House Bill 96, the state operating budget bill, has now had three weeks of committee hearings in the Ohio Senate after passing the Ohio House of Representatives last month.

On May 15, the Senate Higher Education Committee heard public testimony on the higher education components of the budget bill. OCAAUP President Gretchen McNamara submitted this testimony on our behalf, which calls attention to our biggest issues in the bill: inadequate State Share of Instruction (SSI), the elimination of mental health support funding for students, a special earmark for an athletics’ program, and language that seeks to effectively eliminate real shared governance at our public institutions.

The bill will now be under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee, which will issue their version of the bill before the full Senate votes. We likely will see the Senate’s version of the bill the first week of June.

Undoubtedly, there will be a conference committee between the House and Senate to iron out their differences before sending a final version to the governor, who has the authority to line-item veto. We will provide more updates as the process unfolds.

SB 1 FAQ Document

In consultation with labor attorney Timothy Gallagher, we have put together a Senate Bill 1 frequently asked questions (FAQ) document for your reference. If you are a member and did not receive a copy of the FAQ document in your email, you can obtain a copy by emailing sara@ocaaup.org. We want to ensure that our members have an understanding of your rights and responsibilities under the law, which is slated to take effect on June 27.

Last Chance to Register!

This Thursday, May 8 at 6:00 pm, we will host a statewide membership meeting via Zoom to discuss SB 1.

This is an AAUP/OFT member-only webinar. Click here to register.

The presentation will include a summary of how OCAAUP fought back against SB 1, the prospects of a referendum and legal challenges, and an explanation of SB 1 as-enacted by labor attorney Timothy Gallagher. Mr. Gallagher will discuss faculty obligations under the law and address the most frequently asked questions. There will be opportunity for Q&A; so be ready to submit questions not addressed in the FAQ sheet.

Referendum Effort

There is a grassroots’ referendum effort underway to repeal SB 1. You can learn more about the process and volunteer by visiting the SB 1 Petition website.

While OCAAUP can share information about the referendum, there are new laws effectively preventing us from using organizational resources to directly and indirectly support the campaign. We will explain more about this during the May 8 Zoom meeting. However, we want to make clear that there is nothing preventing individual AAUP members from volunteering and otherwise participating in the referendum effort. Members can donate to the ballot PAC, as long as you are a U.S. citizen.

Earlier today, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost certified the initial petition, which allows the campaign to move forward with the process of collecting approximately 250,000 valid Ohio voter signatures by the law’s effective date. If enough valid signatures are collected, the law will be stopped and voters will have the opportunity in the November 4, 2025 general election to either repeal or keep the law.

We will continue to provide updates as the process moves ahead.

On May 8 at 6:00 pm, we will host a statewide membership meeting via Zoom to discuss SB 1. The meeting should last 1.5 to 2 hours. We had hoped to have this meeting in April, but circumstances required that we push the meeting further out to allow for a thorough legal analysis of the bill. The meeting will be recorded for those unable to attend, and we also will be distributing an SB 1 FAQ sheet.

The presentation will include a summary of how OCAAUP fought back against SB 1 (and previously SB 83), the prospects of a referendum and legal challenges, and an explanation of SB 1 as-enacted by labor attorney Timothy Gallagher. Mr. Gallagher will discuss faculty obligations under the law and address the most frequently asked questions. There will be opportunity for Q&A.

Please note that this is an AAUP member-only meeting. Click here to register.

Last week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a highly controversial state operating budget bill (Sub. HB 96), mostly along party lines.

The bill includes an earmark of $600 million in bonds to fund a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns–money that K-12 public school advocates argue is being siphoned away from the previously agreed-to, bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan.

If you’d like to contact lawmakers about supporting public schools and the Fair School Funding Plan, you can use this online action tool from the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT).

In terms of higher education in the budget, the only significant change since we last reported to you about the budget bill is an amendment that would require private colleges and universities to comply with SB 1, if they want to be eligible to receive funding from the Governor’s Merit Scholarship (GMS). The GMS is a $5,000 annual (up to four years) award available to students who graduate in the top 5% of their high school classes. It can be used at public or private institutions in Ohio. Currently, about 20% of GMS recipients attend a private institution.

The General Assembly is currently on “legislative spring break,” but the Senate will return at the end of April to begin budget deliberations. OCAAUP will provide testimony to the Senate Higher Education Committee when there is an opportunity for public testimony in May. We will address the continuous underfunding of public higher education, the provision that attempts to sideline meaningful faculty input into curricular matters, and other problematic pieces of Sub. HB 96.

OCAAUP Elections

On Monday, electronic ballots were sent to all eligible Ohio AAUP members to vote in this year’s statewide elections. While there is only one candidate for each position, we encourage you to take the time to vote. If you did not receive a ballot, first check your spam folder. If it isn’t in your spam folder, email sara@ocaaup.org to request a ballot.

We want to thank Professors Allison Hammond (University of Cincinnati), Cynthia Nitz Ris (University of Cincinnati), and Naykishia Darby (Central State University) for running for Vice President, Treasurer, and At-Large Member, respectively. We appreciate their willingness to serve in these important roles.

STRS Elections

The State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) elections are underway. This year, there are three open seats. One of those seats is a retired member position currently occupied by former AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum. Prof. Fichtenbaum ran again, and because he did not face an opponent, he automatically will serve another term. Congratulations, Prof. Fichtenbaum!

There are also two contributing member positions up for election. Active educators can vote in these elections. STRS mailed ballots to active members this week. Ballots have to be cast/received by May 5. You can vote online or via phone or mail. We recommend voting online or by phone to avoid any potential mail issues.

While the Ohio Conference AAUP did not make endorsements in these races, our partner organization, the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), has recommended Mike Harkness and Chad Smith for the contributing member seats. STRS sends candidate statements with the ballots, which we encourage you to review before voting. No matter who you vote for, we hope you will participate!