Also on Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress and vowed to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy. We’ll continue to cover reaction to the address today.
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Wright State relabels bathrooms to be gender specific due to new Ohio law
Wright State University has relabeled its campus restrooms to comply with a new Ohio law that requires bathrooms or changing rooms to be clearly labeled for men or women.
• On campus changes: All previously gender-neutral, multi-user restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms and showers are reassigned to gender-specific use, and all single-occupancy restrooms are relabeled as family restrooms.
• Controversial bill: The bill that imposes the changes, Ohio Senate Bill 104, was extremely controversial when introduced, but there were no public hearings on it. It passed largely along party lines in June 2024, and took effect last week.
• Anti-transgender effects: The bill prohibits schools from knowingly letting transgender girls in the “girls” bathroom and transgender boys in the “boys” bathroom, and has students prove their biological sex with their birth certificates. It also bars transgender girls from sharing overnight accommodations with cisgender girls and vice versa.
• Forbidden facilities: The bill forbids schools from making gender-neutral multi-occupant facilities, but allows single-occupant gender-neutral bathrooms and facilities.
Ohio lawmakers: Property tax reform means school funding reform
Ohio lawmakers are discussing ideas to reform the state’s property tax system that will heavily impact school district funding, which receives most of property tax funds raised. A handful of proposals have been suggested, most of which would tweak how we calculate the base amount of tax revenue schools collect.
• 20-mill floor: Ohio school district tax rate for operating expenses can’t fall below 20 mills, but one bill suggested would keep that floor from taking effect if the district is receiving revenue from other levies. This idea has received some pushback, with education officials saying schools could face problems with property values don’t keep up with inflation.
• Income tax: Another bill would add income tax that some schools receive funds from into the 20-mill floor calculation, which could affect a handful of area school districts such as New Miami, Fairborn, Yellow Springs and New Lebanon. Experts said this could run afoul of the state constitution, though the discussion over whether that is true is ongoing.
• Emergency levies: One bill would add emergency levies and income taxes both to the calculation and keep schools from moving portions of their inside millage to increase tax revenue, which, if passed, would impact about a quarter of rural, poorer districts that have passed emergency levies.
• Overhaul: One bill would create a new school financing system, basing funding on the number of students and collecting funds with a single statewide property tax and increased sales tax.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: The number of people being hospitalized with the flu in Ohio is still very high, but numbers are starting to trend slightly downward.
• Tip of the day: The Dayton Art Institute is hosting a new event showcasing cocktails from 15 local establishments while raising funds for art conservation on April 3 from 6 to 9 p.m.
• Person to know today: Springboro’s Bryn Martin, who leads area girls in the All-Southwest District girls basketball teams as Player of the Year in Division I for the second straight year. Results for all divisions are available here.
• More basketball: The sweet 16 is set in each of the seven divisions of the OHSAA boys basketball tournament, and 16 teams from the our coverage area are still playing.
• Quote of the day: “The state of veterans services is imperiled. We are watching the gutting of the Department of Veterans Affairs.” - Navy veteran Lindsay Church, director of Minority Veterans of America, speaking to a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees
• Stat of the day: Alter High School is celebrating 60 years of football on April 5, with 29 total playoff appearances and 24 in a row since last missing the playoffs in 2000.
• Photo of the day: The Dayton Liederkranz-Turner German Club hosted Fasching a.k.a. German Mardi Gras on Saturday at their clubhouse. featuring a costume ball. Check out all the photos by Tom Gilliam.
