.B. 276 passed by the 126th Congress, may interest some branches because it relates to bullying in the schools, and one of AAUW’s “Partnership Programs” calls for us to support the National Education Association’s Bullying Awareness Campaign. In Ohio, the Chillicothe Branch has especially been involved in this issue. The bill’s summary included the following points:

- Requires each school district board of education and each community school governing authority to adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying of any student on school property or at a school-sponsored activity.

- Requires the State Board of Education to develop a model policy prohibiting student harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

- Requires the Auditor of State, when conducting an audit of a school district or community school, to determine whether the district or community school has adopted an anti-harassment policy and to include that determination in the audit report.

- Provides school employees, students, and volunteers with qualified civil immunity for damages arising from reporting an incident of student harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

- Authorizes school districts and community schools to form bullying prevention initiatives and requires them to provide training and education on student harassment, intimidation, or bullying if funds are appropriated for that purpose.

Watch For

Two bills—H.B. 695 and H.B. 4531— introduced in the 126th Congress that did not pass but likely will be re-introduced in the 127th Congress. These bills are of potential concern.

H.B. 695 would create an entirely new and separate education system for schools specializing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects), a new bureaucracy to operate the system, limits on the role of educators (both secondary and college) in the design and implementation of the system, and exemption of STEM teachers from state license requirements. While AAUW has been actively involved in encouraging more girls and women to enter the STEM fields, this bill does not mesh with our support for public educators.

H.B. 431 would create a new voucher system for special education students. The Ohio League of Women Voters issued an Action Alert objecting to this bill for the following reasons:

- Distributes public funds to private schools and entities that are not required specifically in the bill to meet state education standards, including performance standards and operating standards, or meet the requirements outlined in Chapter 3323 of the Revised Code, the Education of Children with Disabilities. The bill sets up a separate education system for certain students, which violates the provision in the Ohio Constitution for the state to support a "common system" of public schools.

- Allows for the distribution of public funds to schools and programs that are not accountable to an elected board of education. The bill lacks any specific language regarding fiscal accountability or how the use of public funds by the registered private providers will be monitored.

- Lacks an evaluation component to ensure that students participating in the program are receiving the services included on their Individual Education Plans (IEP), and the services are leading to improved student achievement and achievement of the goals on their Individual Education Plan.

List of Ohio legislation affecting higher education posted on the Ohio Board of Regents Web site