Ed News

Education News for 04-23-2013

State Education News

  • Delays predicted in Common Core success (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  • There’s good news and bad news about the rise of the Common Core, that new system of math and English standards people hope will reshape and restore American education…Read more...

  • Lorain's Academic Distress Commission looks to set foundation for schools (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • Lorain’s Academic Distress Commission’s first meeting yesterday allowed the group to lay the foundation for its plan to dig Lorain schools out of its academic hole…Read more...

  • Common Core education goals come under fire (Marietta Times)
  • Three years after Ohio adopted the Common Core educational standards and a little more than 15 months from the start of the first year…Read more...

  • State superintendent OKs updated school recovery plan (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • Saying the city school district and the academic commission that oversees it have made progress, the state superintendent of public instruction has approved an updated academic recovery plan for the schools…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Free school lunches coming soon to some local elementary schools (Chillicothe Gazette)
  • Starting this fall, free lunches will be available to every student at Mount Logan, Tiffin and Worthington…Read more...

  • T.J. Lane appeals life sentence without possibility of parole (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • Convicted Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane has appealed his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole…Read more...

  • Dual enrollment options explained (Marietta Times)
  • Marietta High School students will have more ways to earn college credit without leaving campus next year…Read more...

  • Strongsville teachers union offered 'one-time' proposal to school board (Sun Newspapers)
  • The negotiation team for the Strongsville Education Association presented a new contract proposal to the school board…Read more...

  • Bay Village school district reaches contract agreement with teachers' union (Sun Newspapers)
  • The Bay Village school board Monday night approved a new three-year contract with the district’s teachers…Read more...

  • Boardman schools oppose state expansion of voucher program (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • The board of education approved a resolution Monday in opposition to two voucher programs included in Gov. John Kasich’s biennial budget…Read more...

Education News for 04-22-2013

State Education News

  • Some high-rated districts failing with gifted students (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Most Ohio schools earn passing grades for making progress with gifted students…Read more...

  • Columbus schools pitch data safeguards (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Columbus principals would have to get permission to change students’ grades at the end of the school year under rules the superintendent is proposing…Read more...

  • Changes made to state report cards (East Liverpool Review)
  • Changes made by the Ohio Department of Education have report cards for schools taking on a whole new look, according to a report…Read more...

  • Huffman wants to make school funding more stable (Lima News)
  • State Rep. Matt Huffman is working on a school funding plan he says will create a consistent and steady increase in education money…Read more...

  • Controversy downplayed; Naming of Ramos, Patterson to academic commission (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • Local school officials said that concerns about the appointment of Raul Ramos and Henry Patterson Jr. to the Academic Distress Commission…Read more...

  • Students to take OAA tests this week (Newark Advocate)
  • This week, students will begin taking this year’s Ohio Achievement Assessments. One of the best things parents can do to help their students do well on the test…Read more...

  • ACT, AP can cut college costs (Springfield News-Sun)
  • Data included on the state report cards for high schools about how students performed on the SAT, ACT and AP tests can translate into money saved for families…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Buckeye Local School District does administration shuffle (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)
  • A reshuffling of administrators in the Buckeye Local School District will result in a familiar face returning to Edgewood High School next year…Read more...

  • Cleveland District considers using money from sale of headquarters to offer more (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • Although the Cleveland School District is leaving its longtime offices on East Sixth Street this summer, school board member Eric Wobser wants the district to increase…Read more...

  • Columbus shuffling principals (Columbus Dispatch)
  • More than 1 in 4 Columbus schools will get new principals this fall as the district makes new efforts to rescue poorly performing schools…Read more...

  • Parents to rally over teacher contract talks (Dayton Daily News)
  • Parents and teachers rallied Friday in front of the Springboro Board of Education in support of the district’s teachers and in opposition to the school board…Read more...

  • Vermilion to expand student drug testing (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • Drug testing at Vermilion High School will expand to include all students next school year, Superintendent Phil Pempin announced yesterday…Read more...

  • Newark schools preparing for curriculum shift (Newark Advocate)
  • For decades, there have been students sitting in their classrooms wondering, “Why do I have to learn this?” and “When am I going to use this in the real world?”…Read more...

  • After no deal to end Strongsville teachers strike (Sun Newspapers)
  • Yet another negotiation session in the seven-week teachers strike failed to produce a deal…Read more...

Education News for 04-19-2013

State Education News

  • Projections show funding increases for charter schools (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • After cutting $82.2 million from Gov. John Kasich’s original school funding proposal, recent reports detailing…Read more...

  • Emotions run high at 1st school board meeting since Strongsville teachers strike (Sun Newspapers)
  • Emotions wound taught and simmering frustrations snapped and boiled over…Read more...

  • Strongsville teachers continue workplace picketing (Sun Newspapers)
  • At the end of their seventh week on strike in Strongsville, teachers there have resumed picketing at workplaces of school board members…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Medina levy issue crumbles as state probes district, superintendent’s finances (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • The Medina school board has rescinded Superintendent Randy Stepp’s contract…Read more...

  • Geneva BOE: Rehiring Zappitelli saves money (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)
  • Geneva Board of Education members have not been shy about their intention to retire, then rehire Superintendent Mary Zappitelli, and have given official public notice and scheduled a public hearing on the matter…Read more...

  • Emphasis placed on ability to write (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  • Northwest Local Schools is making big changes in its three middle schools to get its adolescent students writing papers before they get to high…Read more...

  • Participation fees might see reductions by Northridge board (Newark Advocate)
  • The Northridge School Board is considering eliminating school fees for students and reducing pay to participate fees…Read more...

Editorial

  • Reeling in Medina (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • It won’t be easy, and it probably won’t be cheap, but the Medina school board must find a way to move forward, rebuilding public trust shattered by revelations…Read more...

  • Relief from dysfunction (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • Medicaid expansion will remain a contentious issue for many more weeks as Ohio debates the next biennial budget. Advocates of expansion…Read more...

  • Inspired teachers inspired students (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Great teachers don’t just pound knowledge into a student’s head; they care, inspire and change lives. They teach with such passion…Read more...

Education News for 04-18-2013

State Education News

  • School funding plan from Ohio House headed to a vote with many details still unclear (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • The school funding proposal created by Ohio House leaders is scheduled for a vote Thursday, along with the rest of the state budget…Read more...

  • Patrolman’s substitute-teaching job might start security trend (Columbus Dispatch)
  • When Columbus Police Officer Bret Wilson encountered teens on the job, he found them to be disrespectful, rude to their parents…Read more...

  • Legislator’s sex-ed proposal baffles some educators (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Some local school administrators say it’s unclear how a ban on teaching about “gateway sexual activity” would change sex-education lessons in their districts…Read more...

  • Coleman balks at school-takeover legislation (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman opposes a legislative plan that would allow him to pick two of the five members of a state panel that could take over Columbus City Schools…Read more...

  • Teachers see movement in state reading requirements (Mansfield News Journal)
  • Helping struggling readers master the skill is becoming more difficult for some Ohio teachers, even as lawmakers try to make it easier…Read more...

  • Conotton Valley debuts student helpline (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)
  • Conotton Valley Union Local Schools has launched an anonymous helpline where students can report threats of violence, illegal activity, depression or bullying situations…Read more...

  • Bring Your Own Device pilot starting soon (Newark Advocate)
  • Newark City Schools is running a pilot for the Bring Your Own Device initiative in select classrooms at the high school. The students in the pilot will be encouraged to bring their own…Read more...

  • Budget bill contains proposal for state takeover of schools (Toledo Blade)
  • Proposed legislation could lead to a state takeover of Toledo Public Schools and eight other districts because of its data-reporting practices…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Phila school board gets ‘EverFi’ update (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)
  • Members of the New Philadelphia Board of Education got an update on the EverFi Program…Read more...

  • Local groups could gain, schools lose under tax exemption (Zanesville Times-Recorder)
  • Some local fraternal organizations could save thousands of dollars each year if they are exempted from paying property taxes, dollars that could be directed to other charitable work in the community…Read more...

