This is one of the most important and critical weeks we have ever seen in education. The House of Representatives passed HB 305—the Fair School Funding Plan---by an 87-8 vote last Thursday. The Plan is now teed up for action by the Senate and their companion bill—SB 376. The Senate has just a few days left to pass SB 376, which defines and funds an adequate education for all students and answers the 23-year-old DeRolph litigation.
A Senate Finance Committee meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday December 8, at 1:30 p.m. Glaringly absent from the agenda is testimony on SB 376, indicating that Senate leadership has no intention of addressing the Fair School Funding Plan before they leave for the holiday break, thus thwarting three years of work by the Cupp-Patterson Workgroup and the overwhelming support of the House of Representatives for a definable, defensible school funding plan.
It is absolutely critical that each of our members takes a few minutes today to contact the following key Senate leaders and ask them to allow SB 376 to move forward with committee hearings and a floor vote before this General Assembly ends this year.
Senate President Obhof | obhof@ohiosenate.gov | 614.466.7505
Senate President-Elect Huffman | huffman@ohiosenate.gov | 614.466.7584
Senate Finance Cmte. Chair Dolan | dolan@ohiosenate.gov | 614.466.8056
Please also reach out to your Senator and encourage him or her to join you in this effort. Click here for Senators’ contact information.
In addition to the talking points we have already provided to you and the documents included below, we have drafted additional talking points to address some of the concerns and questions from a few members of the Senate. Click here for Senate talking points.
Legislators are elected to represent the interest of their communities, and, at the heart of every community, are the schools. Work with others—your fellow administrators, your board members, your faculty and staff, and most importantly, your community members—to also make contacts.
We all know that school leaders are experts in turning the impossible into the possible. Together, we can compel the Senate to pass SB 376 and support our public schools and the students they serve.
Important Resources
Legislator Contact Lookup Resources: