Governor DeWine’s Budget Recommendations
Last evening, Governor DeWine held a press conference after revealing his executive budget recommendations (aka Blue Book) to the Ohio Congress. The Governor’s Blue Book outlines recommended policies, budget appropriations, and programs. Brian Stewart, Chair of the House Finance Committee, will then introduce the budget into congress in the coming weeks.
You can read the FY 2026-27 documents here: https://governor.ohio.gov/priorities/budget/fy-2026-2027
Highlights include:
- pg. 265 – Overview of the Department of Education and Workforce. Governor DeWine recommends the continued phase-in of the Fair School Funding formula. There is continued support for science of reading and career focused initiatives.
- pg. 268 – Outlines the line item recommendations for FY 2026 and 2027.
- pg. 110 – Governor’s Merit Scholarship. OAGC specifically lobbied for funding for the Governor’s Merit Scholarship in 2023 that provided $5,000 per year to the students who graduate in the top five percent of their graduating class.
- pg. 332 – This Blue Book also recommends continued support for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant – a grant that provides financial aid to Ohio residents enrolling in Ohio colleges and universities.
If interested in watching Governor DeWine’s remarks, click here: https://ohiochannel.org/video/governor-mike-dewine-2-3-2025-introducing-fy2026-2027-budget (specifically, if interested in hearing Governor DeWine’s remarks about the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, you can fast forward to 15:10).
Federal News
With the recent news that President Trump is considering dismantling the Department of Education, it is important to understand what this would mean at the state-level. First, President Trump cannot shut down the Department of Education on his own. President Trump would need a supermajority of senators (60/100) in order to have the congressional approval to shut down the Department of Education. Please also read John Segota of NAGC’s most recent blog where he discusses the numerous executive orders and how they could impact gifted education in our country: https://nagc.org/blogpost/2061726/NAGC-Blog