License fees for teachers skyrocket

That will probably deter some people from coaching, said Hite, who received more than 180 e-mails from teachers around the state on the fee issue in a single day.

“You start thinking, well, I don't really get paid a lot to be a middle school coach, do I really want to spend all the extra money?” Hite said.

The fee increases were necessary to pay for extra administrative costs put on the state Department of Education by legislation requiring the new background checks, department spokesman Scott Blake said.

“Really, for the length of the license, it is comparable or often less than license fees for other professions with comparable salaries,” Blake said.

He said the state's two teachers unions were involved in the decision to hike the fees.

“Throughout the process the Ohio Education Association and the Ohio Federation of Teachers had representatives present,” he said.

The FBI and BCI checks aren't new to all teachers.

In the past, Ohio teachers who had lived out of state within the past five years were required to get an FBI background check.

The BCI background check used to be required the first time a teacher sought certification. Now it's required every time he or she applies for recertification.

Hite doesn't disagree with the new fees as much as the fact they were created unilaterally by the education department without any oversight from the Legislature or Gov. Ted Strickland's office.

“It came without any major announcement and caught everybody off guard,” he said.

Peter Zaras, a fifth grade teacher at Bigelow Hill Intermediate School and chairman of the professional development committee for Findlay City Schools, found out about the increase in January, then organized 74 local teachers to get their recertification before the rates went up.

“Nobody was thrilled about it,” Zaras said about the fee hikes.

“When I first started teaching, my license cost me $2,” Zaras said.