The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's October community schools newsletter highlights fall site visits and recent report card results. The department says attendance, literacy, and math showed improvement, and every sponsor earned either an Exemplary or Effective rating. Exemplary sponsors can access incentives such as a renewal term of up to 10 years, exemptions from certain contract rules, and permission to sponsor as many as 200 community schools. They also may open up to two DOPR e-schools annually, with a cap of six in five years, and will not be evaluated for five full school years after the 25-26 evaluation.
Several deadlines are approaching. The Rapback re-affirmation for bus and van drivers and non-licensed personnel is due Oct. 31; those still pending after Nov. 1 will be removed from the system. Community School Annual Budgets and industry-recognized credential applications are also due Oct. 31. The Sponsor Annual Report on special education services and expenditures is due Nov. 1 in Epicenter, and the data roll-up to a public district must be submitted by Nov. 6. Behind the Wheel with DEW sessions are set for Oct. 13, Nov. 10, and Dec. 15.
Changes to EMIS reporting begin in 2026-2027. Schools may no longer automatically report all students as economically disadvantaged; the FD110 element must reflect whether a student meets state criteria. The department says this will not affect Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid in 2026-27 and is not expected to significantly affect the Quality Community Support Fund.
A separate requirement adds student mental health training for pupil-activity permit applicants, including first-time applicants for 2027-2028 and renewals. The State Board of Education received an $8.4 million federal grant for a three-year ELEVATE Ohio initiative, with a first-year pilot expected to reach 70,000 students.