From The Statehouse 2005 No. 27
by Jennifer Garrison
Oct. 14, 2005
FROM THE STATEHOUSE – ARTICLE 27
On October 5, 2005 the Ohio House considered and voted on Substitute House Bill 115. I voted “yes”, but did not have enough space to explain the bill in my last article. The legislation passed out of the Ohio House.
Substitute House Bill 115 establishes the Ohio Educational Regional Service System (ERSS) and the Education Management Information System (EMIS) Advisory Board.
The goal of the Educational Regional Service System (ERSS) is to reduce duplication of services from different education support structures. School systems rely on seven (7) different types of regional and state service providers, which include but are not limited to, Data Acquisition (DA) sites, Education Service Centers (ESC), and Special Education Regional Resource Center (SERRC) to deploy state requirements.
The Educational Regional Service System will support state and regional education initiatives and efforts to improve school effectiveness and student achievement.
Additionally, this legislation allows a school district to enter into a contract for services not only with the Educational Service Center (ESC) in its region, as they do today, but with an ESC in neighboring counties. A few school districts in Ohio are not satisfied with the services provided by the ESC in their district. This is not the case in Washington, Monroe, Noble, or Guernsey counties. However, this legislation may result in more business for the ESC’s in our area who are doing a good job.
In Washington County the six (6) school districts contract for services with the Washington County ESC. Monroe, Noble and Guernsey counties share an ESC located in Cambridge. I spoke with the Superintendents of these ESC’s and they support the legislation.
I think of an ESC as a coordinator and purchaser of services when it is not cost efficient for a district to purchase the service itself. One example of how an ESC can be used is the following. A speech teacher is needed in a school district for 2 days each week. Another school district in the ESC district may also need an additional speech teacher for 3 days a week. In this case the ESC would hire the teacher full-time and bill 40% and 60% of the cost of the teacher to each school district.
This legislation also caps fiscal agent fees at 7%. Some fiscal agents in other areas of the state were charging well in excess of 7%.
The Education Management Information System (EMIS) is a database of all public school statistical information including student achievement data. The new advisory board will make recommendations to the Department of Education for changes needed to improve the system.
This week the Marietta Times reported on House Bill 362, which I introduced September 29th. I received some questions on the bill, so I would like to clarify the main points.
House Bill 362 requires the appointment calendars of all full-time state office holders be a public record and subject to disclosure when requested. It also requires appointments with registered lobbyist and campaign donors be a public record, even if it is placed on the state office holders personal calendar.
This bill does not require the entire personal calendar of a state office holder be a public record, only the appointments with a registered lobbyist or campaign donor. A state office holder would include the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Auditor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Supreme Court Justices and Treasurer. I introduced this bill because I believe transparency breeds integrity.
You can reach Jennifer Garrison at her Columbus office at 614-644-8728 or in the district at 740-373-2414 or by e-mail at jennifer@jennifergarrison.com. Her website is www.jennifergarrison.com