Rep. Brown Piccolantonio Provides Sponsor Testimony on Multiple Education Bills

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) today gave sponsor testimony to the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on three bills: the Charter School Oversight Act, the School Busing Improvement Act, and the School Rating Enhancement Act.

“Having a strong system of public education is paramount so that every child can have the best opportunity to thrive and become a contributing member of our communities. Public education is one of the crown jewels of our People First agenda and I will do whatever it takes to support it.

The reality is public taxpayer dollars are being spent on other systems of education that are not held to the same accountability measures and are not required to serve every student in the way our public schools are. The School Report Card Review Committee will ensure that DEW-issued school report cards provide families and students accurate and informative information about traditional public schools. At the least, parents and guardians deserve to have a way to compare their public schools to community or charter schools and private schools in order to make the best decisions for their children.

The legislation I have presented today also addresses logistical concerns from school districts and makes a number of upgrades to school transportation in Ohio for all students.

There are a number of other bills my colleagues have introduced, many of which also were heard today, that will help strengthen our schools and reflect our commitment to the children of Ohio,” said Rep. Brown Piccolantonio in her testimony.

The legislation addressed by Rep. Brown Piccolantonio today included:

• HB 581 (Brown Piccolantonio, Isaacsohn) – Charter School Oversight Act: Ends loophole to keep open schools that are dropped by their sponsor and are in-auditable, requires parental notification of charter school report cards, and website available performance comparisons between charter schools and their local public school.
• HB 582 (Robinson, Brown Piccolantonio) – School Busing Improvement Act: Provides funding for old school bus repairs and replacement and creates fairer standards around school transportation rules.
• HB 592 (Brown Piccolantonio, Brewer)—School Rating Enhancement Act: Reinstates the State Report Card Review Committee and adds achievement and progress metrics by which chartered nonpublic schools can be compared to traditional public schools.  

All bills await further hearings in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee.