Chapter 3312 | Educational Regional Service System

Section 3312.01 | Educational regional service system created.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The educational regional service system is hereby established. The system shall support state and regional education initiatives and efforts to improve school effectiveness and student achievement. Services, including special education and related services, shall be provided under the system to school districts, community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, and chartered nonpublic schools.

It is the intent of the general assembly that the educational regional service system reduce the unnecessary duplication of programs and services and provide for a more streamlined and efficient delivery of educational services without reducing the availability of the services needed by school districts and schools.

(B) The educational regional service system shall consist of the following:

(1) The advisory councils and subcommittees established under sections 3312.03 and 3312.05 of the Revised Code;

(2) A fiscal agent for each of the regions as configured under section 3312.02 of the Revised Code;

(3) Educational service centers, information technology centers established under section 3301.075 of the Revised Code, and other regional education service providers.

(C) Educational service centers shall provide the services that they are specifically required to provide by the Revised Code and may enter into agreements pursuant to section 3313.843, 3313.844, or 3313.845 of the Revised Code for the provision of other services, which may include any of the following:

(1) Assistance in improving student performance;

(2) Services to enable a school district or school to operate more efficiently or economically;

(3) Professional development for teachers or administrators;

(4) Assistance in the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators;

(5) Applying for any state or federal grant on behalf of a school district;

(6) Any other educational, administrative, or operational services.

In addition to implementing state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts under the educational regional service system, educational service centers shall implement state or federally funded initiatives assigned to the service centers by the general assembly or the department of education and workforce.

Any educational service center selected to be a fiscal agent for its region pursuant to section 3312.07 of the Revised Code shall continue to operate as an educational service center for the part of the region that comprises its territory.

(D) An educational service center shall be considered a school district or a local education agency for the purposes of eligibility in applying for any state or competitive federal grant.

(E) Information technology centers may enter into agreements for the provision of services pursuant to section 3312.10 of the Revised Code.

(F) No school district, community school, or chartered nonpublic school shall be required to purchase services from an educational service center or information technology center in the region in which the district or school is located, except that a local school district shall receive any services required by the Revised Code to be provided by an educational service center to the local school districts in its territory from the educational service center in whose territory the district is located.

Last updated August 21, 2023 at 4:09 PM

Section 3312.02 | Educational regional service system regions.

• Effective: October 24, 2024
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 168 - 135th General Assembly

There shall be the following sixteen regions in the educational regional service system:

(A) Region one shall consist of the territory contained in Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, and Wood counties.

(B) Region two shall consist of the territory contained in Erie, Huron, and Lorain counties.

(C) Region three shall consist of the territory contained in Cuyahoga county.

(D) Region four shall consist of the territory contained in Geauga and Lake counties.

(E) Region five shall consist of the territory contained in Ashtabula, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties.

(F) Region six shall consist of the territory contained in Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, and Shelby counties.

(G) Region seven shall consist of the territory contained in Ashland, Crawford, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, and Wyandot counties.

(H) Region eight shall consist of the territory contained in Medina, Portage, and Summit counties.

(I) Region nine shall consist of the territory contained in Columbiana, Stark, and Wayne counties.

(J) Region ten shall consist of the territory contained in Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Preble counties.

(K) Region eleven shall consist of the territory contained in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties.

(L) Region twelve shall consist of the territory contained in Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Muskingum, Noble, and Tuscarawas counties.

(M) Region thirteen shall consist of the territory contained in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties.

(N) Region fourteen shall consist of the territory contained in Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette, and Highland counties.

(O) Region fifteen shall consist of the territory contained in Lawrence, Pike, Ross, and Scioto counties.

(P) Region sixteen shall consist of the territory contained in Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Vinton, and Washington counties.

Last updated August 15, 2024 at 4:42 PM

Section 3312.03 | Regional advisory councils.

• Effective: March 30, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 79 - 126th General Assembly

(A) Each region of the educational regional service system shall have an advisory council. Except as provided in division (F) of this section, each advisory council shall consist of the following members and the members appointed under division (B) of this section:

(1) The superintendent of each educational service center that has territory in the region;

(2) The director of the special education regional resource center in the region;

(3) The superintendent of the school district in the region with the smallest student population;

(4) The superintendent of the school district in the region with the largest student population;

(5) The director, or the director's designee, of each information technology center providing services in the region;

(6) One representative of a four-year institution of higher education located in the region, or in an adjacent region if there is no such institution, appointed by the Ohio board of regents;

(7) One representative of a two-year institution of higher education located in the region, or in an adjacent region if there is no such institution, appointed by the Ohio association of community colleges;

(8) The treasurer of the fiscal agent for the region.

