COLUMBUS, Ohio — The acting state superintendent of public instruction plans to resign, shining a light on Ohio's education overhaul bill.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Siddens is set to take a job at a local school district in Columbus, making her the eighth public education leader in 15 years to leave or resign from the top K-12 post.
She leaves less than one year after the tumultuous hiring and resignation of former superintendent Steve Dackin. She did not respond to a News 5 interview request.
"It's just been a revolving door in the superintendent's office," said Aaron Churchill with the conservative think tank Fordham Institute.
Churchill has thought that instead of focusing on getting a superintendent and implementing policies, the board was focused on debating culture war issues that they had no jurisdiction over.
"I do think it would have been helpful to have more leadership from the board talking about some of the learning loss that's happened over the years and the COVID issues — really focusing in on student learning and in reading, writing and math," Churchill said. "And we haven't really kind of seen that."
It doesn't seem like the board is focused on finding a leader, he added. Current board member Michelle Newman says there is a reason for that.
"I want to make sure that we're hiring someone who can really excel at the responsibilities that we expect of them," Newman said. "That is in limbo right now."
Senate Bill 1 is making its way through the House. It would overhaul the Department of Education and strip the board members from developing education policy, establishing financial standards and implementing programs. Those duties would be given to the governor and the new Department of Education and Workforce (DEW).
Newman, along with dozens of others, is speaking out against it — saying the voters chose for board representation and giving all their powers away to appointed individuals takes away transparency.
"It is terrifying to think of what would happen in education if we removed that piece from education policy building and if we move it to where it happens behind closed doors with a select group of people — those voices are going to be lost in the process," she added.
This can also be seen as government overreach, Honesty for Ohio Education's Cynthia Peeples said.
"Senate Bill 1 also represents a direct attack on democracy," Peeples testified. "By stripping the democratically elected State Board of Education of its key roles and duties, the measure removes the ability of families and voters to have a voice at the state level."
Newman also raised the point that this bill started gaining steam after the November elections when Democrats stopped a Republican supermajority on the board.
RELATED: Ohio GOP moves forward bill to strip powers from Board of Ed. after losing control to Democrats
Senate Education Committee Chair Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) told News 5 this change has nothing to do with that.
"It is still a solid majority Republican, so this isn't a partisan issue," he said. "This is a 'We need to make sure the department is structurally functioning properly' so when we pass laws, they go into effect properly and they don't get bogged down in bureaucratic oversight."
Brenner gave an example of how it was actually the GOP members of the board that struggled to get anything done — even with a supermajority.
"It took them several months to pass a resolution in December dealing with — basically the 'Save Women's Sports Act' that is being worked on in the House — that is something they could have done in one meeting. They could have had an emergency meeting, had a discussion," Brenner said. "The Republicans technically controlled the committee prior to the election and they still control it because of the governor's appointments, even though it's nonpartisan. I think that just shows that it takes forever to get anything done there."
Like the Ohio House, just because a supermajority of one party is present doesn't mean things will go smoothly.
The problem with the Board of Education, Churchill said, is that there is a lack of oversight and accountability. Having the governor take control would fix that, he added.
When asked about concerns that one party, depending on who the governor is, would have total control over the DEW, the researcher said there are ways for Ohioans to still be heard.
"If you're unhappy with where the executive branch is going, then you can voice your opinion at the ballot and you can also talk with your state Legislature," Churchill said.
The governor that he supports the bill, but it is too early to comment on how its potential passage could impact the naming of an interim or permanent superintendent, Gov. Mike DeWine's spokesperson, Dan Tierney said.
History of Superintendents
Since 2008, there have been eight superintendents. In comparison, Michigan has had four (one died in office).
Deborah Delisle (2008-2011) resigned after Gov. John Kasich was elected and pushed her out, her resignation letter said.
Stan Heffner (2011-2012) resigned following a report that he violated ethics laws, News 5 Cleveland’s partner Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Michael Sawyers (2012-2013) was appointed as interim superintendent and stayed until a replacement was found.
Dick Ross (2013-2015) retired from his post, as Democrats called for his removal due to perceived ethics violations, according to Cleveland.com.
Lonny Rivera (2015-2016) was appointed as interim superintendent and stayed until a replacement was found.
Paolo DeMaria (2016-2021) retired from his post without scandal.
Steve Dackin (2022-2022) resigned after less than one month on the job. His resignation letter came after he was accused of violating ethics laws after serving on the hiring committee that chose him as superintendent.
Stephanie Siddens (2021-2022 and 2022-2023) was appointed as interim superintendent and plans to resign following her appointment as deputy superintendent of Upper Arlington School District. She is set to finish her term in June, according to Sen. Brenner.
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