Senate Bill 168 takes effect: what it means for Ohio schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Senate Bill 168 is now in effect, a K-12 education bill that, among many things, lowers the threshold for what it takes to be a teacher in Ohio.

SB 168 went into effect Oct. 24 and makes several adjustments to education regulation reform. The bill reduces restrictions on educator licenses, localizes teacher evaluation framework to the district level, and eliminates more than a dozen sections of the Ohio Revised Code. It also transfers money from the General Revenue Fund to the High School Financial Literacy Fund and further limits the powers of the Department of Education and Workforce.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), who said the legislation will eliminate “burdensome” regulations.

With the bill now enacted, Ohio schools – both public and private – can hire unlicensed educators as long as they are “otherwise qualified based on experience” and the Board of Education approves it and provides professional development where needed.

People can also apply for an alternative resident educator license if they have a master’s degree and pass an exam in the subject area they would teach, allowing them to teach without typical licensure.

Teachers also no longer have to be licensed in the grade level they teach in high-performing districts. Districts with at least 85% of total possible points in the performance index core or that received five stars are considered high-performing. The bill also adjusts the qualifications for advanced educator license applicants, who are no longer required to hold a master’s degree, just a bachelor’s.

Within the bill, there are also new freedoms for charter schools. The bill eliminated some standards that previously triggered the closing of charter schools that performed poorly. Online charter schools no longer risk losing state funds if they do not abide by their enrollment limit.

The bill also limited some responsibilities of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce by repealing 14 sections of the Ohio revised code. With these adjustments, ODEW is no longer required to request annual reports from each school in Ohio, and the section detailing the powers and duties of the department director is repealed.

ODEW is also no longer required to actively support boards of education in applying for money to help preschoolers of migrant laborers. The repeals also dissolve several grant or funding programs to help public schools, including a grant for teachers who hold certificates or licenses issued by a national board.

The bill also eliminated some parent involvement incentives. The ODEW is no longer required to seek school-parent and school-business partnerships, and it eliminated a parental involvement grant program. The ODEW is, however, now required to establish a pilot program for remote, online state testing options.

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