To amend sections 109.57, 109.803, 124.011, 133.06, 135.142, 135.143, 149.41, 2151.354, 2152.19, 2915.092, 2919.24, 2921.44, 3301.01, 3301.02, 3301.03, 3301.07, 3301.079, 3301.0710, 3301.0711, 3301.0712, 3301.0714, 3301.0715, 3301.0716, 3301.0730, 3301.111, 3301.12, 3301.133, 3301.45, 3301.52, 3301.85, 3302.01, 3302.02, 3302.021, 3302.03, 3302.034, 3302.035, 3302.04, 3302.05, 3302.07, 3302.10, 3302.12, 3302.13, 3302.151, 3302.17, 3302.21, 3302.41, 3307.01, 3309.01, 3309.011, 3310.03, 3310.14, 3310.522, 3311.242, 3311.741, 3311.80, 3313.11, 3313.411, 3313.413, 3313.483, 3313.603, 3313.6026, 3313.6028, 3313.61, 3313.611, 3313.612, 3313.614, 3313.618, 3313.6110, 3313.6111, 3313.6112, 3313.6113, 3313.6114, 3313.64, 3313.661, 3313.663, 3313.664, 3313.6611, 3313.7112, 3313.7118, 3313.753, 3313.814, 3313.902, 3314.016, 3314.017, 3314.02, 3314.031, 3314.034, 3314.35, 3314.351, 3314.353, 3314.362, 3315.42, 3316.03, 3316.04, 3316.06, 3316.14, 3317.02, 3317.023, 3317.03, 3317.18, 3317.25, 3319.2310, 3319.31, 3319.311, 3319.319, 3319.39, 3319.393, 3320.02, 3320.03, 3325.08, 3326.11, 3327.014, 3331.02, 3333.041, 3333.048, 3333.301, 3345.061, 3365.01, 3365.032, 3365.07, 3728.01, 3737.07, 3781.106, 3792.04, 4109.07, 4117.01, 4723.483, 4723.4811, 4729.01, 4729.513, 4729.541, 4730.433, 4730.437, 4731.92, 4731.96, 5104.53, 5502.262, 5705.212, 5705.213, 5753.11, and 6109.121; to enact new section 3314.25 and sections 3314.252 and 3319.265; and to repeal sections 3301.28, 3301.68, 3302.032, 3302.036, 3302.042, 3302.06, 3302.061, 3302.062, 3302.063, 3302.064, 3302.065, 3302.066, 3302.067, 3302.068, 3313.484, 3313.487, 3313.488, 3313.489, 3313.4810, 3313.615, 3313.85, 3314.25, 3314.354, 3316.041, 3318.60, 3318.61, 3318.62, 3328.01, 3328.02, 3328.03, 3328.04, 3328.11, 3328.12, 3328.13, 3328.14, 3328.15, 3328.16, 3328.17, 3328.18, 3328.19, 3328.191, 3328.192, 3328.193, 3328.20, 3328.21, 3328.22, 3328.23, 3328.24, 3328.241, 3328.25, 3328.26, 3328.27, 3328.29, 3328.30, 3328.31, 3328.32, 3328.34, 3328.35, 3328.36, 3328.37, 3328.38, 3328.41, 3328.45, 3328.50, 3328.52, and 3328.99 of the Revised Code regarding the operation of schools and the Department of Education and Workforce, regarding appointments to the State Board of Education, regarding age and schooling certificate requirements and work hours for a person under sixteen years of age, and to eliminate obsolete provisions of education law.
HB455 is a broad education-operations bill that revises many parts of Ohio’s Revised Code governing public schools, the Department of Education and Workforce, school accountability, assessments, records, and related administrative functions. The bill updates statutory references to the renamed department, revises or modernizes rules for student testing, school report cards, data reporting, chartering, and intervention systems, and repeals a number of obsolete provisions. It also touches related areas such as school district investments, records retention, criminal background information sharing, and certain provisions affecting school employees and retirement systems.
A major theme of the bill is aligning Ohio’s education statutes with current accountability structures and administrative practice. It updates the statewide assessment framework, diagnostic testing, EMIS data reporting, and report card calculations; expands or clarifies how schools and districts are evaluated; and revises provisions tied to school improvement, academic distress commissions, and community learning centers. The bill also includes provisions affecting chartered nonpublic schools, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools, reflecting a statewide approach rather than one limited to traditional districts.
The bill’s impact on state law is substantial because it amends dozens of sections and repeals many obsolete sections, effectively reorganizing large portions of Ohio’s education code. It would change how the Department of Education and Workforce supervises schools, how districts report and use student and financial data, how assessments are administered and disclosed, and how low-performing schools are identified and intervened in. It also updates cross-references throughout the code to reflect current agency names and modernized school categories, while preserving or restating confidentiality and data-protection rules for student information.
The overall sentiment reflected in the available voting history is strongly favorable. The bill advanced out of the House Education Committee unanimously and then passed the House 87-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition at that stage. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to suggest significant public controversy in the materials supplied.
The main points of potential contention, based on the bill’s content, are the breadth of state oversight over schools, the detailed accountability and testing requirements, and the continued use of intervention mechanisms for low-performing districts and buildings. Provisions affecting academic distress commissions, school restructuring, data reporting sanctions, and the treatment of chartered nonpublic schools could draw scrutiny from district leaders, school operators, and employee groups, but the available record does not show organized opposition in committee or on the House floor.