Teachers renewing their five-year teaching license are seeing a huge cost increase. The State Board of Education, despite protests bordering on obscene, upheld the increased cost of the renewal from $60 to $200.

The last raise in fees was $2 in 2000.

The Board approved the rate increase in February, causing more than 11,000 renewal applications at a time when the average number of applications are 1,000.

The Ohio Education Association, which represents the teachers, asked that the fee be lowered or delayed until July 1st, which the board voted against yesterday.

The Association also asked their members to protest the increase through letters and email, a tactic some board members found offensive. One email said “… I hope your children and their children’s children get screwed over by the educational policies…”

The fees were raised because the state board now must review applications for past history which might indicate disqualifiers. Teachers pay for their background checks and the union says because the need for background checks is a public safety issue, the taxpayer should pay for the checks.