On one side are Gov. Mike DeWine and Republicans in the state legislature. They say Ohio’s 1.7 million public school children would be better served by a director who reports to the governor instead of the 19-member State Board of Education.
On the other side are three parents, two of whom are also board members. They say taking away the board’s powers is not only unconstitutional, it would give parents less of a voice in things like state standards and how new laws, like the phonics requirements, get implemented.
More:DeWine: Part of overhaul of K-12 education will happen despite a court
In the middle is Franklin County Court Judge Karen Phipps.
Here’s what you need to know about the case:
How we got here
When state lawmakers passed Ohio’s operating budget in June, they included about 1,000 pages overhauling the Ohio Department of Education.These changes included eliminating ODE, renaming the agency the Department of Education and Workforce, creating a new director that DeWine would appoint, and transferring most education policy powers from the 19-member Ohio State Board of Education to DeWine’s new director.
