05/21/2026
📜 Ohio Public Education – Legislative Update – May 20, 2026 📜
Below is a status update on select pending state legislation in Ohio that impacts public education. This is a summary pulled together from various sources; if you find an error, please let me know—I am not immune to mistakes.
One bill that has seen recent movement and would be particularly impactful to Big Walnut’s fiscal health is House Bill 420, which would sunset all existing continuing levies and require all future levies to be for a fixed term. The vast majority of Big Walnut’s current funding is from continuing levies, and the discontinuation of them would create significant instability and uncertainty in planning for the future of a growing district. Both Mr. Gooding and myself submitted written testimony in opposition of this bill.
Note: The Ohio General Assembly is in session through mid-June, then will be off for the summer.
***Bills with status updates since March are at the top. The bills are in no particular order, and this is not an all-inclusive list of pending legislation.***
====BILLS WITH UPDATES====
📜HB 420 - Continuing Levy Sunset
This bill is related to property taxes, which would impact school funding. It would eliminate continuing levies over time by requiring all current continuing levies (not tied to debt service) to expire after Tax Year 2029 and requiring all future levies to be for a defined term. This would add complexity to long-term forecasting and financial planning, and school districts would be required to return to the ballot more often. (Ohio already has school levies on the ballot more often than any other state in the U.S.)
🔸House (Ways & Means): In committee, 3rd hearing May 19.
🔹 Senate: N/A
📜HB 455 - Regards the Operation of Public Schools and the DEW
This bill works to modernize Ohio’s education code by eliminating outdated educator requirements and reducing unnecessary regulations.
🔸House: Passed - Unanimous
🔹Senate (Education): In committee, 4th hearing May 12.
📜SB 311 - Education Omnibus Bill
This bill is aimed at reforming the operations of both public and chartered nonpublic schools. Including changes to unused school facilities policy, transportation, educator licensure.
🔸Senate (Education): In committee, 4th hearing May 12.
🔹House: N/A
📜SB 19 - Academic Intervention Services; Math Improvement Plans
This bill addresses math achievement by making changes affecting intervention services; curriculum and instruction; advanced learning opportunities; and professional development. While the bill is widely supported, in its current form it does reduce local control by requiring math curriculums be from a state-approved list and does not provide additional state funding to implement the new provisions.
🔸 Senate: Passed - Unanimous
🔹House (Education): In committee, 5th hearing May 12.
📜SB 318 - School Resource Services
This bill would allow a law enforcement agency to provide school resource officer services to a chartered nonpublic school.
🔸Senate: Passed - Unanimous
🔹House (Education): In committee, 1st hearing May 19.
📜SB 276 - Ratify the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists
This bill enters Ohio into the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists to improve public access to school psychological services.
🔸Senate: Passed - Unanimous
🔹House (Education): In committee, 3rd hearing May 19.
📜 SB 328 - Education and Workforce Return on Investment Initiative
This bill seeks to provide earlier and more structured career exploration in middle school, strengthening alignment between education and workforce systems and using data more effectively to inform decisions that benefit students, families, employers and policymakers. Senate Education Committee adopted a substitute version. The substitute version allows districts to meet the bill’s requirements through a career-exploration course or an ODEW-approved career-exploration plan with local partners; changes the bill’s implementation date to the 2027-28 school year; and extends deadlines for the state to develop professional skills standards. The bill currently does not allocate additional funding to implement the new provisions.
🔸Senate (Education): In committee, 6th hearing May 12.
🔹House: N/A
📜SB 326 - Require HS Computer Science Course
🔸 Senate (Education): In committee, 5th hearing May 12.
🔹House: N/A
📜SB 113 - Ban Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity in Public Schools
🔸Senate (Education): In committee, 3rd hearing May 19.
🔹House: N/A
====BILLS WITH NO CHANGE SINCE MARCH====
📜 HB 261 - Homestead Exemption/Budget Commission Changes
This bill is related to property taxes, which would impact school funding. A substitute bill was accepted that changes this bill from its “As Introduced” version. The “As Introduced” version increased the homestead exemption for elderly or disabled homeowners and certain of their surviving spouses from $29,000 to $50,000 of the home’s appraised value. The substitute bill does not increase the exemption amount but instead increases the income threshold to qualify for the current exemption, among other changes.
🔸House (Ways & Means): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
📜HB 473 - Retirement Contributions to STRS/SERS
This bill prohibits public employers (including school districts, but also fire and police departments, municipalities, etc.) from paying employee retirement contributions to Ohio’s public retirement systems through certain “pick-up” methods. Eliminating employer-paid pick-up options would increase costs for districts as they convert existing compensation structures to maintain equivalent employee wages.
🔸House (Public Insurance & Pensions): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
📜SB 144 - Revise Educator License System
This bill would modify grade bands for Ohio education licenses.
🔸Senate: Passed - Unanimous
🔹 House (Education): In committee
📜HB 617 – Eliminate Taxes on Capital Gains
This bill would exempt capital gains from both state and local income taxes. The fiscal impact is significant, with estimated state revenue losses of $615–$680 million annually—this means less state funding available to support public schools. It also could directly reduce Big Walnut’s income tax collections, since Big Walnut’s 0.75% school district income tax is “traditional” base which includes income from capital gains.
🔸House (Ways & Means): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
📜HB 485 - Baby Olivia Act
This bill requires each public school to provide human growth and development instruction in its curriculum for grades 5-12, which must include a high-definition ultrasound video and the “Meet Baby Olivia” video produced by Live Action, or its successor entity, or a substantially similar video.
🔸House: Passed - Party Lines
🔹Senate (Education): In committee
HB 561 - C.H.O.I.C.E. Act
This bill would revise the law governing childhood immunizations for public and chartered nonpublic schools, preschool programs and childcare providers, generally prohibiting requiring the parent declining immunization of their child to provide any other information beyond a written statement.
🔸House (Health): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
📜HB 661 - Ban MS/HS Athlete NIL Compensation
🔸House (Education): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
📜HB 674 - School Use of Transportation Network Companies
🔸House (Education): In committee
🔹Senate: N/A