(B) The members of the advisory council listed in division (A) of this section, upon a majority vote, shall appoint the following members to serve on the council:

(1) One member of the board of education of a city school district in the region;

(2) One member of the board of education of an exempted village school district in the region;

(3) One member of the board of education of a local school district in the region;

(4) One member of the governing board of an educational service center in the region;

(5) One superintendent of a city, exempted village, or local school district in the region;

(6) One superintendent of a joint vocational school district in the region;

(7) One representative of business;

(8) One employee of each education technology center that provides services in the region;

(9) One classroom teacher.

(C) Each advisory council annually shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its members.

(D) For two years after its initial meeting, each advisory council shall hold regular meetings at least four times each year to conduct council business and may hold other meetings at the call of the chairperson. Subsequently, all meetings shall be called by the chairperson.

(E) Advisory council members shall receive no compensation for their services.

(F) Any advisory council may increase its membership beyond the members required by divisions (A) and (B) of this section by adopting a resolution specifying the number of additional members, their manner of appointment, and any eligibility criteria for appointment.

Section 3312.04 | Duties of regional advisory councils.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

The advisory council of each region of the educational regional service system shall do all of the following:

(A) Identify regional needs and priorities for educational services to inform the department of education and workforce in the development of the performance contracts entered into by the fiscal agent of the region under section 3312.08 of the Revised Code;

(B) Develop policies to coordinate the delivery of services to school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools in a manner that responds to regional needs and priorities. Such policies shall not supersede any requirement of a performance contract entered into by the fiscal agent of the region under section 3312.08 of the Revised Code.

(C) Make recommendations to the fiscal agent for the region regarding the expenditure of funds available to the region for implementation of state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts;

(D) Monitor implementation of state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts by educational service centers, information technology centers, and other regional service providers to ensure that the terms of the performance contracts entered into by the fiscal agent for the region under section 3312.08 of the Revised Code are being met;

(E) Establish an accountability system to evaluate the advisory council on its performance of the duties described in divisions (A) to (D) of this section.

Last updated August 21, 2023 at 4:11 PM

Section 3312.05 | Subcommittees of regional councils.

• Effective: March 30, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 79 - 126th General Assembly

(A) The advisory council of each region of the educational regional service system shall establish the following specialized subcommittees of the council:

(1) A school improvement subcommittee, which shall include one classroom teacher appointed jointly by the Ohio education association and the Ohio federation of teachers and representatives of community schools and education personnel with expertise in the area of school improvement;

(2) An education technology subcommittee, which shall include classroom teachers or curriculum coordinators, parents, elementary and secondary school principals, representatives of chartered nonpublic schools, representatives of information technology centers, representatives of business, and representatives of two-year and four-year institutions of higher education;

(3) A professional development subcommittee, which shall include classroom teachers, principals, school district superintendents, curriculum coordinators, representatives of chartered nonpublic schools, and representatives of two-year and four-year institutions of higher education;

(4) A special education subcommittee, which shall consist of one classroom teacher appointed jointly by the Ohio education association and the Ohio federation of teachers and the members of the governing board of the special education regional resource center in the region;

(5) An information technology center subcommittee, which shall consist of one classroom teacher appointed jointly by the Ohio education association and the Ohio federation of teachers; the administrator, or the administrator's designee, of each information technology center providing services in the region; and two school district administrators appointed by each information technology center providing services in the region.

(B) The advisory council shall appoint persons who reside or practice their occupations in the region to serve on the subcommittees established under divisions (A)(1) to (3) of this section. If the advisory council is unable to appoint such a person to a subcommittee, the council shall appoint a similarly situated person from an adjacent region.

(C) An advisory council may establish additional subcommittees as needed to address topics of interest to the council. Members of any additional subcommittee shall be appointed by the advisory council and shall include a diverse range of classroom teachers and other education personnel with expertise in the topic addressed by the subcommittee and representatives of individuals or groups with an interest in the topic.

(D) Any member of an advisory council may participate in the deliberations of any subcommittee established by the council.

Section 3312.06 | Recommendations of regional council subcommittees.

• Effective: September 28, 2006
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 115 - 126th General Assembly

Each advisory council subcommittee established under section 3312.05 of the Revised Code shall make recommendations to the advisory council regarding the implementation of state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts in the subcommittee's area of specialization. The recommendations may include strategies to tailor state education initiatives to regional needs and priorities or to maximize funds available to the region for the provision of services in the subcommittee's area of specialization.

