The bill seeks to amend the Revised Code concerning school district governance and financial operations, particularly by dissolving existing academic distress commissions. Key deletions include the removal of requirements for school districts under these commissions to obtain approval for incurring indebtedness, thereby granting districts greater autonomy in financial decision-making. The bill also allows districts to incur net indebtedness beyond specified limits for classroom facility projects, enabling them to issue general obligation securities without voter approval for projects costing $100 million or more, contingent upon conditional approval from the Ohio facilities construction commission.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions for community learning centers, requiring public hearings and elections to initiate the process, and modifies eligibility criteria for the educational choice scholarship pilot program. It mandates that all school districts maintain public schools offering grades K-12, with the state board of education responsible for redistributing territory and resources if a district fails to comply. The bill also outlines the dissolution of cooperative education school districts that do not meet grade requirements and emphasizes the urgency of these changes by declaring the bill an emergency measure.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 133.06, 3302.036, 3302.042, 3302.043, 3302.12, 3302.17, 3310.03, 3311.29, 3314.102, 3302.10, 3302.103, 3302.11, 3302.111