Education News for 04-17-2013

State Education News

  • Columbus schools could face takeover under plan (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Columbus City Schools would sit directly in the path of a state takeover under an amendment to the state budget bill proposed yesterday…Read more...

  • Senate approves bill for school security funding (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • The Ohio Senate has approved a bill that would allow school districts to use money raise through a levy for school security…Read more...

  • Lorain academic distress commission meets Monday (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • The first meeting of the Academic Distress Commission for the Lorain City School District State Superintendent of Public Instruction will take place…Read more...

  • Schools project deficit (Mansfield News Journal)
  • State officials say there is little hope for Mansfield City Schools to be removed from fiscal watch unless the district’s upcoming levy passes…Read more...

  • Uncertainty of state dollars lead Perrysburg school board to reconsider all-day kindergarten plan (Toledo Blade)
  • With the uncertainty of state dollars coming in next year after a revised statehouse budget was placed on the legislative table…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Medina rescinds school superintendent's contract (Canton Repository)
  • A city school district in northern Ohio has rescinded a superintendent’s contract because officials say the process violated the state’s Sunshine Laws…Read more...

  • District to take control of Gahanna charter (Columbus Dispatch)
  • A charter school that the Gahanna-Jefferson district created to take advantage of state grant money will return to the district’s control because the money has dried up…Read more...

  • Reynoldsburg a national example again (Columbus Dispatch)
  • The U.S. Department of Education has — once again — recognized Reynoldsburg schools…Read more...

  • Crowd wants fairness in Ottawa-Glandorf retire/rehire (Lima News)
  • More than 50 people attended Tuesday’s Ottawa-Glandorf School Board meeting to discuss re-hiring Superintendent Kevin Brinkman while he receives retirement benefits…Read more...

  • School success (Marietta Times)
  • In addition to receiving an excellent rating on its 2011-12 report card, Beverly-Center Elementary School has been recognized by the state for the success…Read more...

  • Ridgedale's Larson to lead state delegation (Marion Star)
  • The newly elected governor of Ohio YMCA’s Youth in Government program may have won the office, but she isn’t done campaigning…Read more...

  • Strongsville school board will hold April 18 (Sun Newspapers)
  • Fifty-six days since their last public meeting, the school board will hold its April 18 meeting at the Strongsville High School…Read more...

  • Police, Lakeview school officials investigate Facebook page (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • The Cortland Police Department suspects that an adult created a phony Facebook page for a female teacher at Lakeview High School…Read more...

Education News for 04-15-2013

State Education News

  • Common Core: More thinking, more learning (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  • Eileen Gorman likes to watch her students struggle. The eighth-grade math teacher at Glen Este Middle School in Cincinnati believes they will learn more that way…Read more…

  • Ohio 4th for parent involvement in education (Columbus Business First)
  • Ohio placed fourth in a Center for Education Reform ranking of states by several educational quality measures, the Dayton Business Journal reports.…Read more…

  • Ohio House school funding plan looked good at first, but the numbers show they’re cutting education (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • With 20 years as one of the state’s most knowledgeable education funding analysts, Howard Fleeter of the Education Tax Policy Institute in Columbus was banging his head against his spreadsheets for much of last week…Read more…

  • OHSAA looks to level the playing field (Canton Repository)
  • As he sat in the bleachers at Triway High School, Dave Rice looked at his high school’s volleyball team.…Read more…

  • Double dipping by school workers might make comeback (Columbus Dispatch)
  • After years of debate over the practice known as “double dipping,” it has all but died in central Ohio schools.…Read more…

  • Ohio University trustees to vote on 1.6% tuition hike (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Ohio University wants to raise tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students this fall by $164 per year, to a total of $10,380, under a proposal that the board of trustees is to vote on Friday.…Read more…

  • State, school districts work to collect income taxes in face of underreporting, nonfiling (Mansfield News Journal)
  • Monday is the loathed April 15 deadline for state and federal taxes, but due dates don’t carry the same weight to scofflaws and tax evaders.…Read more…

