Statewide Education News

School ascends to the top of state list (Salem News)

Breaking away from tradition, Gov. John Kasich gave the first ever State of the State speech delivered away from the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. He couldn't have picked a better place. Regardless of your political bent, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with what the governor said on Tuesday, you would have to agree that his choice of Steubenville for his speech was a good one. Read More…

Education law signed locally fading away (Journal-News)

As President Barack Obama prepared to announced a plan Thursday to give 10 states flexibility from the mandates of No Child Left Behind Act, Republicans introduced legislation to revise some of the law’s controversial provisions. The President said the education act, which was originally signed at Hamilton High School in 2002, is driving the wrong behaviors, from teaching to the test to federally determined, one-size-fits-all interventions. Read More…

Emphasis on STEM fields helps students, businesses (Dayton Daily News)

DAYTON — In the past two weeks, Ohio has been lauded for receiving good grades in K-12 science education, listed as one of the states driving the nation’s recovery from the recession through manufacturing and singled out as a reinvestment site for U.S. automakers. Given that kind of buzz, it makes sense that Jay Williams, director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, would stop in Ohio to discuss the importance of pursuing careers in STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math. Read More…

White Hat must give records to charters (Dispatch)

A Franklin County judge has ordered the state’s largest for-profit manager of charter schools to turn over detailed financial records, including tax returns, building leases and transactions with its subsidiaries, to show how it spent millions in tax dollars received each year. “Public money must be accounted for,” Common Pleas Judge John F. Bender wrote in a 19-page order. He gave White Hat Management, owned by Akron businessman and major Republican donor David L. Brennan, until March 6 to comply with the order. Read More…

More Ohio students taking Advanced Placement tests, but fewer earning credit (Times-Recorder)

Fewer Ohio students are earning college credit for Advanced Placement tests than the national average. However, more Ohio students are taking the tests than in previous years, according to a study released by the College Board, which administers the exams. Ohio Superintendent of Education Stan Heffner said the state can do better. "Despite being encouraged by the slight gains we are making in Ohio in regards to student participation, we must do more," Heffner said in a news release. Read More…

Retired Cleveland Browns players talk to high school students about breaking racial barriers (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Five retired Cleveland Browns players told Cleveland high school students today about early racism in the National Football League and how they, and others, helped overcome it. They also urged the students to work at building better race relations for the future. Four black former players -- Walter Beach, Reggie Rucker, Sam Tidmore and John Wooten -- and one white retiree, Dick Schafrath, told students that while racism still exists today, there was more unequal treatment in their days as players. Read More…

National Stories of the Day

Broad Changes Ahead as NCLB Waivers Roll Out (Education Week)

The waivers being granted to 10 of 11 states that applied for flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act would allow them to make potentially broad changes in how school performance and the performance of student subgroups are judged under the decade-old law. Some advocates for disadvantaged students are questioning whether the waivers granted Thursday by the U.S. Read More…

Local Issues

Huber Heights to cut $1.3 million from budget (Dayton Daily News)

HUBER HEIGHTS — The Huber Heights Board of Education voted Thursday night to cut about $1.3 million from its 2012-13 budget, but spared its JROTC program and two teaching positions. The board made cuts from 21 areas, including administrative assistants, transportation and junior high school athletics. It also eliminated art in the elementary schools. Eighteen positions were designated to be cut, including a nurse, a counselor and an assistant principal. Read More…

Worthington schools need law changed for bond issue (Dispatch)

Worthington schools want the right to make a rarely used type of tax even more unusual. The district is one of only eight in Ohio that has levied an incremental property tax, in which the rate escalates in later years. Now Worthington is asking the legislature for the option of combining a new incremental tax with a bond issue, so voters would see just one issue on the November ballot instead of separate ones to raise money for operations and buildings. Read More…

Youngstown won’t rule out school closings (Vindicator)

Youngstown - Everything is on the table as the city schools try to address the loss of $4 million in anticipated state funding, Superintendent Connie Hathorn said. That includes the possibility of closing schools. “We’re looking at everything,” Hathorn told members of the Academic Distress Commission on Thursday. The district learned last week that because of a loss of more than 500 students as determined by the state’s official October enrollment count, it would receive about $4 million less from the state than it expected. Read More…

Groveport Madison board OKs cuts: $3.6 million, 24 jobs (Dispatch)

Groveport Madison students will have to find their own way to high school and pay more to participate in athletics and other extracurricular programs starting next school year. The district’s school board also agreed last night to cut French from the high-school’s foreign-language program and eliminate 24 jobs — including seven special-education positions. District leaders say the cuts amount to $3.6 million, close to the $4 million needed to bring the budget into the black for the 2012-13 school year. Read More…

Olentangy Schools Approves Redistricting (WBNS 10 CBS)

POWELL - Nearly 600 Olentangy Local Schools students will be transferred to Heritage Elementary School next school year because of district growth. District Superintendent Wade Lucas said that Heritage Elementary previously was a kindergarten school but will soon house kindergarten through fifth grade. Lucas said that the district is expected to grow by more than 800 students each year, 10TV’s Jason Frazer reported. Read More…