Instead of delay and obstruction, critics need to help accelerate our students’ academic recovery with an education system that ensures they have the skills needed in our changing economy.
When are we going to start putting the needs of Ohio’s students first and stop playing games with their futures?
Two recent lawsuits, funded in part by partisan, out-of-state interest groups, are attempting to block important changes in Ohio designed to support students’ academic recovery and ensure strong and committed governance of Ohio’s education system. Focused on the self-serving needs of adults rather than the educational needs of young Ohioans, these suits set up our students for failure at the very time when their success is more precarious than ever.
We all know the numbers: 39% of Ohio students are not reading at grade level, and in some districts, this is as high as 85%. If reading scores are not alarming enough, our rates for math skills are even worse with 47% not at grade level in math statewide and with some districts where 100% of students are not meeting state standards.
The state’s two-year operating budget took important steps toward helping Ohio students succeed at every level, from their youngest years through postsecondary education. As proposed by Governor DeWine and then amended and passed by the General Assembly, the recent budget enacted provisions to significantly strengthen Ohio’s system of reading supports. Supports based on data and evidence, thus the moniker of the “science of reading.” This support comes with an additional investment of $260 million dollars in state resources for local students, educators, and schools.
Seeking to obstruct these efforts, a local business is suing to end this support because they fear they will lose money.
The other lawsuit seeks to overturn enacted budget language that reforms the way Ohio governs its fractured and often dysfunctional education bureaucracy. The new law would establish clear lines of authority and tie the Ohio Department of Education more efficiently to the other state partners it needs to help our students succeed. The new governance structure mirrors most other states and would achieve what many governors of both political parties have sought for decades.
Ohio Excels, a nonpartisan coalition of business leaders committed to helping improve education for every student, is vigorously opposed to these lawsuits. Having championed these education advances from the start, Ohio Excels is convinced these legislative solutions are essential to the success of our students, our economy and our state.
While Ohio Excels and its business-community partners strenuously oppose both these legal challenges, we are most concerned with lawsuits attempting to turn back the clock on reading progress for Ohio students. Why are these efforts so important, and why are the lawsuits to oppose them so misguided? State and national studies have shown time and again that students who read at or above grade level are more likely to succeed in school and life. From research right here in Ohio we can see that students who are proficient by the third grade are five times more likely to be ready for a fulfilling career.
Yet in the face of this evidence, a report from The Ohio State University highlights the profound impact the pandemic had on reading proficiency and literacy in Ohio schools. According to researchers, Ohio third graders experienced a 22% reduction in reading proficiency during the height of the COVID epidemic. This dire impact is further revealed in the most recent state report cards for school performance, where many districts received disappointing grades for their students’ reading proficiency.
With this state budget, the governor, and our elected legislators have acted decisively to put in place strong budget provisions that are focused on the needs of students and educators across the state. Now, before these improvements can be implemented, Ohioans must await court decisions on damaging lawsuits brought by parties who seek to benefit no one but themselves.
During this needless delay, Ohioans who want to move our state forward can – and must – redouble our commitment to improve education in Ohio, increase reading proficiency and secure a bright future for every student. Put our children first.
By Lisa Gray, president of Ohio Excels, a coalition of business leaders committed to high-quality education for all Ohioans