OSC SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGES COLUMBIA GAS OF OHIO, BEFORE THE OHIO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION, RESULTING IN LOWER RATE HIKES AND MORE SAVINGS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Together with other organizations representing residential, commercial, and industrial users, the Ohio Schools Council (OSC) contested Columbia Gas of Ohio’s (COH) request to the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) for a $212 million increase in customer prices. The OSC and the other organizations were successful in obtaining a 67% decrease in COH’s intended massive rate hike. To challenge COH’s efforts, the OSC, which represents school districts in northern Ohio, devoted specialized legal services and expert witness testimony.

The clearest win for schools was an increase in the School Ratepayer Discount from 5% to 7.5%. In addition to the increase in the monthly School Ratepayer Discount, the OSC was also able to negotiate a 12% savings in the monthly General Service fixed cost.

OSC would like to thank Bellevue City Schools, Clearview Local Schools, North Royalton City Schools and Sylvania City Schools for the usage data which was utilized by the OSC Expert Witness during the case.

Dr. William Zelei, the Executive Director of the OSC, stated that the OSC’s $50,000 investment in expert witness testimony and attorney legal service expenses was necessary to defend the financial interests of school districts throughout northern Ohio. “We are ecstatic with the accomplishment and grateful for the opportunity to continue assisting our member school districts.”

Funding of this appeal is a great example of the value added services gained by choosing OSC as a utility supplier.

Questions? Contact OSC Utilities Manager, Barb DelRoso via bdelroso@osconline.org and she will be happy to assist.

Last fall, the Greater Cleveland School Superintendents’ Association, in partnership with Cleveland State’s Center for Educational Leadership, was proud to host an enlightening event with Richard Rothstein who is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and Senior Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The program, titled “A History of Segregation…Considering Fixes,” featured dialog from Rothstein’s recent book: “THE COLOR OF LAW: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.”

Data presented by Rothstein during the well-attended program demonstrated that the government did more than turn a blind eye to discriminatory housing laws; it actively encouraged them. Rothstein explained that African Americans have been feeling the impacts for a long time now, ever since they were denied the right to live anywhere they wanted and raise their kids in the places where they would have had the best chance of succeeding economically.

Attendees walked away with renewed insights and knowledge on how they can better serve their districts and communities as a whole.

GCSSA Exclusive Event: Richard Rothstein presents “A History of Segregation… Considering Fixes”

Last month, GCSSA held a wellattended hybrid event hosting educational scholars Pedro Noguera and Rick Hess, providing members with a convenient lively discussion on inequity in education, among other informative and engaging topics.

Noguera, the dean of the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, and Hess, a resident scholar and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute co-authored the book “A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K–12 Education,” which provides a unique, thought-provoking perspective on some of the toughest questions in education.

As part of their GCSSA presentation, the pair shared their thoughts on the public’s relationship with school boards, the value of superintendents, and the apparent uptick in recent discussion on these topics.

The hybrid event was streamed live at the GCSSA offices in Independence, where members enjoyed lunch and the opportunity to network.

APR.