2026 State of the State Address Highlights Bright Future Based on Educating and Protecting Children

Governor Mike DeWine made the future of Ohio and its children the priority in his farewell State of the State Address Tuesday during a joint session of the Ohio General Assembly.

Throughout his two terms Governor DeWine has made Ohio's children the priority of his administration and he pointed to the positive difference programs passed by the legislature are making every day. "To the members of the General Assembly we have planted many trees together and they are in fact growing," said Governor DeWine inside the chamber of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Governor DeWine specifically pointed to the remarkable change made when the General Assembly required that the "Science of Reading" become the standard for teaching children how to read. The Governor pointed to a better than 8% improvement for children ready to learn in kindergarten based on the state implementing "Science of Reading" standards in preschool.

The Governor followed up by announcing "Science of Reading" education teams and coaches that will be ready to help schools have their students reading ready. The governor noted that at Claymont Elementary in Tuscarawas county at the beginning of the year only 14% of students were on track but with the new program their success rate jumped to 50% by spring.

Of course it is difficult for students to learn if they're rarely in class. Ohio had a 25% chronic absentee rate last year, and the governor announced a new statewide attendance dashboard for every school that will put real time numbers and accountability towards improving attendance. Governor DeWine saluted the success East Cleveland Schools has had in reducing truancy by more than 10% by being more proactive and reaching out to families faced with difficult challenges ranging from transportation to home life.

The governor also noted the often sedentary lifestyle children lead today, and highlighted the success of Lt. Governor Jim Tressel's, "Team Tressel Fitness Challenge." More than 390,000 students from 3rd through the 8th grade participated and learned healthy habits from fitness, nutrition, to proper rest. Team Tressel calls it an "attitude of gratitude" and Governor DeWine said, "push-ups are bipartisan — everyone struggles equally."

Ohio has put in the work to get the state's economic environment in shape. He highlighted how with the help of the General Assembly, Ohio was ranked as one of the top five states to do businesss in nationwide by CNBC, and number one in the midwest. Site Selection Magazine ranked Ohio third nationally and first for new business developments.

Those developments represent jobs of the future and jobs that could be left open without a qualified workforce. Governor DeWine pointed out the success of the Governor's Merit Scholarship that invested millions to help get our young people interested, engaged, and ready to work. 85% of high school graduates are now staying in Ohio to go to college.

Ohio is also a welcome environment for wildlife. Governor DeWine highlighted how the state's park system was recognized as the best in the country, and how the H2Ohio Program has improved the state's water quality. The Bald Eagle and Trumpeter Swan are once again thriving here at home.

You can watch the entire State of the State address here from the Ohio Channel's coverage, and then watch both Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman take questions from Statehouse Reporters about their thoughts on the Governor's remarks.

They talk about a couple of the other issues the governor proposed including elevating the state's seatbelt law to a primary law, meaning that drivers could be pulled over solely for not wearing a seatbelt.

Also, Governor DeWine asked the legislature to tighten the state's laws regarding Artificial Intelligence that is used to create pornography targeting or depicting children. The Senate is already considering a bill sponsored by Senator Terry Johnson and Senator Bill Blessing regarding AI images and simulated pornography depicting children.

See the day in photos in our State of the State Photo Album.

This week, Senator Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green joins The President's Podcast to talk about the State of the State Address and her bill that bans Ranked Choice Voting which awaits the governor's signature.

In case you missed it, watch our recent interview with Governor DeWine on The President's Podcast.