Rep. Miranda Supports Lawsuit Against Unconstitutional School Board Takeover

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) today announced her support for the lawsuit filed by seven members of the State Board of Education in Ohio alleging the Republican-sanctioned K-12 education overhaul violates the Ohio Constitution. 

This overhaul was pushed through the state operating budget in June. As of Thursday, The DeWine administration is temporarily blocked from implementing the new Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) or appointing a director for the agency under an order issued by Judge Karen Phipps of Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

“When I was a school board president, I saw how the state government treated public education. It is one of the reasons that I decided to become a state representative. This overhaul of the public education system should not have been slipped into the budget. There should have been more hearings, there should have been more discussions, there should have been an opportunity for those who will be most affected by this change to share their view,” said Rep. Miranda.

“I fully support this lawsuit and hope battling this out in court shows everyone the importance of our public education system and the importance of local school districts as well as the importance of local control because local school districts know what is best for their students and their communities.”

The lawsuit, filed against the state and Republican Governor Mike DeWine, argues that the overhaul guts the mostly citizen-elected, independent, and constitutionally-created state board of its responsibilities and gives unnecessary power to the governor. 

The plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward Foundation and Ulmer & Berne LLP., are asking for a temporary order to keep the changes from going into effect and to eventually void the changes completely.

The seven members who filed the lawsuit are: Christina Collins; Teresa Fedor; Katie Hofmann; Tom Jackson; Meryl Johnson; Antoinette Miranda, and Michelle Newman.

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