  • A moving target for schools (Mansfield News Journal)
  • No one likes trying to hit a moving target, especially Ohio teachers and school superintendents who have faced a barrage of performance standards since No Child Left Behind was passed more than a decade ago.…Read more…

Local Education News

  • Another round of talks between school district, teachers fall through; strike enters seventh week (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • The teachers strike goes on. For the seventh time in six weeks, the bargaining teams for the Strongsville Education Association and the school board met at length at the behest of the federal mediator…Read more…

  • Strongsville teachers, school board teams meet in Independence for another round of negotiations (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • Bargaining teams for the 383 Strongsville teachers on strike since March 4 and the school board will meet in the presence of the federal mediator for the seventh time at 1:30 p.m. April 14.…Read more…

  • Unions show solidarity with striking Strongsville teachers at rally (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • One day longer. That was the refrain of a cross-union rally held on the Strongsville Commons April 12, as more than 300 people, including members and representatives from more than 15 unions across Northeast Ohio, gathered to show their support…Read more…

  • Strongsville school board will receive additional $3.2 million in revenue (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • In the last week, the school district here got a nice surprise from Cuyahoga County..…Read more…

  • For CPS board member, years of tough calls (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  • Catherine D. Ingram was appointed in October 1993 to fill a vacant seat on the Cincinnati Public Schools board of education – a position that was to be on the ballot about three weeks later.…Read more…

  • Contractor: District off on busing comparison (Columbus Dispatch)
  • Private bus contractor First Student says Columbus City Schools’ claim that it could operate 300 bus routes itself next school year and save money doing it is a stretch…Read more…

  • District hopes to increase laptop use (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  • The Forest Hills Local School District hopes to get more high school students using their laptops.…Read more…

  • Schools head into contract talks with unknowns about funding (Lima News)
  • At first glance, Waynesfield-Goshen schools Superintendent Chris Pfister is feeling much better about the Ohio House school funding proposal.…Read more…

  • Coventry High students teach physics, learn creativity with youngsters (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • Andrew Bullock hastily assembled a 12-inch tower of wooden blocks and waited for a group of elementary students to construct a wrecking tower made of Lego pieces.…Read more…

  • Next TPS chief looks to shut academic gap (Toledo Blade)
  • Romules Durant — most people call him Rom — was far from destined to be the next superintendent of Toledo Public Schools.…Read more…

  • Plain Township school stops ‘mindfulness’ program after some in community raise concerns (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • The Tibetan bell no longer tolls at Warstler Elementary in Plain Township.…Read more…

  • Applications come in for South Range open enrollment (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • The South Range Local School District is poring over 70 open- enrollment applications, hoping to bring in new students to help the district keep class sizes up and survive state budget cuts.…Read more…

  • Two women who were Head Start students return the favor to today's kids (Chillicothe Gazette)
  • Head Start, the school readiness program for children from low-income families, left an imprint on two local women that extended well beyond their own school careers.…Read more…

  • Stricken mom sees son graduate early in solo ceremony (Columbus Dispatch)
  • When the cancer returned, Darlene Schultz decided: She would see her son graduate from Hilliard Darby High School.…Read more…

  • Lima schools looking at carry-over policy (Lima News)
  • Lima City Schools will soon put a policy in place requiring the district to have a reserve fund amounting to at least 10 percent of its overall budget.…Read more…

  • Warrensville Heights cheerleading club protests school district fees (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • A cheerleading club for girls in this economically struggling suburb has lost its longtime practice space after the Warrensville Heights school district insisted that the group pay hundreds of dollars to use school facilities.…Read more…

  • Former Springboro booster treasurer stole $439,000 (Dayton Daily News)
  • The former treasurer of the Springboro Athletic Boosters Association admitted Thursday to stealing almost $440,000 from the group he helped found 20 years before.…Read more…

  • Kalida Elementary earns top honors (Lima News)
  • It took just one attempt for Kalida Elementary School to win an award for providing the highest quality of education to its pupils.…Read more…

