Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week that includes answers to the questions I posed to the retired Ohio Supreme Court chief justice backing Issue 1 on the ballot in November, the inspiring story of a Dayton cop turned paralympic athlete, and a look at how local school districts are doing filling key positions.

Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at [email protected], or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Redistricting reform amendment on November ballot: Your questions answered

I sat down last week with retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor at a public event at Dayton Metro Library and posed questions submitted by readers and audience members about Ohio Issue 1.

• Background: Ohioans will vote in November on a state constitutional amendment with the potential for major long-term implications for control of the statehouse.

• What it does: Issue 1 would change how Ohio draws legislative maps, taking that power away from politicians and putting it in the hands of a 15-member citizen panel.

• Why it matters: The maps decide who each member of Congress, Ohio House Representative and Ohio Senator represents. Maps can be drawn using voting patterns to give either party an advantage and outsized share of these seats.

• How it works: It’s complicated. In this story by Avery Kreemer, you can read an explanation of the proposal, concerns raised by critics, and O’Connor’s answers to your questions.

• Ballot language fight: O’Connor’s group Citizens Not Politicians filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Ballot Board last week accusing Republicans on the state body of trying to mislead voters with language planned for the November ballot. Read that story here.

• Our goal: Helping our readers understand issues like this so they can make informed decisions at the polls is one of our most important missions. We will continue checking the submission form in this story to answer questions from readers in future coverage.

Wheelchair fencing Dayton police officer’s paralympic dream comes true

Dayton police officer Byron Branch is representing his country, his community and his colleagues in the Paralympic Games in Paris starting this week.

• Branch’s story: Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon tells Branch’s story as only Arch can. It’s a story of tragedy, including the on-duty crash that left Branch’s leg amputated. And a story of perseverance, with Branch pursuing his passion for fencing and adapting it to wheelchair fencing.

• An inspiring message: “When something like this happens to you, it doesn’t have to define you,” Branch said. “It doesn’t have to stop you. You just keep pushing to where you want to be.”

• What to watch: Branch will carry the flag in front of the six U.S. fencers at the opening ceremonies. He’s competing in foil. His first match is Sept. 4, which will be a busy day of competition that concludes with a late evening gold-medal match. Team foil competition begins Sept. 5.

Looking for a job? Districts see support staff shortages as school year gets underway

Back-to-school season is a busy time for our education reporter Eileen McClory. Previous in-depth stories looked at the financial health of local school districts, and efforts to improve teacher quality. This week Eileen looks at the situation with school staffing.

• What she found: Eileen found many local school districts are struggling to fill important positions like paraprofessional and bus driving spots.

• Key stat: Special education positions are increasingly hard to fill as the need increases. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of kids identified under a federal law meant to provide additional services for them has risen from 13% to 15% between the 2012-2013 school year and the 2022-2023 school year.

• The full story: Read the full story here, including details from local school districts and what they are doing about these issues.