| What makes it historical? |
Ohio’s public education system was first proposed in 1822 by Caleb Atwater! He wanted to base it off of New York’s public education system and proposed funding it through the sale of state property, rather than taxes! Most of the General Assembly opposed the idea of any state funding for public education, but public opinion forced them to vote on it in 1825, funding the education system through a property tax after all!
It was a rough start! School districts formed, but there was no superintendant for twenty years until 1850 when it became a requirement for each district. Since Ohio was initially more agrarian, school attendance wasn’t required until the Bing Act of 1921 said that children between the ages of six and eighteen had to go to school. The only exception was for the kids of farmers, who could bow out of school at sixteen to work on their family farms! While funding for the school system is still up for debate even today, Ohio’s notable for creating the first statewide actuarial-based teacher retirement system in 1919!
Discovery Park was dedicated in 2000! Its central sculpture called Journey to Learning was designed by George Danhires! |
