Up in arms! is the only way to describe the discussion last night at the regular monthly meeting of the Stark County Educational Service Center Governing Board. Stark County state Representative Scott Oelslager (Republican, OHse 48) was the main target of the outrage.
President Olson opened the consideration of legislation passed earlier this year whereby a provision was slipped into the omnibus two year State of Ohio Budget Bill which made it much easier for any dissatisfied group of parents to petition to transfer from one public school district to another.
Here is the entire resolution.
It is widely believe that Oelslager was behind the legislation on behalf of Hills & Dales which is one Stark County's wealthiest communities, reportedly, at the urging of resident W.R. Timken, Jr.
Timken, a former U.S. ambassador, is known as being part of the Timken family who brought the Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company to Canton from St Louis many years ago.Prior to being changed this year, the school district transfer law had safeguards against communities like Hills & Dales cherry picking their public school district.
Reportedly, the Hills & Dales initiative motivation is to help million dollar and up homeowners sell their properties. After all, who would want to buy a mega dollar home in a school district (Plain) that has a 43% cultural diversity rate. Much better Jackson, with its marked monolithic cultural factor.
And, by the way, it appears that Oelslager, likely through an accommodating fellow legislator, acted primarily for wealthy Hills & Dales. At most 22 students would be affected. It could be as low as 10 students as 12 of Hills & Dales' 22 students attend private schools.
Trouble is that in Oelslager's, via a surrogate, secretive rush to aid Hills & Dales, he may have unthinkingly (giving him the benefit of a doubt) upset the "school transfer" protocol apple cart for the entire state of Ohio that could spell disaster for many of Ohio's urban school districts
Here is Mary Jo Shannon Slick (legal counsel for the SCESC) explaining to board member Barb Morgan (widow of former long time SCESC superintendent Larry Morgan) what the law "used to be." Under that law (in 2003), Hills & Dales residents tried to separate from Plain but was stopped by standards in place.
Now with the 2019 Oelslager inspired (the SCPR's belief) change, no such standards exist.
Accordingly, the Hills & Dales petition signers as listed below in filing a petition for removal from the Plain School District seemingly have a clear path that did not exist in 2003.
Here's Shannon-Slick expounding on the new law.
Next up, Board Member Jacqueline DeGarmo speaks up.
Members Miller, DeGarmo and Holmes lash out at Representative Oelslager.
The members of the Stark County Educational Service Center Governing Board votes to approve the Resolution.
Will the Resolution be effective to motivate some legislator (perhaps Reggie Stoltzfus [R, OHse 50th] or Kirk Schuring [R, Osen, 29th] to introduce and guide to passage a repeal of the Oelslager promoted Hills & Dales School Transfer law.
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