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A panel of economists says Ohio schools aren’t producing workers that meet employers’ needs.
The study found that between 2000 and 2020, the state’s labor force declined by 91,000 people. During this period, the education system in the country underwent significant changes.
Since Republican John Kasich became governor in 2011, Ohio has diverted billions from established public schools. Ranked the fifth best result in the country in K-12 schools the year before Kasich took office in Ohio schools dropped to 21st until 2023.
Ohio also created unavailable online charter schools such as The electronic classroom of tomorrowwhich collapsed in 2018. The state was unable to verify the politically connected school’s claims about student numbers, much less whether the children were learning anything.
The state is also spending now almost $1 billion a year of taxpayer money for private schools, while established state-run public schools saw them last year the smallest funding augment in a decade.
Economists surveyed by Scioto Analysis found that despite such dramatic changes to Ohio’s education system, Ohio’s education system still does not adequately prepare students to enter the workforce.
Eighteen people were asked whether they agreed that “The mismatch between Ohio’s education and workforce training systems and employers’ skill requirements limits job growth across the state.” Eleven people agreed, three disagreed, and four expressed doubt or had no opinion.
In comments on the survey, David Brasington of the University of Cincinnati said that Ohioans tend to underachieve in school. He added that even when they train for specific jobs, their training and the positions available to them are often not compatible.
“Ohio has quite low education levels compared to other states, and up to 40% of Ohio workers trained for manufacturing jobs typically do not find manufacturing jobs within a year, demonstrating a mismatch between skills and skill demand,” Brasington wrote.
Educational attainment – that is, how far people go in school – can be essential to employers for several reasons. Some need students to go far enough to obtain primary education and possibly vocational training. Others need workers with college degrees.
U.S. News and World Report puts Ohio on the spot No. 38 in its educational achievement rankings – it ranks far in the bottom half of states.
Bill Lafayette, an economist at Regionomics, said schools and employers need to work closely together to address the issue.
“Based on my work with educational institutions, the links between these institutions and business need to be strengthened,” he wrote. “It has always been important that graduates graduate with job-ready skills (communication, responsibility, integrity, leadership, teamwork, etc.) that can make the difference between career success and failure. But now, with the pace of technological change, schools must keep up with the rapidly changing needs of business, and graduates must realize that they must keep their skills updated or they run the risk of becoming irrelevant.”
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