Rep. Lightbody Supports Lawsuit Against Unconstitutional School Board Takeover

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today announced her support for the lawsuit filed by seven members of the State Board of Education in Ohio alleging the Republican-sanctioned K-12 education overhaul violates the Ohio Constitution. This overhaul was pushed through the state operating budget in June.

“In June I voted against the state budget in large part because of my strong opposition to restructuring Ohio’s education system to minimize the role of our State Board of Education. For decades, the State Board of Education has provided a democratically elected forum to thoughtfully address the concerns that face our students, teachers, and school districts,” said Rep. Lightbody. “Teachers are working to make up for time that was lost during the pandemic. Schools are struggling to retain current teachers and hire new ones. The State Board of Education is able to prioritize these issues and take the time to thoughtfully address them. The forthcoming change –if implemented—will harm our students by weakening the oversight that is currently provided by elected leaders and appointees with content expertise.” 

The lawsuit, filed against the state and Republican Governor Mike DeWine, argues that the overhaul guts the mostly citizen-elected, independent and constitutionally-created state board of its responsibilities and gives unnecessary power to the governor.

The plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward Foundation and Ulmer & Berne LLP., are asking for a temporary order to keep the changes from going into effect, and to eventually void the changes completely.

The seven members who filed the lawsuit are: Christina Collins; Teresa Fedor; Katie Hofmann; Tom Jackson; Meryl Johnson; Antoinette Miranda, and Michelle Newman.

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