Ohio Department of Education
Ohio state agency for public education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government[1] responsible for primary and secondary public education in the state. It is a cabinet level state agency and the director is appointed by the governor. The Ohio State Board of Education used to be the governing body of the department but House Bill 33 (signed by Governor Mike DeWine in July 2023) transferred most of the duties of the State Board of Education to the newly created Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. The department is headquartered in Columbus. The department and the State Board of Education are two separate agencies.
- Ohio Department of Education
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
 | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 20, 2023 |
| Preceding department |
|
| Jurisdiction | Ohio |
| Headquarters | 25 South Front Street Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Department executive |
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| Website | education |
The department is responsible for implementing standardized tests required by state and federal law, including the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT), Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), and the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA, formerly OTELA). The department does not have jurisdiction over higher education; Ohio's public colleges and universities are governed as part of the University System of Ohio by the Ohio Board of Regents and by the boards of trustees of each institution.
State Board of Education
The Board of Education currently consists of 19 members. All serve four-year terms.
Eleven of these are elected from 11 single-member districts, which are formed by combining three contiguous Ohio Senate districts. The governor appoints eight "at large" members. All serve four year terms. The elected members' terms are staggered so that half of the board is elected in each even-numbered year. Vacancies in the elected membership are filled by appointment by the governor. The chairman of the Ohio House of Representatives Education Committee and his or her counterpart in the Ohio State Senate are ex officio members.
The chairs of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate education committees are ex officio non-voting members of the board. The board is responsible for choosing a Superintendent of Public Instruction, who manages the day-to-day affairs of the agency.
In 2025, Ohio's biennial budget (HB96) changed the structure of the State Board of Education. The eleven districts and three of the appointed seats will be eliminated, with only five appointed seats remaining that will each represent rural, suburban, urban, charter, and community schools. As elected and appointed members either resign or serve out their terms, the membership will be reduced until there are only five appointed members.[2][3]
The elections are formally nonpartisan, with the party affiliations below reflecting known political history, candidate self-declaration, or state party support.
Elected Members
| District | Name | Start | Party | Next Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristie Reighard | January 1, 2025 | Democratic | 2028 |
| 2 | Teresa Fedor | January 1, 2023 | Democratic | 2026 |
| 3 | Charlotte McGuire | January 2017 | Republican | 2026 (term limited) |
| 4 | Katie Hofmann | January 1, 2023 | Democratic | 2026 |
| 5 | Mary Binegar | January 1, 2025 | Democratic | 2028 |
| 6 | Cathye Flory | January 1, 2025 | Republican | 2028 |
| 7 | Rhonda Johnson | January 1, 2025 | Democratic | 2028 |
| 8 | Karen Lloyd | January 1, 2025 | Democratic | 2028 |
| 9 | John Hagan | January 1, 2019[a] | Republican | 2026 (term limited) |
| 10 | Tom Jackson | January 1, 2023 | Democratic | 2026 |
| 11 | Delores Ford | January 1, 2025 | Democratic | 2028 |
- Hagan was elected to the 8th district, and was reassigned to the 9th district by Gov. Mike DeWine on January 31, 2022 as part of decennial redistricting.
Appointed Members
| Name | Start | Party | Term End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Carruthers | January 1, 2025 | Republican | December 31, 2028 |
| Walt Davis | June 30, 2021 | Independent | December 31, 2026 |
| Amy Fugate | February 16, 2024 | Independent | December 31, 2028 |
| Lori Kershner | January 1, 2025 | Independent | December 31, 2028 |
| Mark Lamoncha | January 4, 2019 | Independent | December 31, 2026 |
| Paul LaRue | August 26, 2020 | Independent | December 31, 2026 |
| James Mermis | January 1, 2023 | Independent | December 31, 2026 |
| Gloria Rodgers | January 1, 2025 | Independent | December 31, 2028 |