OSBA Today

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...