MEGAN HENRY, Ohio Capital Journal — A Republican bill that could automatically close low-performing Ohio public schools received no supporter testimony this week.
Ohio Senate Bill 127 would revise Ohio’s public school closure law and require a poor performing school to either close or take remedial action. Senate Education Committee Chair Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, introduced the bill last month and no one submitted supporter testimony for the bill’s second hearing this week.
“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 to the Senate Education Committee earlier this month during his sponsor testimony.
The bill defines a poor performing school as a school (district operated, community or STEM), serving grades four and older, that has performed in the bottom 5% among public schools based on its Performance Index Score for three consecutive years, and is in the bottom 10% based on its Value-Added Progress for three consecutive years.
A poor-performing school would have the option to close at the end of the school year or replace its principal and a majority of licensed staff. Another option is the school could get the help of an Ohio Department of Education and Workforce management organization, charter management organization, education service center, or an Ohio public or private university with experience in school improvement.
“This bill leaves open many options, and so whatever option is probably in the best interest of the school district and those buildings and those students is what could be adopted,” Brenner said.
The two Democrats on the Senate Education Committee — Sens. Catherine Ingram of Cincinnati and Kent Smith of Euclid — questioned Brenner about the bill.
“Do you have any idea how many schools this could potentially impact or how many districts this might impact?” Smith asked.
Brenner didn’t have an exact answer. He explained how 5% of the state’s total school buildings would be about 180-185 schools.
“Have you run the numbers for academic performance, the performance index and the value added because it’s got to be for three years?” Smith pressed. “Do you have any idea is that number 185? Is it less?”
Brenner said the actual number would likely be less than 185 since a school would have to be in both the bottom 5% among public schools based on their Performance Index Score for three consecutive years and in the bottom 10% based on its Value-Added Progress for three consecutive years to be considered poor-performing.
“You may have one year that they’re better than that and outside of that zone,” Brenner said. “So we don’t have the exact numbers, but you do know what the maximum number potentially could be based on this, and this is based on the current situation in our schools.”
Ohio charter schools are automatically closed if they have three straight years of poor performance.
Brenner introduced a similar bill in the previous General Assembly, but it did not make it out of committee. Only one person testified in support of that bill with nearly 20 people speaking out against it.