Education

The Ohio Senate passed a bill requiring Ohio universities and community colleges to be more transparent with costs but not before tacking on more than $1.4 billion in state spending proposals.

The spending proposals include $600 million for K-12 school building construction, $575 Million for the Ohio Public Works Commission, $196 Million for the Ohio State Fair and $38 million for the state adoption grant program. 

The new fiscal year starts July 1, so the legislation would need to pass by the end of March in order for it to take effect by July, state Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said during Wednesday’s Senate Session.

“The reason we’re doing this now … if we pass these things in by the end of March or within very quickly at the end of April, then all those folks who are sitting there waiting to put windows in school buildings will be able to go okay, we know we’re gonna get paid,” Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said Wednesday before the vote. 

Gov. Mike DeWine requested the $196 million for the Ohio State Fair, Huffman said. 

House Bill 27 would require Ohio universities and community colleges to be more forthcoming with costs, financial aid, student loan repayment, and alumni income. The bill was introduced last year by state Reps. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, and Jim Thomas, R-Jackson Twp.

Two senators — Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo, and Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg — voted against HB 27 during Wednesday’s session.

Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, said she supports the bill, but expressed frustration in getting the amendments only an hour before Wednesday’s Senate session. 

“What ends up happening is things like a very weighty amendment, dealing with important issues that we absolutely should not lose the deadline for, but doing it in a very rushed way,” she said. 

HB 27 now heads back to the House, but the House isn’t in session again until April 10. 

State Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, was the only lawmaker to vote against the bill in the House. 

Cost transparency 

HB 27 would require higher education institutions to disclose costs associated with general and instruction fees, room and board, and special fees.  

Under this bill, universities would provide students with the income range for the 25th and 75th percentile of the most recent cohort of graduates and the cohort of graduates who graduated five years earlier. If a student has declared a major or enrolled in a particular school, the universities would also be required to include income ranges for those graduates as well. 

“House Bill 27 is aimed at reforming higher education in Ohio to ensure financial transparency between colleges and the students,” said state Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland. “The bill will provide students and their parents with financial information necessary to determine which college is right for them, and perhaps even which major might be appropriate to their economic interests in their future.”

Senate Bill 17 

A bill adding capitalism to a high school financial literacy credit is heading to DeWine’s desk..  

Every Senator voted to concur with changes the House made to Senate Bill 17 which included allowing math teachers being able to teach financial literacy.

The Ohio House passed SB 17 with a 66-26 vote earlier this month.

State Sen. Steve Wilson, R-Maineville, introduced the bill last year, which lays out 10 free market capitalism concepts that would be taught. 

The current law requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards and curriculum for financial literacy instruction, but does not clarify what must be included in the standards or model curriculum.