Education News for 04-11-2012

Statewide Education News

  • Schools expected to receive portion of casino taxes (Newark Advocate)
  • Licking County schools could receive $2.6 million in casino money in 2014, but treasurers are hesitant to count on it. The money -- which ranges from $129,000 for Northridge to $663,000 for Newark -- is based on estimated casino tax revenue and current enrollment of the districts. "We've not planned for it yet," said Heath Treasurer Brad Hall, whose district could see $170,000 in revenue. "It's not like you don't think about it." Read More…

  • State Board of Education urges collaboration, but stops short of endorsing Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's school plan (Plain Dealer)
  • A divided state Board of Education on Tuesday rejected Gov. John Kasich's request to endorse Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's school reform plan. Instead, the board united around a watered-down resolution urging a collaborative process for reforming the schools. Read More…

  • Drop in public preschoolers in Ohio is biggest in nation (Dispatch)
  • Ohio had about 18,000 fewer 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in high-quality public preschools last school year than a decade ago, the biggest decline of any state with public programs. And although the state didn’t lose ground in preschool enrollment between 2010 and 2011, enrollment didn’t grow, either, according to a report released yesterday. Read More…

  • Ohio worst in nationwide preschool study (Dayton Daily News)
  • A new study of state-funded preschool education, based on state policy, ranked Ohio last out of 39 states evaluated. According to a study released Tuesday by the nonpartisan National Institute for Early Education Research, Ohio met the fewest benchmarks for quality preschool standards of any state offering state-funded preschool last year. Read More…

  • ‘Friends’ & teachers? (Warren Tribune Chronicle)
  • When Facebook and other social networking sites first took off several years ago, local educators said drafting policies to govern how teachers and other school staff used the forums wasn't a top priority. "But times have changed and Facebook in particular has become bigger as more and more people use it," said Richard Buchenic, Hubbard Local Schools superintendent. "It needs to at least be discussed and given a closer look." Read More…

Local Issues

  • Euclid, South Euclid-Lyndhurst school districts eye new learning methods (News Herald)
  • Euclid City Schools and the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District have partnered in an effort to earn each district $130,000 in grant money to fund a blended learning program next year. Schools will choose a particular model of blended learning from six options. One school will be awarded for each model, meaning six districts out of 92 that applied for the grant will receive it, Euclid Curriculum Director Ted Lisiak said. Read More…

  • National union: CPS exaggerated teacher cuts (Enquirer)
  • One of the nation’s largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers, says Cincinnati Public Schools over-projected its expenses and doesn’t need to cut up to 225 teaching jobs as planned next week. The AFT reviewed Cincinnati Public’s budget forecast at the request of the local teachers’ union president, Julie Sellers. The AFT represents 1.5 million teachers nationwide and routinely does such analysis for its affiliates, including the 2,500-member Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Read More…