Statewide Education News

Monroe board asking for state probe of ex-treasurer's spending (Middletown Journal)

MONROE — The Monroe Board of Education is expected to file a letter of professional misconduct with the Ohio Department of Education’s office of professional conduct this week detailing the actions of former Treasurer Kelley Thorpe. The letter — drafted by the district’s attorney, William Deters — is expected to be submitted to the ODE by the end of this week, board member Brett Guido said. Read More…

TPS sees downgrade in bond rating (Blade)

Toledo Public Schools’ credit rating took a hit in recent days, as one rating agency downgraded the school district while another put the district on notice. Standard and Poor’s downgraded the district’s credit rating from AA- to A+, while Moody’s maintained its A1 rating, but added a negative outlook, which means it may face a future downgrade. Interim-treasurer Matt Cleland told Toledo Board of Education members Tuesday night that the agencies focused on the continued depressed economy and the district’s lack of a reserve fund. Read More…

Local Issues

East Holmes schools to reveal cuts (Times Reporter)

BERLIN — East Holmes Local Schools will make $500,000 in cuts in district spending in 2012 because of the failure of its last three levies and is considering another $500,000 in cuts if a 3.77-mill emergency operating levy is defeated in March. The board of education will hold its Jan. 9 meeting at Hiland High School because it anticipates a larger-than-normal audience. At that meeting, the board will review the planned cuts and will reveal what additional reductions will be needed if the levy fails again. The planned cuts are based on input from the staff and the community. Read More…

South Side schools plan adopted (Dispatch)

The Columbus Board of Education overcame concerns voiced at a meeting two weeks ago and voted 5-2 last night to go forward with a South Side school-closing and reorganization plan that will affect more than 3,000 students next school year. The board also handed Superintendent Gene Harris her first academic targets, voting 6-1 to, in effect, order her to boost the number of students proficient in reading to 75 percent by 2013. Read More…

Agency ordered to compete for Head Start cash (Blade)

The agency that administers Head Start in Toledo will have to compete for continued funding against other potential providers in the coming year. More than 2,000 Toledo children attend Head Start, a preschool program for low-income children, through the Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Greater Toledo. According to EOPA's most recent tax return, the agency received more than $13 million in federal revenue to run Head Start last year. Read More…

Editorial

Ohioans should be glad to see Teach for America (Plain Dealer)

Now that several foundations have raised more than $2 million to support the program and a helpful law from the Ohio General Assembly has swept away legal barriers that kept Teach for America out of Ohio's classrooms, the highly respected organization finally will get to work in Northeast Ohio next year. The popular organization, founded in 1990, recruits graduates from the nation's top-ranked colleges to teach youngsters in floundering inner-city and rural schools. Read More…

Local schools shine in hitting progress goals (Times Reporter)

Just like individual report cards for students, the quality of a local education is measured against various learning standards. And for the past decade, an important one has been the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The original law set targets that all students be proficient by 2014. While that expectation has come under some criticism in recent years from educators who contend it is unrealistic, the idea of all schools should aspire for higher achievement by students is nevertheless a valid one. Read More…