In a recent “Voice of Business” column, Chris Kershner, president and chief executive of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, noted that since late 2022, Dayton’s business, government, and transit leaders have met with Dayton Public Schools leaders to talk over the district’s decision to transport high school students using RTA public buses instead of school buses.
This way of doing things, Kershner wrote, “is not good for our students, businesses, and downtown.”
“It’s time for the Dayton Public School Board to partner with the community and businesses for action,” was how Kershner ended his column.
School leaders counter that, if not for a state law requiring them to provide transportation for nonpublic high school students, the district could transport all of its students in traditional yellow school buses.
“DPS should not be mandated to transport students that do not attend Dayton Public Schools,” board member Jocelyn Rhynard wrote in a letter to the Dayton Daily News editor Friday.
The latest development in this ongoing saga is our first story.
In this newsletter:
- How Dayton prepared a former CareSource exec to be the VA’s CFO.
- How can servers, tip-earners benefit from the recent “big beautiful” domestic policy bill?
- Why Spin spun from Dayton.
Dayton Public Schools won’t bus students next year
What you need to know: Dayton Public Schools won’t bus high school students this school year, said Marvin Jones, the district’s business manager.
Jones said more information about students’ options will be forthcoming.
The rationale: The Dayton district faces a new state law that bars students from using the downtown Dayton RTA bus hub to transfer if they are using school-issued passes.
The provision in question singles out the Dayton district and blocks students from transferring bus lines at the hub.
The issue became a greater priority following the April killing of Alfred Hale III, an 18-year-old Dunbar High School student who was shot near the hub on his way to school.
ALSO: Dayton teachers threaten suit over pay schedule changes.
Former CareSource president sworn in as VA CFO
What you need to know: A former executive of Dayton’s CareSource is now the VA’s top financial officer.
Richard Topping, a former CareSource chief legal officer and president, has been sworn in as assistant secretary of management and chief financial officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
What they’re saying: Michael Gessel, vice president of government programs for the Dayton Development Coalition, said Topping’s experience, temperament and time in Dayton all shaped him for the role he’s taking on at the VA.
“He spent a lot of time in Dayton and certainly understood Dayton values,” Gessel said. “That’s always a good contribution to assisting with national affairs.”
‘Big, beautiful’ question: How do tips and overtime earners benefit?
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
What you need to know: Employees who earn tips and overtime in 2025 may be eligible for a tax break next year under the recent federal spending blueprint.
The bill: Includes a provision, effective through 2028, which allows employees in qualifying occupations to deduct tips up to a maximum annual deduction of $25,000.
How complicated is this? To be determined. While much remains to be confirmed, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce President Chris Kershner said business owners already are pretty busy.
“While Dayton area businesses have not received guidance yet from the U.S. Department of Treasury or the Internal Revenue Service on the new law, we are hopeful that it doesn’t create additional administration for the business community,” he said.
Spin scooters scoot from Dayton
Credit: FILE
Credit: FILE
What you need to know: Spin, a “micromobility company,“ has exited Dayton, leaving downtown denizens with one less way to quickly get around.
Spinning away: Spin launched in the Gem City in late summer 2019. The business originally had about 100 rentable scooters on Dayton streets, but the company doubled its supply just a couple of years later.
What they’re saying: “This was not a decision that was made lightly, although we have seen program ... steadily decline over the past few years, making it a challenge to maintain financial stability as part of the service,” the head of government partnerships for Spin’s U.S. central region told Dayton city officials.
‘Stretched to the limit.’ CenterPoint Energy customers ask for relief
What happened: In a public hearing this week on proposed higher natural gas distribution rates, Dayton-area customers of CenterPoint Energy said they or those they know cannot shoulder higher gas bills.
At stake: The company initially said its proposal before state regulators, if approved, would mean an increase of some $23 per month for the “average residential customer.”
However: More recently, though, the company said the typical residential customer using 68 hundred cubic feet of gas monthly would see an increase of about $12 under a stipulation recently reached with parties interested in the case.
Contact me: Thank you for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X and Bluesky. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Quick hits
Porn access in Ohio: It’s about to change.
New homes: Proposed in Huber.
The Coolidge Wall building: Has a new owner.
UD: Welcomes new board members, chair.
National Custard Day: Celebrate locally.
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