Rep. Brent applauds House passage of bill to address substitute teacher shortage, fund school lunch programs

COLUMBUS– State Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) today announced the Ohio House passage of House Bill (HB) 583, which would appropriate $338 million of federal funds to reimburse school districts and other providers operating school lunch programs. HB 583 also would create a study commission to address the shortage of substitute teachers. 

“Every child, no matter their socioeconomic status, deserves to have lunch at school. This bill will help to remove the barrier and stigma of not being able to afford lunch,” said Rep. Brent. “The study commission is also a start to examining why Ohio has experienced difficulty recruiting new substitute teachers. Nonetheless, this bill is only a temporary fix for the larger problem of inadequate teacher pay and teacher and bus driver staffing shortages.” 

The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.