Ohio House Leadership Changes – In a surprise to many, Rep. Larry Householder won the speakership vote in the Ohio House, yesterday. With the help of the majority of House Democrats, Speaker Householder beat out Ryan Smith who had taken over as speaker last spring. Speaker Householder immediately announced some new changes he hopes to enact including televising all committee hearings, eliminating a two-hour submission requirement for allowing floor amendments, employing a professional Human Resources director, and the establishing several bi-partisan standing sub-committees. One of those sub-committees would be primary and secondary education. The new speaker declined to name his leadership team, and based on his comments, it will be interesting to see who he will choose as committee chairs.
New ODE Gifted Guidance Documents – The Ohio Department of Education has released several new documents supporting the implementation of the revised gifted rule as well as gifted professional development. The new guidance document for the gifted rule can be found at www.oagc.com/rulelaw.asp. Several new ODE documents for gifted professional guidance can be found at www.oagc.com.hqpd.asp under the “General HQPD Documents” subject heading.