Ohio lawmakers have quietly slipped a narrow exemption into a pending education bill that could allow a handful of “classical” charter schools to sidestep the state’s science-of-reading requirements, even after the state spent about $164 million trying to move classrooms in that direction. The tweak, added to a major overhaul of Senate Bill 19, zeroes in on a small group of charters that brand themselves as classical academies and rely on curricula that do not match the state’s approved English language arts materials. The shift has reignited the long-running tug-of-war over whether local control and curricular freedom should outweigh a statewide push to sync textbooks, teacher training and literacy supports.
What the Senate changed
The Ohio Senate Education Committee signed off on an amendment to SB 19 that creates a very specific carveout for “classical academies,” as reported by Cleveland.com. Lawmakers backing the language say it is meant to shield existing classical programs, not open the door to a sweeping waiver for all charter schools. The amendment was tucked into a broader rewrite of the bill and is now just one piece of a larger package of education measures moving through the Statehouse.
How the exemption would work
Under current Ohio law, the Department of Education and Workforce is in charge of setting an approved list of core English language arts curricula and instructional materials that line up with the state’s science-of-reading standards, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. That list effectively dictates which textbooks and core literacy materials districts and charter schools are expected to use. The SB 19 carveout would allow qualifying classical academies to stick with alternative curricula that are not on that approved list, in practice exempting them from the usual textbook requirement.
What Hillsdale‑style curricula look like
Hillsdale College’s K–12 program and its Barney Charter School Initiative promote a content-heavy classical curriculum that leans on Latin, close reading of Western classics and a liberal arts-inspired approach to early literacy, according to Hillsdale K–12. The college offers scope-and-sequence guidance, teacher training and ongoing support to schools that adopt its materials. Those texts and lesson plans often do not line up neatly with the state’s approved ELA list, which is exactly what has put these schools at the center of the current fight.
Who would be affected and what’s next
The proposed exemption is aimed at a small set of classical academies in Ohio. Cleveland.com reports there are eight such schools, five of them using Hillsdale’s K–12 materials, and together they serve roughly 1,900 students. The outlet notes that Senate sponsor Andrew Brenner has said he is comfortable with the carveout and is “still reviewing changes to SB 19,” and quotes him adding, “This is unique. I don’t think this is opening up a Pandora’s box.” Cleveland.com’s reporting also highlights the roughly $164 million the state has put on the table to help schools buy new books, train teachers and roll out literacy coaches as part of the science-of-reading shift. Where the bill ultimately lands will depend on upcoming committee work and floor votes as it continues its path through the legislature.
Why the debate matters
Backers of the carveout say it protects curricular freedom for a small group of schools that were designed around a classical model from the start. Critics argue it risks chipping away at a major statewide investment in aligned materials and teacher supports, and could invite a line of other schools looking for similar treatment. A January review by the Ohio Capital Journal found that early gains from the science-of-reading switch have been modest so far and warned that substantial improvements in reading scores typically take years. Lawmakers now have to weigh both the political optics and the classroom realities of carving out a handful of programs after a large, taxpayer-funded push to standardize early reading instruction.
For the moment, families at the affected charter schools and literacy advocates across the state are watching closely as SB 19 inches ahead. Whether this carveout remains a narrow exception or ends up as a precedent for more curriculum workarounds could shape Ohio’s literacy policy and spark local battles well beyond this single legislative session.
