Orange Township Democrat Scott Charland wants to shift more school funding from property taxes to the state as he runs for Ohio Senate District 19 in the Nov. 3 general election.
Charland said he is running to strengthen Ohio's public schools, protect natural resources and push for working-class economic policies. He said politicians have "lost sight of who they should really be serving, the working class and underrepresented," and have focused on helping the wealthy and large corporations.
District 19 covers Delaware, Coshocton, Holmes and Knox counties.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Ohio State Senate, District 19
- Education: Bachelor's in recreation administration, Florida State University; master's in education, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Family: Wife, Tonya, married 25 years; son James, a student at Ohio State University; daughter Julie, a high school senior
- Previous elected office: None
- Endorsement: AFL-CIO
- Website: strongwithscott.com
Experience and public service
Charland has worked as a strength and conditioning coach for more than 25 years. His career includes stints as head strength and conditioning coach at Butler University, Temple University and Saint Louis University, and as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State University.
He is a former national and state champion powerlifter.
Charland serves on the Orange Township Parks Advisory Committee and volunteers with the Ohio Nature Conservancy, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, Friends of the Lower Olentangy and the American Red Cross.
On the issues
The following responses are from Charland's questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News.
Property taxes and school funding: Charland said the state's share of public school funding has dropped from 44% to 32% over the past decade. He said homeowners are making up that gap through higher property taxes. He supports implementing the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan and tying input costs to 2026 dollars, which he said could lower property taxes.
He also said the share of property taxes paid by homeowners and farmers has risen from 46% to 67% of the total. The business and industry share fell from 54% to 33%, a shift he attributed to tax breaks for corporations.
School vouchers and career-technical education: Charland supports state funding for career-technical education but opposes the school voucher program. He said when the EdChoice Expansion voucher program launched in 2023, 69,000 additional students applied for vouchers, but private school enrollment grew by only 3,700. He said the state spends roughly $500 million per year subsidizing families whose children already attended private schools.
Development and land use: Charland said local governments should have the final say over large developments. He called for an indefinite moratorium on data centers in Ohio and said farmland, forests and waterways need protection from what he called reckless development. He supports solar power but favors alternatives to industrial solar farms, such as installations on buildings and parking lots. He also opposes the proposed I-71/U.S. 23 bypass.
Issue 3: SJR 10 (voter ID amendment): Charland said Ohio's elections are safe. He said there is no reason to amend the state constitution to enshrine the state's photo ID law. He said Republican lawmakers "would rather try to solve a problem that doesn't exist instead of actually helping the working families of Ohio."
He has never held elected office.
