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Two new education bills have been introduced by Democrats in the Ohio House: One to ensure school meals for any students who request them, and another to increase base teacher salaries to $50,000 per year. The future of the proposed laws is uncertain with Republican supermajorities controlling both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate.

A bill introduced by state Rep. Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland, and state Rep. Ismail Mohamed, D-Columbus, would 鈥渞equire public schools to provide meals and related services to students,鈥� even beyond changes made in the latest operating budget.

鈥淩egardless of whether a student has money to pay for a meal or owes money for earlier meals, each school district shall provide a meal to a student who requests one,鈥� the new bill, , states.

The bill also prohibits a requirement that a district discard a meal after it has been served 鈥渂ecause of a student鈥檚 inability to pay for the meal or because money is owed for previously provided meals鈥� or 鈥減ublicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot pay for a meal or who owes a meal debt.鈥�

In 2019, a 9-year-old Ohio student鈥檚 hot lunch was taken away over a $9.75 unpaid balance, .

The bill comes after changes were made in the most recent state operating budget to provide no-cost meals to any student who qualifies for reduced-price or free meals.

After the budget was passed, advocates praised the , but said more could be done to reduce the categorization of children and the visibility of those who have meal debt.

qualified for reduced-price or free lunches for the 2022-2023 school year, according to data from the Children鈥檚 Defense Fund of Ohio, up from 46.6% the year before. Qualification is based on household income, and children are eligible at up to 185% of the federal poverty line.

Brewer and Mohamed鈥檚 bill also requires that districts direct 鈥渃ommunications about a student鈥檚 meal debt to a parent or guardian and not to the student, except 鈥� if a student inquires about that student鈥檚 meal debt.鈥�

Teacher pay

In a separate bill, state Rep. Joe Miller, D-Amherst, seeks to increase the base teacher salary to $50,000 per year statewide.

That would be an increase from the current base salary of $35,000 for teachers with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Teachers with less than a bachelor鈥檚 degree would have a base salary set at $43,250, while teachers with five years of training but no master鈥檚 degree would start at $51,900 and teachers with a master鈥檚 degree or higher would start at $54,750, according to the bill, .

Ohio鈥檚 average teacher salary has remained lower than the U.S. average since 2014, according to an analysis by, which showed an 11.2% increase in Ohio salaries from fiscal year 2012 to 2021, where U.S. salaries grew by 17.9%.

A found that average weekly wagers for teachers have remained 鈥渞elatively flat鈥� since 1996, with teachers making more than 14% less in Ohio when compared with other college-educated workers.

Salaries will still be determined based on years of service under the newest House bill, including a maximum of five years active military service.

Both bills are led by Democratic sponsors, meaning the way forward will be rocky in a Republican supermajority Ohio General Assembly, especially when this particular General Assembly has had a .

The bills still need to be assigned to a committee for consideration before public comment and possible votes can take place.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: [email protected]. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

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