Statewide Education News

Schools losing $4.5M in taxes (Dispatch)

As a Columbus schools committee deliberates whether to ask voters for more money as early as this fall, the district’s treasurer says the financial picture has deteriorated over the winter. A bigger-than-expected plunge in the district’s total property value will mean $4.5 million less in revenue this school year than was anticipated last fall, Treasurer Penny Rucker said. The loss will grow to $9.1 million next school year, she said. The losses are a relatively small piece of the district’s $747 million general fund. Read More…

Cleveland Teachers Union, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to continue meeting, legislators cautiously optimistic (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the Cleveland Teachers Union discussed their school plans with legislative leaders Friday afternoon, leaving many tentatively optimistic, though cautious, that a compromise can be worked out. Jackson, union leaders and Cleveland schools chief Eric Gordon will meet again Monday to work through Jackson's plan and the union's own proposal to put compatible ideas into language that legislators can propose in Columbus. Read More…

15 years — no school-funding fix (Dispatch)

Fifteen years have passed since the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that the state’s system of funding schools is unconstitutional, and Ohio is again waiting for a governor to roll out a new formula touted as bold and transformative. On March 24, 1997, Justice Francis E. Sweeney wrote for the 4-3 majority: “By our decision today, we send a clear message to lawmakers: The time has come to fix the system. Let there be no misunderstanding. Ohio’s public school-financing scheme must undergo a complete systematic overhaul.” Read More…

Ohio has suspicious school test scores (Dayton Daily News)

DAYTON — A newspaper review determined suspicious test scores from hundreds of Ohio school districts and charter schools point to the possibility that there was cheating, though the analysis doesn't prove that. The Dayton Daily News found steep spikes and drops on standardized test scores since 2005. The review, in partnership with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was part of a larger national analysis revealing that scores in hundreds of cities followed a pattern that, in Atlanta, indicated cheating in multiple schools. Read More…

4 in 10 Ohio high school grads not college-ready (WEWS 5 ABC)

REYNOLDSBURG - Kenzie Purtell wants to be a nurse. Lagging in math skills when she hits college would only slow her down. So when a college readiness test showed the 17-year-old Reynoldsburg High School senior would have to take makeup courses to be ready for college math, Purtell enrolled in a computer-based pilot course that's helping kids bridge the gap. The course covers the same material that Purtell would learn if she entered remedial math as a freshman at Columbus State Community College, but it's held at her high school -- before she graduates. Read More…

Revised grades put charters in peril (Dispatch)

Getting lower-than-typical grades on state report cards would sting for schools and districts. But for charter schools, lower grades can kill. In a dry run of the new school-grading system the state is considering, 1 in 10 of Ohio’s charter schools with ratings of C or better was relabeled with an F. At the same time, a state law that forces low-performing charters to close remains in place. Charter-school advocates say they’re worried that the new grades would mean the end of schools that have long been considered effective. Read More…

State, schools prepare for severe weather (Daily Times)

March 25-31 is Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, proclaimed by Gov. John Kasich and promoted by the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness, to encourage residents to prepare for weather incidents that typically occur during spring and summer, but they may strike at any time. As part of a coordinated effort with the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA), Ohio will participate in a statewide tornado drill and test its Emergency Alert System on Wednesday, March 28, at 9:50 a.m. Read More…

Local Issues

Open enrollment in Reynoldsburg schools? (Dispatch)

Central Ohio parents could soon have another choice of schools for their children beyond public, private, parochial and charter schools — Reynoldsburg. The 6,000-student district in eastern Franklin County is considering opening its doors to anyone who wants to attend, tuition-free. For families, it would be an opportunity to enroll in a district that has an elementary and middle school focused on science, technology, engineering and math; a high school with career-based academies; and a program for gifted middle-school students. Read More…

Cleveland, teachers union disagree on collective bargaining (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - After a series of meetings on Friday, among law makers, city leaders and educators, one thing has been accomplished in regards to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to reform the Cleveland school system: Everybody knows where each other stands. The first meeting took place at the Board of Education building on East 6th Street between Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon and members of city council. “This school system we have now is broken,” said Ward 2 councilman Zack Reed. Read More…

Head Start report urges split in administration (Blade)

