First Hearing on Education Accountability Reform

House Bill 512, the recently introduced major reform of the Ohio education and workforce development accountability system, received its first hearing this week.

Sponsor Bill Reineke (R-Findlay) testified: “Poor accountability, politics, and mission fog are three flaws that lead to an outcome where policies set by the General Assembly and Governor are second guessed and operational performance is poor, which leads to substandard educational outcomes for our students.”

He said: “This legislation solves these critical flaws by aligning all education and workforce development policy in a single cabinet agency. It refocuses the State Board of Education mission to regulate teacher licensure and educator misconduct, together with other quasi-judicial duties consistent with other state boards and commissions.”

The new agency would be called the Department of Learning and Achievement. It would consolidate the current Department of Education, Department of Higher Education, and Office of Workforce Transformation. 2/22//2018