Key education policies within the state embrace the varsity funding mannequin, non-public college vouchers, gun rights and LGBTQ+ rights. The Statehouse has leaned conservative on these and different matters, as Republicans have held a super-majority.
Statehouse race
Senate District 6′s seat is presently held by Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg. But in 2022 when the statehouse redrew district boundaries, the district modified from a Republican-leaning district to a Democratic-leaning district.
Blackshear is on his second time period within the Ohio House representing District 38, which covers Dayton, Trotwood, Riverside and components of Huber Heights. The payments he sponsored throughout his time period handled designating days for counseling consciousness and navy remembrance, banning mass casualty weapons, psychological well being days for college students, tax funds on foreclosed properties and a motor gasoline testing program.
McGuire is a member of the Ohio Board of Education. She beforehand served because the board president in 2022 and 2023. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed McGuire to District 3, which covers Preble, Montgomery, Butler and Miami counties, in 2016, and she or he was reelected into the place in 2018 and 2022.
Many of the objects McGuire voted on as president had been about trainer licensing, however not all of them. In December 2022, the board handed member Brendan Shea’s proposal to ship a letter to all of the districts in Ohio letting them know of the board’s opposition to Title IX proposals beneath President Joe Biden’s administration that will improve protections for LGBTQ+ youth in colleges. McGuire, together with Shea, voted in favor of the decision.
In an interview with the Dayton Daily News, Blackshear stated his priorities embrace extra funding for public colleges and limiting entry to weapons to assist keep away from extra college shootings.
“A lot of these schools have to put levies on a ballot because they’re running out of money,” Blackshear stated.
He added, “My only issue is when we are taking public dollars to fund those private and charter schools, the public dollars that our public schools desperately need.”
Blackshear desires to enhance entry to profession know-how education, which has grow to be more and more common as children don’t must tackle faculty debt to get a job making above minimal wage, and the state desires extra folks with commerce expertise.
McGuire stated her primary precedence is bettering pupil outcomes. She instructed concepts like offering assets to varsities to enhance their outcomes and constructing extra workforce alternatives for teenagers outdoors of schools.
“We need direct contact with the joy of teaching and the joy of learning to release the future leaders for Ohio,” she stated.
But she questioned the necessity for added funding to public colleges.
“We probably need to look at how the resources are being used, and we need to engage stakeholders with the aim in mind of improving student outcomes,” she stated.
McGuire known as for mentoring households, protected environments for teenagers, protected communities and reviewing self-discipline policies.
“One thing I’ve learned about children, they care what you know,” she stated. “When they know you care and you hold them accountable, they respond when they feel that accountability means I will do better as a child.”
School funding
One of the largest points within the Ohio Legislature, now and for many years previous, has been college funding. Public colleges say they don’t come up with the money for, now that their COVID-19 federal funding is working out, to proceed working and paying for colleges as they presently run.
The Centerville college district is presently asking voters to approve a faculty levy for the third time. John Doll and Dr. David Roer, two of the district’s board of education members, have stated publicly they suppose the state needs to be offering extra funding to public colleges so the district doesn’t must continually return to the voters.
Last college yr was the primary yr the state supplied common vouchers for personal college households. Any Ohioan who makes as much as 450% of the poverty line — $150,000 for a household of 4 — is eligible for a full EdSelection Expansion Scholarship. Ohio households who make greater than which might be eligible for a minimum of 10% of the scholarship.
Those opposed to highschool vouchers argue vouchers take cash away from conventional public colleges. Those for vouchers argue the state needs to be supporting extra decisions for households.
