State Board of Education Redistricting
Five State Board of Education seats are up for election in November 2022 and Ohio does NOT have legal State Board districts!
Five State Board of Education seats are up for election in November 2022 and Ohio does NOT have legal State Board districts!
In 2022, five State Board of Education seats will be on the November General Election ballot. Candidates must file for these seats by August 10, 2022. To date, Governor Mike DeWine is forcing Ohioans to vote for candidates in newly drawn State Board districts that are unfair and illegal. The current State Board districts are based on nonexistent Ohio Senate districts that were invalidated and discarded by the Ohio Supreme Court in February.
State Board of Education districts up for election in November 2022:
- District 2 - Kirsten Hill, current member
- District 3 - Charlotte McGuire, current member
- District 4 - Dr. Jenny Kilgore, current member
- District 9* - John Hagan, current member
- District 10* - Tim Miller, current member
*New districts according to Governor DeWine Letter of Designation released February 1, 2022
2022 State Board of Education Districts
On February 1, Governor Mike DeWine released new State Board of Education districts. According to state law, the governor must redistrict the State Board of Education by January 31 if the General Assembly fails to do, and comply with three legal tenets outlined below. At the time, Gov. DeWine's districts were based on the second set of Senate districts since invalidated and discarded by the Ohio Supreme Court. In May, after federal judges ruled that Ohio must use the third set Senate districts for the 2022 General Election, Governor DeWine did not update the State Board districts to comport with the new Senate districts, and is still basing State Board districts on the discarded Senate districts.
Ohio law requires that each State Board of Education district:
- Contain three contiguous state Senate districts
- Be as compact as practicable
- Consist of districts centered in urban areas and rural areas, where practicable
Gov. DeWine's new February districts were a clear attempt to gerrymander four State Board members out of their seats and silence the voice of Black, brown, and marginalized communities and serve as retribution for their refusal to repeal the Board's antiracism and equity resolution.
Gerrymandering the State Board of Education
Gerrymandering the State Board of Education
Governor DeWine's original redistricting plan in February was a continued effort to push out State Board members who champion an honest high-quality education for every student and those who voted against repealing the Board’s 2020 Resolution to Condemn Racism and Advance Equity last fall. The 10-7 vote to repeal the resolution sent a devastating message to Ohio’s Black, Latin X, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous students, young people regularly targeted, dehumanized, and traumatized.
Immediately after the repeal, Governor DeWine pressured two appointed members to resign, including the State Board president who helped draft the resolution in 2020.
Now, he is targeting four elected members who voted against the repeal last fall: Dr. Christina Collins , Meryl Johnson, Dr. Antoinette Miranda, and Michelle Newman.
Immediately after the repeal, Governor DeWine pressured two appointed members to resign, including the State Board president who helped draft the resolution in 2020.
Now, he is targeting four elected members who voted against the repeal last fall: Dr. Christina Collins , Meryl Johnson, Dr. Antoinette Miranda, and Michelle Newman.
The Impact
Under his plan, urban and suburban areas would lose significant representation at the State Board and the needs of Ohio's Black, brown, and other marginalized communities would be gone.
Changes to Johnson’s and Miranda’s districts in Cleveland and Columbus would significantly reduce the opportunity for Black and urban voices on the State Board. Both changes dilute urban voter representation by forcing overwhelmingly large rural counties into those districts:
These changes matter because elected members of the State Board are duty bound to represent the Ohioans who elected them so they can shape the state’s public education system according to the needs of the children and families they serve.
- Dr. Christina Collins (District 7, previously District 5), previously representing a Medina-centered district, lost her home county of Medina and now covers a new territory and district.
- Michelle Newman (District 8, previously District 9) shifted from a compact district in east central Ohio to a sprawling district spreading across eastern Ohio and violating compactness requirements.
Changes to Johnson’s and Miranda’s districts in Cleveland and Columbus would significantly reduce the opportunity for Black and urban voices on the State Board. Both changes dilute urban voter representation by forcing overwhelmingly large rural counties into those districts:
- Meryl Johnson (District 11) was elected to represent an urban-centered district in Cleveland, but DeWine’s plan shifts a majority of her district to rural areas in Medina, Wayne and Richland counties.
- Dr. Antoinette Miranda (District 6) represented an urban-suburban district centered on Franklin and Delaware counties in Central Ohio that now twists south to include largely rural counties.
These changes matter because elected members of the State Board are duty bound to represent the Ohioans who elected them so they can shape the state’s public education system according to the needs of the children and families they serve.
About Ohio Redistricting and the State Board
Redistricting
Every ten years, after the release of the US Census data, Ohio is charged with drawing fair district maps for the state legislature and U.S. Congress. In 2015 and 2018, Ohio voters passed two constitutional reforms to combat gerrymandering and ensure fair district maps across Ohio. The 2021 redistricting process is still playing out in Ohio as the Ohio Supreme Court has invalidated multiple attempts of the Ohio Redistricting Commission to pass state and congressional maps. Learn more about the current redistricting efforts HERE
What many do not know is that the governor is charged with setting new districts for the State Board of Education at this time, if the General Assembly body fails to do so. This must be done by January 31st, the following year.
Per Ohio law, each State Board of Education district must:
Every ten years, after the release of the US Census data, Ohio is charged with drawing fair district maps for the state legislature and U.S. Congress. In 2015 and 2018, Ohio voters passed two constitutional reforms to combat gerrymandering and ensure fair district maps across Ohio. The 2021 redistricting process is still playing out in Ohio as the Ohio Supreme Court has invalidated multiple attempts of the Ohio Redistricting Commission to pass state and congressional maps. Learn more about the current redistricting efforts HERE
What many do not know is that the governor is charged with setting new districts for the State Board of Education at this time, if the General Assembly body fails to do so. This must be done by January 31st, the following year.
Per Ohio law, each State Board of Education district must:
- Contain three contiguous state Senate districts
- Be as compact as practicable
- Consist of districts centered in urban areas and rural areas, where practicable
The State Board of Education
The State Board of Education is composed of 19 members
- 11 elected
- 8 appointed by the Ohio governor and confirmed by the Senate
Learn More About the State Board