91 percent said State Board of Education should retain its power, according to Dispatch Poll

According to the poll, only 7 percent supported the transfer of the State Board of Education operation to the Governor’s office. HB 512 is a loser in all respects-in politics, implementation, and operation.

The Columbus Dispatch editorial stated, “With about 600 respondents in our sample, 91 percent said the state school board should retain its power. Just 7 percent voted for the change and 2 percent indicated they were undecided.”

According to a press release from the Ohio Education Association, House Bill 512 “seeks to consolidate the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation into a new, cabinet-level agency, the Ohio Department of Learning and Achievement.”

The State Board of Education was put in the Ohio Constitution 65 years ago. Any change in education governance at the state level should be a decision of Ohioans in a statewide ballot.