Section 3312.07 | Selection of fiscal agent for region.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The department of education and workforce shall select a school district or educational service center in each region of the educational regional service system to be the fiscal agent for the region. For this purpose, the department shall issue a request for proposals from districts and service centers interested in being a fiscal agent. The department shall select each fiscal agent based upon the following criteria:

(1) Capability to serve as a fiscal agent as demonstrated by a satisfactory audit record and prior experience serving as a fiscal agent;

(2) Adequate capacity in terms of facilities, personnel, and other relevant resources;

(3) Evidence that the school district's or educational service center's role as a fiscal agent would result in minimal disruption to its responsibilities as a district or service center;

(4) Demonstrated intent to limit the aggregate fees for administering a performance contract entered into under section 3312.08 of the Revised Code to not more than seven per cent of the value of the contract.

(B) If no school district or educational service center in a region responds to the request for proposals issued by the department, the department shall select a district or service center in the region that meets the criteria in division (A) of this section to be the fiscal agent for the region.

Last updated August 21, 2023 at 4:11 PM

Section 3312.08 | Duties of regional fiscal agent - performance contracts.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

Each fiscal agent selected by the department of education and workforce pursuant to section 3312.07 of the Revised Code shall do all of the following:

(A) Enter into performance contracts with the department in accordance with section 3312.09 of the Revised Code for the implementation of state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts;

(B) Receive federal and state funds, including federal funds for the provision of special education and related services, as specified in the performance contracts, and disburse those funds as specified in the performance contracts to educational service centers, information technology centers, and other regional service providers. However, any funds owed to an educational service center in accordance with an agreement entered into under section 3313.843, 3313.844, or 3313.845 of the Revised Code shall be paid directly to the service center by the department and any operating funds appropriated for an information technology center shall be paid directly to the information technology center by the department pursuant to section 3301.075 of the Revised Code.

(C) Implement any expenditure of funds recommended by the advisory council for the region pursuant to section 3312.04 of the Revised Code or required by the terms of any performance contract, unless there are insufficient funds available to the region to pay for the expenditure or the expenditure violates a provision of the Revised Code, a rule of the department regarding such expenditure, or the terms of a performance contract;

(D) Exercise fiscal oversight of the implementation of state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts.

Last updated July 31, 2023 at 4:18 PM

Section 3312.09 | Contents of performance contracts - internet posting of evaluations.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Each performance contract entered into by the department of education and workforce and the fiscal agent of a region for implementation of a state or regional education initiative or school improvement effort shall include the following:

(1) An explanation of how the regional needs and priorities for educational services have been identified by the advisory council of the region, the advisory council's subcommittees, and the department;

(2) A definition of the services to be provided to school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools in the region, including any services provided pursuant to division (A) of section 3302.04 of the Revised Code;

(3) Expected outcomes from the provision of the services defined in the contract;

(4) The method the department will use to evaluate whether the expected outcomes have been achieved;

(5) A requirement that the fiscal agent develop and implement a corrective action plan if the results of the evaluation are unsatisfactory;

(6) Data reporting requirements;

(7) The aggregate fees to be charged by the fiscal agent and any entity with which it subcontracts to cover personnel and program costs associated with administering the contract, which fees shall be subject to controlling board approval if in excess of four per cent of the value of the contract.

(B) Upon completion of each evaluation described in a performance contract, the department shall post the results of that evaluation on its web site.

Last updated July 31, 2023 at 4:19 PM

Section 3312.10 | Agreement with data acquisition site.

• Effective: March 30, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 79 - 126th General Assembly

The board of education of a city, exempted village, or local school district or the governing authority of a community school may enter into an agreement, through the adoption of identical resolutions, with the governing authority of an information technology center, under which the information technology center will provide services to the school district or community school. Services provided under the agreement and the amount to be paid for such services shall be mutually agreed to by the parties to the agreement, and shall be specified in the agreement. Payment for services specified in the agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the board of education or community school governing authority and shall be made directly to the information technology center providing the services.

Section 3312.13 | Department to consider regional needs in allocating funds.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

The department of education and workforce shall consider the following when entering into performance contracts with the fiscal agent of each region of the educational regional service system and when allocating funds for the implementation of statewide education initiatives by regional service providers;

(A) The unique needs and circumstances of the region;

(B) The regional needs and priorities for educational services identified by the advisory council for the region;

(C) Any services that will be provided to school districts and schools within the region pursuant to division (A) of section 3302.04 of the Revised Code.

Last updated July 31, 2023 at 4:19 PM