The most successful Head Start programs use public-private partnerships, collaboration, and transparency to deliver high-quality services to at-risk children, according to a report from a community task force convened in the last five weeks to study the issue. The recommendations were in a draft of the report viewed by The Blade; the final report is expected Monday. The task force was assembled by the Toledo Community Foundation to examine Head Start programs nationally. Read More…

Talawanda, county join up on preschool program (Journal-News)

OXFORD — The Talawanda Board of Education voted 5-0 to approve an agreement with the Butler County Educational Service Center which will make fundamental changes in the school district’s preschool program. Although many of the details still are being worked out, there probably will be an expanded emphasis on Head Start classes, especially at Kramer Elementary School. “I think our preschool program is top-notch and I would match it against any in the state,” Superintendent Kelly Spivey said. Read More…

South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools need to cut $2.3 million (News-Herald)

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst School Board will look to make $2.3 million in cuts for the 2012-13 school year that will reduce staff and services and increase fees. Staff reductions will include teachers, administrators, special education services and support staff, which will increase the student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom. Staff related cuts are expected to save the district $2 million annually and will be finalized in April, Treasurer Paul Pestello said. Read More…

Franklin schools sue city over taxes (Middletown Journal)

FRANKLIN — Franklin schools have filed a lawsuit against the city of Franklin asking it to be reimbursed tax money, according to court records obtained by The Middletown Journal. The school district cites in its lawsuit — filed March 16 in the Warren County Common Pleas Court — the city’s “failure to fully compensate the school district for the loss in revenue due to property tax exemptions granted by the city.” Read More…

City schools put freeze on Win-Win deal (Dispatch)

The Columbus school district has temporarily stopped billing suburban districts for millions of dollars they paid for the 26-year-old Win-Win agreement, which called a truce to the urban district’s attempts to annex land in the city of Columbus that was being served by suburban schools. A re-examination of the complex deal has been ongoing since 2010, after officials discovered that some suburban districts had paid the Columbus district too much and others not enough, officials said yesterday. Read More…

Editorial

Don’t miss this chance (Dispatch)

Ohio lawmakers should provide the legislative backing for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s dramatic reform proposal for his city’s deeply troubled schools. The plan would give the Cleveland Metropolitan School District the best chance it has had in decades for real and rapid improvement. The district is mired in “academic watch” status, meeting only one of the 26 performance standards on the state-issued report card, and is facing financial insolvency. As a result, thousands of young people reach adulthood each year with blighted prospects. Read More…

New school standards to help students find place in world (Plain Dealer)

Like you, I want all of Ohio's children to succeed. That means they need to have the learning opportunities that give them a solid foundation to pursue their dreams and have happy and prosperous lives. Ohio's system of public schools has served our children well, but the system is getting outdated and needs to be modernized. The current system is nearly 20 years old. It was created before there was an Internet and when cellphones were the size of walkie-talkies. Read More…

Ohio has too often looked past charter schools’ shortcomings (Vindicator)

Carl Shye may be one of the worst examples of Ohio’s failure to monitor operations of charter schools in the state, but he’s not the only example. Shye, a New Albany certified public accountant who has been involved in the financial operations of numerous charter schools for more than a decade has finally been called to account for some of his transgressions. Among the schools in which Shye was involved was the former Legacy Academy for Leaders and the Arts in Youngstown, which operated inside Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church on Oak Hill Avenue. Read More…

For real Cleveland school reform, slow down, plan well, fix school funding (Plain Dealer)

Recent opinion pieces published in The Plain Dealer have urged Clevelanders and state policymakers to support Mayor Frank Jackson's school plan. U.S. cities struggle with education, and Cleveland is no exception -- change is needed. But what kind of change? Quick change seems to be a top priority for many. As Brent Larkin wrote last week: "Jackson's plan might not work. But given the state of Cleveland schools, not to try something dramatic borders on criminal." Read More…

Smoke damage (Dispatch)

Given a half century of cancer warnings, it’s discouraging to hear from the nation’s top doctor that tobacco use is a “pediatric epidemic.” Today, nearly one of every four high-school seniors ‍smokes. One of every three adults younger than age 26 ‍smokes. And of every three ‍smokers, only one will manage to quit, and one will die of smoking-related illness. These findings are outlined in a recent report issued by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, whose office has been warning against the dangers of ‍smoking since 1964 and tracking what had been declines in ‍smoking. Read More…