America's primary and secondary educational systems are standing at a post-COVID crossroads, and few school systems are facing more changes than Ohio’s. The state’s recently-approved budget included higher funding for schools, a dramatic shakeup in school oversight that transferred authority from the State Board of Education to the Governor's Office, and a vast expansion of the availability of vouchers parents can use to take their children out of the public education system entirely. With student performance still lagging as a result of pandemic lockdowns, vouchers that will blur the line between public and private education, and school officials caught in the country's culture war crosshairs, what does the future hold for Ohio schools?

The panelists are:

Dr. Angela Chapman, Superintendent and CEO of Columbus City Schools

Scott DiMauro, President of the Ohio Education Association

And Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, Former Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Co-Author of "The Buying and Selling of American Education.” 

Our host is Jackie Walker, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Ohio

This week’s forum was sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, Battelle, and WCBE 90.5 FM and was supported by the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. The livestream was presented by The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum was recorded before a live audience in Columbus, Ohio on August 2, 2023.