COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two Democratic state lawmakers are reacting to Republican Gov. John Kasich’s
(KAY’-sik’s) proposal to require Ohio teachers to complete externships with a local business with a
counter proposal.
State Reps. Brigid Kelly, of Cincinnati, and Kent Smith, of Euclid, call it the GET REALS Act. Their
mostly tongue-in-cheek idea, announced Tuesday, would require Ohio’s governor to annually complete 40
hours of on-site work experience in a public-education setting.
The legislation pushes back publicly against Kasich’s widely criticized externship idea, which lacks
support even among fellow Republicans in the Legislature.
Kasich wanted the business externships to be part of teachers’ license renewal process, generally
occurring every five years. He contended teachers gaining "on-site work experience" with
businesses or local chambers of commerce would assist students In preparing for more 21st-century
careers.