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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect how Paul Craft was selected as superintendent.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The state’s next superintendent of public instruction was announced by the board of education on Tuesday.
According to a press release, Paul Craft, the current superintendent of Buckeye Valley Local Schools, has been picked to oversee the state agency working on behalf of the State Board of Education of Ohio. This is the latest change to a board of education that has seen a drastic overhaul over the past year.
“We want to make sure Ohio is a national leader when it comes to our teaching workforce, and Paul Craft will position us to advance the work focused on having excellent educators in our classrooms,” said Paul LaRue, president of the Ohio State Board of Education.
In the press release, Craft expressed his eagerness to get started with the new position.
“Ohio is home to outstanding educators and school personnel, and I’m excited to lead the work to ensure we have an excellent education workforce ready to make a difference for students,” Craft said in the announcement.
Craft will be walking into a recently altered version of the state’s board of education. With language from an Ohio Senate bill in the state’s biennial budget, the board of education lost much of its power to the new Department of Education and Workforce. Around two weeks before the changes took effect, seven members of the education board sued in an attempt to block the changes.
In the bill stripping the Ohio State Board of Education’s power, the Department of Education and Workforce took command of most of the responsibilities assigned to the board, including:
- Developing academic standards and model curricula
- Adopting minimum education standards for schools and operating standards for districts
- Issuing and revoking state charters from school districts, building, and nonpublic schools seeking a charter
- Overseeing the performance and functions of charter and STEM schools
- Administering state scholarship programs
The Ohio State Board of Education lost most of its powers on Oct. 20 when a Franklin County judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction against a planned overhaul of the state education agency. With a judge’s approval, a temporary restraining order blocking the overhaul was dissolved. This led to the transfer of most of the education board’s powers to the new Director of the Department of Education and Workforce Steve Dackin, who was selected by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.