  • Ashtabula Area City Schools BOE member receives Award of Achievement from state (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)
  • The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) annually recognizes board members for their commitment to learning and leadership with the Award of Achievement program and the Master Board Member Award.…Read more…

  • Louisville City Schools seeks emergency funds (Canton Repository)
  • Reductions will happen either way, but a levy passage in May will mean less cuts to an already strapped Louisville school system.…Read more…

  • Lorain High students plan international food tasting (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • Lorain High Schools’ culinary arts and junior achievement programs are sponsoring an international food tasting event at Lorain High to promote a cookbook developed by the students.…Read more…

  • Cuts coming to Firelands; Schools to eliminate 8 staff members, reduce hours (Lorain Morning Journal)
  • Firelands Local Schools will cut eight classified staff members and reduce hours for eight others for the 2013-14 school year.…Read more…

  • Parent asks school official to resign (Mansfield News Journal)
  • Parent Beth Diesch requested the resignation of board president Susan Shealy at Thursday’s Buckeye Central school board meeting.…Read more…

  • Fenwick students dig ‘talons’ into service work (Middletown Journal)
  • It may only take 45 minutes, but an activity by students and staff at Bishop Fenwick High School is helping to feed hundreds of homeless people.…Read more…

  • Leaders for Learning awards presented to 14 Licking County teachers (Newark Advocate)
  • The group of administrators stealthily crept down the hallway of Heritage Middle School, peeking around corners to make sure their appearance at Claire Goins’ door would be a complete surprise.…Read more…

  • City schools hosting ready fair for families (Springfield News-Sun)
  • The Springfield City School District will host its third annual “ready fair” Friday with activities and giveaways that will help parents of young children prepare for school.…Read more…

  • Presidential descendant helps mark special day at Oregon school (Toledo Blade)
  • Merrill Eisenhower Atwater drove 12 hours from Kansas City to northwest Ohio, much of it on I-70.…Read more…

  • Bedford hires its top choice for superintendent (Toledo Blade)
  • It’s official. Bedford Public Schools has a new superintendent. The Board of Education last week unanimously approved a three-year contract for Mark Kleinhans, the candidate selected as its top choice during a search this year.…Read more…

  • Scott Hunt leaving Perry Schools to become Cardinal superintendent (Willoughby News Herald)
  • Scott J. Hunt will leave Perry Schools to become Cardinal School District superintendent effective Aug. 1.…Read more…

  • Niles schools seek 2 levies (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • Two additional school levies are on the May 7 primary ballot in the city, and the school district’s superintendent says their approval is the only way to keep the red ink from getting worse.…Read more…

  • Jackson Milton English assignment grows into fundraiser for animals (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • It looked like a 3-mile run/walk with dogs, but it was really a homework assignment.…Read more…

Editorial

  • Most districts understood rules (Columbus Dispatch)
  • There is no harm in the Ohio Department of Education clarifying the rules for how and why schools may officially withdraw students from attendance rolls.…Read more…

  • When oversight slips, the taxpayers suffer: editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • Only a U.S. District Court jury -- or Joseph Palazzo himself -- can say whether the former technology director of Cuyahoga Heights Schools is guilty of stealing $3.4 million from the district.…Read more…

  • Inadequacy 2.0 (Akron Beacon Journal)
  • The Ohio House put forward its own school-funding plan last week with the aim to rectify shortcomings in Gov. John Kasich’s “Achievement Everywhere” proposal in the biennial budget bill.…Read more…

  • Medina superintendent's too-sweet deal: editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  • Shame on the Medina City School District's Board of Education and Superintendent Randy Stepp, for the disdain they showed citizens by quietly negotiating hundreds of thousands of dollars for Stepp's bonuses and education expenses…Read more…

  • It’s worth making an exception to keep Hathorn at the helm (Youngstown Vindicator)
  • As a general rule, we are opposed to the retire/rehire policies that have grown in popularity in the public sector as government employees strive to squeeze the maximum in benefits by retiring when they become eligible.…Read more…