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Republican State Sen. Andrew Brenner introduced Senate Bill 295 which would revise the state’s automatic school closure language.
A Republican bill in the state Senate would automatically shut down low-performing Ohio public schools.
State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, introduced Senate Bill 295 over the summer, which would revise the state’s automatic school closure language. The bill has a fourth hearing scheduled Tuesday in the Senate Education Committee.
The bill defines a poor performing school as a school, serving grades four and older, that has performed in the bottom 5% among public schools based on their Performance Index Score for three consecutive years. A school would also be considered a poor performing school if they are in the bottom 10% based on their Value-Added Progress for three consecutive years.
“It is my hope that this bill will help to standardize the law surrounding school closures for public and community schools and help ensure that each student in Ohio receives the best education possible,” Brenner said.
Ohio charter schools are automatically closed if they have three straight years of poor performance.
“We right now have an existing law where charter schools can be shut down if they don’t perform, and just the threat of that has actually forced the turn around with many of these charter schools,” Brenner said.
Seventeen people submitted opponent testimony against S.B. 295 during last week’s committee meeting. Only one person submitted supporter testimony.
“Because the requirements for closure or restructuring are based upon bottom percentages, there will always be schools that meet the criteria, even if those schools are meeting state standards,” Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper said in her testimony. “As low performing schools are closed, other schools that are higher ranked will now be in the bottom 5% even if they show no decline in their own rating. This cut-off is arbitrary and its potential effect is that eventually well-performing schools will also be subject to closure.”
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As an alternative to closing, Brenner said a school can replace the principal and 60% of their licensed staff, but Cropper wonders where the replacement educators would come from.
“There is already a shortage of teachers and other licensed personnel in schools and positions in low performing schools are especially hard to fill,” she said. “This will also create a further disincentive for teachers to teach in challenging schools.”
Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said the bill would harm students.
“S.B. 295 proposes a heavy handed and overreaching state approach to local schools that receive low ratings on state report cards,” he said in his opponent testimony.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce uses 1 to 5 star ratings in half increments based on five categories: achievement, progress, early literacy, gap closing and graduation. 10% percent of Ohio school districts are below state standards, according to the latest state report cards ODEW released earlier this year.
Schools and school districts that receive one star need “significant support to meet state standards.”
“S.B. 295 does not do this,” DiMauro said. “Instead of offering significant support, S.B. 295 proposes significant punishments that will most likely destabilize schools where many great things are happening, even if those successes are not revealed on data printouts of standardized test scores.”
Sen. Catherine Ingram, D-Cincinnati, asked where the students would go if their school closed.
“The school would be closed and all the students would have to go to another school, which is what happens right now in our charter school law,” Brenner said.
The two-year General Assembly ends this week, so any bills that don’t pass will die and would have to be reintroduced in the next General Assembly.
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