“He doesn’t understand Ohio:” Ramaswamy’s teacher pay plan shows he doesn’t get how it works

Published On: August 25, 2025

The hosts of the Today in Ohio podcast say that Vivek Ramaswamy, a prospective Republican candidate for governor of Ohio in 2026, has a plan to improve teacher compensation in the state, but his plan shows a deep ignorance of how Ohio’s educational system functions in reality.

On Friday, the podcast hosts point out the shortcomings in Ramaswamy’s plan to establish a merit-based teacher compensation system, which he says would solve the issue of low starting salary.

Laura Johnston added, “I don’t think he fully understands how everything works,” throughout the conversation.

The assertion made by Ramaswamy that school administrators now lack the authority to change or decide on teacher salary and that it is only determined by seniority, tenure, and degree just isn’t true. As Johnston noted, teacher contracts do have provisions for pay raises based on experience and education, but that isn’t the primary consideration in terms of pay.

Johnston continued by pointing out that salary varies greatly by district, suggesting that he appears to believe in a single standard that everyone receives the same pay rate everywhere.

forth his evaluation, Chris Quinn was even more blunt: It’s quite reprehensible, demonizing those who put forth a lot of effort to ensure the success of our children for political ends. This guy has no idea what Ohio is. He is merely a nominal Ohioan.

It seems that this demonization of educators and their unions is a component of a larger political plan. According to Quinn, one tactic used by Republicans in the state to undermine public education is to demonize educators and paint them as the public’s enemy.

The irony is that Ramaswamy, who has no prior experience in administration, is suggesting changes to a system that he doesn’t appear to comprehend. Johnston pointed out that he has no prior experience in administration and is running for governor. He has no concept how anything operates, but he wants to govern the entire state.

As state lawmakers transfer funds to private schools, instructors around the state are coping with the pandemic’s consequences, resolving learning gaps, managing behavioral concerns, and frequently spending their own money on classroom materials, while Ramaswamy concentrates on assaulting teacher unions.

The hosts also emphasized how democratic the existing system is, with communities voting on property taxes that support their schools and locally elected school boards collaborating with superintendents and teachers to establish pay schedules. Public participation in educator compensation is guaranteed by this system of checks and balances.

Check out the conversation here.