OSBA Today

If Ohio is to provide a high-quality education to its roughly 1.7 million students, it needs representative school boards that can meet the challenges of the diverse districts they represent. That’s the goal of OSBA’s Get on Board campaign, which was launched this month to encourage Ohioans to run for their local school boards. Angela Penquite , OSBA's deputy director of communication service...

How do we inspire students so they succeed and persist? The PAST Foundation is focused on that question in pursuing its mission to "link learning to life." To date, more than 300,000 students and more than 16,000 educators have been influenced by the foundation’s work. Its president and CEO, Dr. Annalies Corbin, joins the podcast to talk about that work and how the foundation is helping...

Throughout the school year, students have shifted between remote, hybrid and in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving educators worried about learning loss. One idea to help close the achievement gap is extending the school year into summer. While it may sound like an easy fix, OSBA Senior Attorney Van Keating joins the podcast to discuss what can be a complicated process, requirin...

Over the next several months, state legislators will craft a new two-year state budget. Your advocacy is integral to the process. OSBA’s Director of Legislative Services Jennifer Hogue and Deputy Director Will Schwartz join the podcast to discuss why and how you can help shape the direction of public school funding. Learn more about OSBA’s legislative efforts at https://www.ohioschoolboards.org/le...

Among the many crucial duties of a school board is evaluating risk management programs for the district. Whether you are a new or veteran board member, that task is not easy. For those board members not familiar with the workers’ compensation system, you might wonder, “What is an MCO and what does it offer my district?” Lance Watkins, vice president of client services for Sedgewick Managed Care Oh...

Gov. Mike DeWine says he wants Ohio teachers and school staff to be in the next group of people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. What questions should your district be asking? OSBA Staff Attorney Ralph Lusher joins the podcast to talk about it. Also, Tony Sharrock, director of client services at CompManagement, discusses the pandemic's impact on school districts' workers' compensati...

Even before the pandemic, U.S. schools were struggling to hire and retain teachers. How will COVID-19 impact teacher recruitment and retention? Brad Conrad, associate professor of education at Capital University and co-author of the book "Lesson Planning with Purpose: Five Approaches to Curriculum Design," joins the Leading the Way podcast to discuss how edcuation leaders can help stop t...

In this episode, we've partnered with the PAST Foundation ( pastfoundation.org ) and its president and CEO, Annalies Corbin, who recently sat down with three first-year school board members to discuss their experiences, including the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lori Trent , Upper Arlington City ; Dr. Tina D. Pierce , Columbus City ; and John P. Jones , Huron City , discuss why...

School districts are on the Nov. 3 ballot in a challenging time -- in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry Rampelt, founder emeritus, and Mike Collins, executive director, Support Ohio Schools Research and Education Foundation, join the podcast to discuss this year's campaign, including planning, fundraising and voter targeting. Also, what impact will the pandemic have on future levy ca...

For more than 60 years, OSBA’s Capital Conference and Trade Show has been the premier event for all who play a role in education in Ohio. This year we're bringing the learning to you! Jeff Chambers, OSBA’s director of communication services, plays a big role in bringing the conference to thousands of attendees every year. He joins the podcast to discuss what attendees can expect and how to ge...

Ohio school boards can meet virtually through Dec. 1, unless the state's health emergency expires prior to that date. Boards then would be required to meet in person. The decision on whether to meet in person or virtually continues to cause some concern. Cheryl Ryan, OSBA's director of board and management services, discusses what she's hearing from board members and also provides m...

Schools have reinforced their efforts to develop effective school policies against racial inequality following the death of George Floyd and the large protests over the summer. Districts have committed to change, creating community task forces and hiring director-level equity officers. Two of OSBA's diversity and equity consultants, Kim Brazwell and Daniel Juday , join the Leading the Way pod...

Gov. Mike DeWine gave the green light for high school football and other fall contact sports, like soccer and field hockey, to proceed but with many restrictions and guidelines. He also stressed that the decision on whether to play would be made locally by the school district. If a district decides to have sports, then it must follow specific health, safety and Ohio High School Athletic Associatio...

School leaders must confront many complex challenges as a new school year begins in the middle of a pandemic. Their toughest challenge just might be getting 26 million bus-riding students to school in the first place. How do you social distance on the school bus? Should fewer students ride the bus? What about cleaning standards? OSBA's Transportation Task Force set out to answer those questio...

We ended the 2019-2020 school year with remote learning after the COVID-19 coronavirus closed school buildings across the state in March. Now the focus is on reopening. School boards and their administrative teams have an incredible task before them: preparing for a return to school during a pandemic. Members of South-Western City Schools' board-superintendent leadership team -- board Preside...

For school administrators, the coming weeks and months are going to test everyone’s management skills, including those who oversee transportation. Can we really social distance on a school bus? What will routing look like in the fall? Will we have enough bus drivers? OSBA Senior Transportation Consultant Pete Japikse discusses the new challenges we’re experiencing as we live through a pandemic tog...

Over the next two months, local school districts will lose more than $300 million dollars — the result of state budget cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those cuts amount to nearly 4% of original base funding for school districts, which is separate from money districts receive from local property taxes. Jennifer Hogue , OSBA’s director of legislative services; Kevin Miller , director of govern...

While Ohio’s students are adapting to online classes and other forms of distance learning, the new reality can be especially challenging for the families of students with disabilities. About 14% of students enrolled in U.S. public schools receive special education services. In this episode, OSBA’s Deputy Director of Legal Services Jennifer Hardin discusses how parents and districts are working coo...

With school buildings closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, many teachers have shifted to online classes. But what if reliable internet service isn't available? Some students don’t have a computer or high-speed internet at home, or even access to cellphone data due to income or their geographic location. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimated in 2017 that 7 million school-aged childr...

Our home, school and professional worlds have been turned upside down. Even so, we are learning and discovering new ways to continue in our professional roles, and in some cases, we've been asked to take on new roles during the coronavirus pandemic. This is especially true for school board members who are juggling their family and career responsibilities. Add to that the concern for their dis...

Educators had to become distance learning experts overnight amid the coronavirus pandemic. They are facing new demands in meeting the needs of anxious students and their families. Add to that, the responsibility of caring for their own families during the health crisis.  Dr. Kathy McFarland, OSBA's deputy chief executive, and Karen Sedoti, principal of Olentangy Local's (Delaware) Olenta...

With social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, OSBA has received many questions about Ohio's Open Meetings Act and holding board of education meetings during the pandemic. What is a virtual meeting? How can the public participate? What about executive sessions? OSBA Chief Legal Counsel Sara C. Clark answers these questions and more. For up-to-date information on this topic and other...

We are in this together! While the coronavirus has closed school buildings across the state, what board members, administrators, teachers, parents, community members and others have accomplished is nothing short of phenomenal. These are transformational times, and there may be no better time to think seriously about student achievement. OSBA Senior Student Achievement Consultant Kim Miller-Smith d...

Lee Schreiner, South-Western City, became OSBA president on Jan. 1. We sat down with OSBA's 65th president to discuss his goals for the association and his long career in public education. Schreiner taught at South-Western City Schools for 37 years before retiring. He has served in numerous federal, state and regional leadership roles. He currently serves on OSBA’s Board of Trustees, Executiv...

In this inaugural episode, we spoke with Cheryl W. Ryan, OSBA director of board and management services, and Mark E. Bobo, OSBA membership retention and engagement consultant, about the more than 400 new board members who embarked on their school board service journey in January. What can a new board member expect in his or her first year? And, more importantly, how can OSBA help? Then we sat down...