The Ohio burgee. (Getty images file photo.)
Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.
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Catching Our Eye
• Public school funding. WVXU’s Zack Carreon reports, “Can Ohio’s teachers unions turn the tide on school funding?”
The relationship between Ohio’s public school teachers and state lawmakers these days can only be described as adversarial. Many school districts statewide are cutting jobs to avoid massive budget deficits, while also actively suing the state for spending more than $2 billion on vouchers for students to attend private schools.
In the midst of this funding battle, local unions representing public school teachers and staff have been among the loudest advocates for their districts, encouraging communities to put consistent pressure on lawmakers to direct more funds toward public education.
• Transparency? Cleveland.com’s Alison Hartzell reports, “Ohio Supreme overturns public records ruling against Dave Yost.”
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a ruling against Attorney General Dave Yost from a years-long legal feud over a public records release.
The case involved a battle between Yost and progressive watchdog group the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that began in March 2020. The CMD is a watchdog group that focuses its efforts on corporate lobbying activities.
• Ohio county auditors. Denise G. Callahan reports for the Dayton Daily News, “Auditors to Ohio lawmakers: Pause new property tax reforms.”
County officials are asking state lawmakers to pause on passing additional property tax reforms as they work to adjust to the complexity of five bills passed last year…
The County Auditors Association of Ohio was one of the main advocates for reform, but during a recent hearing on House Bill 504 — a measure that would phase in future significant value spikes over three years — Vinton County Auditor Cindy Waugh, who serves as the CAAO president, asked for a time-out.
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