NEWS & UPDATES

Moving From Commissions to Action:

My Plan to Support Ohio’s Developmental Disabilities Community

As a single mother who raised three children, a special needs parent, a social worker, and a university professor, my life's journey from a high school dropout to an educator has been defined by one core value: showing up and fighting for families who are left to carry heavy burdens alone. True advocacy isn't about sitting on the sidelines or waiting for someone else to step in. It is about understanding systemic barriers from the inside out and dedicating your life to breaking them down. Ensuring the long-term funding stability, dignity, and real-world resources for our local care and educational systems is one of the reasons I am running to represent Ohio House District 51.

Lately, there has been a lot of talk from Columbus politicians regarding the state of our developmental disabilities and educational systems. But while state officials hide behind vague promises, study commissions, and symbolic awareness months to cover for severe underfunding, true advocacy requires us to look past the political headlines. We must address the real-world financial gaps and bureaucratic hurdles currently straining our local communities.

— Amanda Fontana

Facing the Reality:

The Gaps in State Support

To fix the care crisis in Ohio, we have to stop letting state government off the hook for shifting its responsibilities onto local families:

  1. Stop Pushing Problems to New Committees: State leaders continuously call for new commissions and task forces to "study" the direct-care workforce shortage. The reality is that an official state government group already spent months studying this exact crisis and delivered an exhaustive final report years ago. We do not need more slow-moving political committees to re-examine a crisis we already understand; we need state representatives who will actually fund the solutions.

  2. Red Tape is Active Extinction for Independent Care: While public outcry from families like ours successfully blocked an outright state ban on paid family caregivers, the reality remains hostile. State bureaucrats have still managed to impose highly rigid electronic tracking mandates and strict hour caps on loving parents. A national NBC News investigation recently highlighted this growing disaster, proving that top-down administrative red tape is actively choking off independent care pipelines and leaving medically fragile families completely exhausted.

  3. The Manufactured Special Education Funding Hole: When state officials expanded private school vouchers, they chose to underfund our local public schools by failing to update the Fair School Funding Plan against modern inflation. The consequence of this voucher push is clear: when parents pull students out of public districts, those children lose their individual legal rights to special education services (IEPs).

A glaring double standard exists in Columbus: state policy heavily promotes "choice" for private entities, yet builds massive bureaucratic walls that strip options away from public school students and parents trying to keep their medically fragile children safe at home with trusted caregivers. Pointing out these structural failures isn't about political friction—it is about demanding structural accountability for the families who depend on these lifelines.

My Blueprint:

Concrete Solutions to Lift Up Ohio Families

We cannot fix a systemic worker shortage or an educational funding gap with more political committees or symbolic gestures. We need a representative who understands the system from the inside out and will vote to secure our community’s resources from day one. When you send me to Columbus, here is exactly how I will work to rectify these challenges:

  • Implement Living Wages for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs): We solve a worker shortage by paying a competitive, living wage. I will work across the aisle to fully fund sustainable provider rates in the state budget so that independent care agencies can attract and retain qualified professionals. No disabled Ohioan should have to worry about whether an aide will show up to help them perform basic daily necessities.

  • Reinvest in Public School Special Education: Public schools are legally mandated to serve every single child, regardless of the complexity of their needs. I will vote to fully update the Fair School Funding Plan with modern inflation data. We must ensure that our local public districts have the resources necessary to hire speech therapists, physical therapists, and specialized classroom aides.

  • Streamline and Respect the Paid Family Caregiver Program: Caring for a medically fragile loved one is grueling, round-the-clock labor. I will sponsor legislation to simplify the independent provider process and remove punitive rules that allow the state to freeze a family’s waiver funding over simple paperwork errors before they receive a fair hearing. Parents doing this work should be treated as essential partners in care, not administrative targets.

  • Restore Accountability and Public Testimony Windows: Major, life-altering overhauls to Medicaid and public education should never be rushed through state committees in a matter of days. I will advocate for mandatory public comment windows so that local families, county board leaders, and independent advocates always have a seat at the table before laws are passed.

A Shared Vision for District 51

A truly representative government doesn't silence critics or avoid hard questions about its voting history. Real leadership means having the courage to look at the data, listen to the lived experiences of our neighbors, and adjust course when a policy falls short.

Tuscarawas County families deserve a representative who will always put people over politics. On November 3, 2026, I am asking for your vote so we can move past temporary statehouse fixes and build a community where every child, every caregiver, and every family has the real support they need to thrive.

References & Additional Reading

  • National Care Crisis Coverage: To read the full, national news investigation outlining how state administrative overhauls and tracking mandates impact Ohio families, view the full investigative piece by Mike Hixenbaugh on NBC News:NBC News 

  • Ohio Direct Care Workforce Evidence: The history of the state's previous hearings and the creation of the 2022 final report can be found through public policy updates tracked by Disability Rights Ohio and the Ability Center.

  • Ohio Public School Resources: For data tracking how flat funding impacts local districts and property tax requirements, review the framework provided by the Ohio Legislature Official Tracker.