Statewide Education News

Ohio school districts operate under 2009 rules as they await Kasich's new funding formula (Blade)

COLUMBUS — How much does it cost to properly educate Ohio schoolchildren? What percentage of taxpayer dollars should go into classrooms or reading help, counseling or the arts? Should struggling districts get more than comfortable ones? How much more? All huge questions. All without answers. Since 2009, Ohio has been effectively without a school funding formula, the equation that answers vexing policy questions and doles out dollars accordingly. Read More…

State teachers' union names new chief (Enquirer)

DOWNTOWN — Longtime Cincinnati teacher Sue Taylor will retire next month after most recently serving five years as president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Teacher Melissa Cropper of Georgetown, Ohio, in Brown County has been elected as the federation’s new president to succeed Taylor. The statewide labor union represents about 20,000 teachers in Ohio, including about 3,500 part of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Read More…

Overcoming obstacles: School programs help economically disadvantaged students get ahead (Times Recorder)

Haylee Hardwick doesn't have a computer at home. But on any given weekday, the third-grader can be found in the John McIntire Elementary School computer lab, finishing her homework or playing study games on a computer. Hardwick is part of an after-school tutoring program called 21st Century. The program, funded through a Title I grant, targets students who are struggling in math and reading and are considered economically disadvantaged. Read More…

State oversight commission rejects Little Miami plan to reopen schools (Dayton Daily News)

The state Financial Planning and Supervision Commission on Thursday rejected Little Miami Local School District’s plan to reopen Butlerville Elementary and Maineville Elementary schools. Interim Superintendent Greg Power and Treasurer Terry Gonda presented the district’s reconfiguration plan for 2012-13 to the oversight commission, asking for approval to re-establish neighborhood elementary schools, return to every day, half-day kindergarten, and bring back art, music and physical education. Read More…

Local Issues

Collection agency to go after lunch debt (Dispatch)

A collection agency will try to recover about $900,000 in unpaid lunch money unless parents of nearly 6,000 Columbus City Schools students pay up quickly. Next month, the district will turn over any account in which the family owes more than $50 for lunches served since the 2009-10 school year. If parents don’t pay after a few months of prodding, the district can notify credit-rating agencies of the unpaid debt, under a contract the Board of Education approved on Tuesday. Read More…

Cincinnati Public Schools expands choices again (Enquirer)

Cincinnati Public Schools, the state’s third-largest district, will open two new autism units next year to better serve its special-needs population. The district is also being courted by two charter schools seeking partnerships with the district. It’s evaluating their applications to see whether they would be good fits. The developments are the latest examples of CPS’ push over the past two years to expand the number of school choices it offers its 33,000 students. The district is on a mission to attract, retain and better serve students. Read More…

Liberty board to discuss possible reinstatement of open enrollment (Vindicator)

Liberty - The board of education will discuss and possibly vote on reinstating open enrollment at its Tuesday meeting. The school district currently has 81 open- enrollment students who entered the school before it closed open enrollment in the 2010 school year. Joe Nohra, board of education president, said that it closed down open enrollment because all the student slots were filled. But now the district has a $700,000 budget shortfall for next year even after the board approved $1.2 million in cuts to staff. Read More…

Schools sharing more costs (News-Sun)

SPRINGFIELD — School districts facing tight budgets are finding savings through shared services — and some officials say there’s still more savings to be had. For example, a superintendent works for two districts, special education classrooms serve students across the county and consortiums help districts take advantage of reduced group prices. “We’re going to look for every opportunity we can find to see if we can be more efficient in our opportunity and yet provide better services,” Springfield City School District Superintendent David Estrop said. Read More…

Eugene Sanders, former Cleveland schools chief, has no new role with district, officials say (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Have you heard? Retired CEO Eugene Sanders is consulting for the Cleveland school district. It's been the hot rumor for months, but everyone from the district to the mayor's office to the Cleveland Teachers Union says it's not true. He's also not working for any of the major organizations involved with the district. Representatives of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cleveland Foundation and George Gund Foundation say they have not hired him and know of no one who has. Read More…

Oregon City Schools predict large deficit (WTOL 11 CBS)

OREGON – While revenue continues to shrink for local schools districts, Oregon City Schools District Treasurer predicts an $11 million deficit for 2016. The Treasurer recommends the district proceed with caution. The state of Ohio requires all districts to prepare five year financial forecasts, and Oregon City School's budget is in the black for the next few years. In 2015, the forecast shows the district will slip into the red by about $3 million, and $11 million in 2016. Read More…

Editorial

A funding conundrum: Schools' resistance to change, voter hardship and declining state money create a financing crisis the parade of levies will not cure (Plain Dealer)

The Plain Dealer editorial board endorses in 21 school money issues on the March 6 primary ballot. It will not surprise regular readers of this page that we are supporting all 21, despite serious reservations about some districts' commitment to reform and belt-tightening. That's especially true in the case of the Garfield Heights schools, with a hefty 9.4-mill levy request on the ballot. We were outraged that while kids suffer from reduced options and school hours, both teachers and administrators in the school system continue to take step-up pay increases tied to seniority. Read More…

Achievement test (Beacon Journal)

David James, the superintendent of Akron Public Schools, outlined briefly in his State of the Schools address on Wednesday the new realities confronting the school system: Curriculum standards are rising; testing is more rigorous; the careers of teachers and principals are on the line with new performance assessments; the demand for workers with post-secondary education has risen. Funding sources have tightened up. The district is struggling to erase a $22 million deficit by June 30. Read More…

Dramatic proposal (Dispatch)

Those searching for the way to break through the calcified dysfunction of failing big-city public schools will be studying closely the ambitious reform plan proposed by city and school leaders in Cleveland. If it goes forward, it will be a test of some fundamental reform ideas that have been suggested many times but not attempted on such a scale. Its primary goal is to triple, in six years, the number of Cleveland students attending schools rated “excellent” or “efficient” and to close and replace failing schools faster. Read More…

Cleveland kids' fate rests in legislators' shaky hands (Plain Dealer)

When it comes to Cleveland's future, Mayor Frank Jackson's plan to save the schools isn't a matter of pass or perish. But it's awfully close. As Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio General Assembly begin to marshal their feeble excuses not to give Jackson the legislation he needs to implement his plan -- and they're already busy doing just that -- they should keep this in mind: A "no" vote is essentially a vote in favor of Cleveland's demise. It's a vote in favor of keeping Cleveland's children mired in a life of poverty. Read More…