Statewide Stories of the Day

Test-score probe goes statewide (Blade)

The investigation into possible manipulation of test scores at Ohio schools moved statewide on Thursday, with the Ohio Auditor's Office now questioning what role, if any, the Ohio Department of Education had in the changes. State Auditor Dave Yost and the education department had opened a joint investigation in recent weeks of alleged data manipulation at Columbus Public Schools. School officials appeared to have manipulated data there to remove scores for students who were chronically truant, improving their attendance rates and test scores. Read more...

Automatic cuts may put teaching jobs in jeopardy (Dayton Daily News)

Ohio could lose more than 1,500 education-related jobs and more than $98 million in federal education funding if automatic discretionary spending cuts go into effect Jan. 2. “States and local communities would lose $2.7 billion in federal funding for just three critical education programs alone – Title I, special education state grants, and Head Start,” Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a report released Wednesday. “Nationwide, these cuts would force 46,349 employees to either lose their jobs or rely on cash-strapped states and localities to pick up their salaries instead.” Read more...

Auditor: Cheating probe to expand statewide (Enquirer)

Prompted in part by alleged cheating by Lockland school officials to improve their district’s standing, Ohio’s auditor launched a statewide investigation of all districts on Thursday.

Similar allegations have also surfaced in Columbus and Toledo. “It appears that attendance report rigging is not a localized problem with Columbus Public schools, but that it may be more systematic,” State Auditor David Yost said in a letter sent Thursday to state Board of Education president Debe Terhar of Green Township. Read more...

New Report Finds A Third of Ohio Students Overweight (ONN)

CINCINNATI - A new statewide health report shows one in three students who participated in a Body Mass Index screening was overweight or obese. Health officials said that children need to do a better job exercising and eating healthier to avoid medical issues. Parent Orlando Mitchell has three kids including a 16-year-old and said they had issues with their weight. "My children went through a phase and got big at one time," Mitchell said. He admits he also had weight problems as a teenager which led to health issues for him as an adult. Read more...

Ohio auditor will investigate attendance reports of public schools and state education department (Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS — The Ohio auditor's office is launching a statewide investigation into how attendance is reported by school districts, charter schools and the Ohio Department of Education. The move announced Thursday follows revelations about questionable practices in Columbus and Toledo, as well as the Lockland school district near Cincinnati. In all three cases, the focus is on test scores that didn't count on state report cards because the student test-takers were dropped from attendance rolls and then re-enrolled during the school year. Read more...

Local Issues

Riverside Schools, unions reach deals that extend wage freezes (News-Herald)

The Riverside School District has finalized contracts for both its unions for the next two years. Teaching and non-teaching staff have agreed to an additional two-year wage freeze that also eliminates step increases, and advancements for educational credit. The teaching staff had already agreed to a one-year wage freeze during contract negotiations last year, resulting in an effective three-year total wage freeze, Superintendent James Kalis said. Read more...

Lorain superintendent negotiations not finished in time for board meeting (Morning Journal)

LORAIN — Lorain City Schools are still negotiating a contract for superintendent candidate Tom Tucker, so the school board had no contract to approve last night as originally intended. However, the district is on track for an August hiring of Tucker, board president Tim Williams said. “We are still at the final stages of some very specific negotiations in the contract,” Williams said, though he would not give details. “We’re optimistic about our negotiations with our superintendent,” Williams said. Read more...

Lima levy on, campaign effort strong (Lima News)

LIMA — Not long after it saw a levy defeated by just 100 votes last march, the Lima schools levy committee was already back to work. Now, they can officially kick the campaign into gear, following the board's final decision Thursday to go back on the ballot with the same request. “We really are going to concentrate on the legacy of the Lima City Schools and the fact that Lima City Schools graduates are very proud graduates,” said Peggy Ehora, one of four to chair the committee. “We feel like the legacy for us is that people have always been proud to be a part of that system. Read more...

Editorial

A Teacher Remembers the Accused Colorado Gunman (Education Week)

When I knew James Holmes, the alleged Colorado shooter, he was Jimmy. I was his 5th grade teacher. Back then, in 1998-99, Holmes lived in Castroville, Calif., a tiny town of 5,000. Since the theater shooting in Aurora, I’ve talked about Jimmy with one of his former classmates; let’s call him Chris. Jimmy was well-dressed, neat, wore glasses, liked to read, and excelled in all academic areas. He had two really good friends, including Chris, both sharp like him—in fact, top of the class. Read more...

Skewed (Courier)

A golden rule in education is thou shall not cheat. Students learn early on that sharing answers on a test or copying someone else's work won't be tolerated. But is it cheating if school administrators manipulate attendance records to show their district is performing better on its state report card than it really is? While all evidence is not in, that appears to be what has happened in several school districts around Ohio. Read more...