State Education News

Common Core: More thinking, more learning (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Eileen Gorman likes to watch her students struggle. The eighth-grade math teacher at Glen Este Middle School in Cincinnati believes they will learn more that way…Read more…

Ohio 4th for parent involvement in education (Columbus Business First)

Ohio placed fourth in a Center for Education Reform ranking of states by several educational quality measures, the Dayton Business Journal reports.…Read more…

Ohio House school funding plan looked good at first, but the numbers show they’re cutting education (Akron Beacon Journal)

With 20 years as one of the state’s most knowledgeable education funding analysts, Howard Fleeter of the Education Tax Policy Institute in Columbus was banging his head against his spreadsheets for much of last week…Read more…

OHSAA looks to level the playing field (Canton Repository)

As he sat in the bleachers at Triway High School, Dave Rice looked at his high school’s volleyball team.…Read more…

Double dipping by school workers might make comeback (Columbus Dispatch)

After years of debate over the practice known as “double dipping,” it has all but died in central Ohio schools.…Read more…

Ohio University trustees to vote on 1.6% tuition hike (Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio University wants to raise tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students this fall by $164 per year, to a total of $10,380, under a proposal that the board of trustees is to vote on Friday.…Read more…

State, school districts work to collect income taxes in face of underreporting, nonfiling (Mansfield News Journal)

Monday is the loathed April 15 deadline for state and federal taxes, but due dates don’t carry the same weight to scofflaws and tax evaders.…Read more…

A moving target for schools (Mansfield News Journal)

No one likes trying to hit a moving target, especially Ohio teachers and school superintendents who have faced a barrage of performance standards since No Child Left Behind was passed more than a decade ago.…Read more…

Local Education News

Another round of talks between school district, teachers fall through; strike enters seventh week (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The teachers strike goes on. For the seventh time in six weeks, the bargaining teams for the Strongsville Education Association and the school board met at length at the behest of the federal mediator…Read more…

Strongsville teachers, school board teams meet in Independence for another round of negotiations (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Bargaining teams for the 383 Strongsville teachers on strike since March 4 and the school board will meet in the presence of the federal mediator for the seventh time at 1:30 p.m. April 14.…Read more…

Unions show solidarity with striking Strongsville teachers at rally (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

One day longer. That was the refrain of a cross-union rally held on the Strongsville Commons April 12, as more than 300 people, including members and representatives from more than 15 unions across Northeast Ohio, gathered to show their support…Read more…

Strongsville school board will receive additional $3.2 million in revenue (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

In the last week, the school district here got a nice surprise from Cuyahoga County..…Read more…

For CPS board member, years of tough calls (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Catherine D. Ingram was appointed in October 1993 to fill a vacant seat on the Cincinnati Public Schools board of education – a position that was to be on the ballot about three weeks later.…Read more…

Contractor: District off on busing comparison (Columbus Dispatch)

Private bus contractor First Student says Columbus City Schools’ claim that it could operate 300 bus routes itself next school year and save money doing it is a stretch…Read more…

District hopes to increase laptop use (Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Forest Hills Local School District hopes to get more high school students using their laptops.…Read more…

Schools head into contract talks with unknowns about funding (Lima News)

At first glance, Waynesfield-Goshen schools Superintendent Chris Pfister is feeling much better about the Ohio House school funding proposal.…Read more…

Coventry High students teach physics, learn creativity with youngsters (Akron Beacon Journal)

Andrew Bullock hastily assembled a 12-inch tower of wooden blocks and waited for a group of elementary students to construct a wrecking tower made of Lego pieces.…Read more…

Next TPS chief looks to shut academic gap (Toledo Blade)

Romules Durant — most people call him Rom — was far from destined to be the next superintendent of Toledo Public Schools.…Read more…

Plain Township school stops ‘mindfulness’ program after some in community raise concerns (Akron Beacon Journal)

The Tibetan bell no longer tolls at Warstler Elementary in Plain Township.…Read more…

Applications come in for South Range open enrollment (Youngstown Vindicator)

The South Range Local School District is poring over 70 open- enrollment applications, hoping to bring in new students to help the district keep class sizes up and survive state budget cuts.…Read more…

Two women who were Head Start students return the favor to today's kids (Chillicothe Gazette)

Head Start, the school readiness program for children from low-income families, left an imprint on two local women that extended well beyond their own school careers.…Read more…

Stricken mom sees son graduate early in solo ceremony (Columbus Dispatch)

When the cancer returned, Darlene Schultz decided: She would see her son graduate from Hilliard Darby High School.…Read more…

Lima schools looking at carry-over policy (Lima News)

Lima City Schools will soon put a policy in place requiring the district to have a reserve fund amounting to at least 10 percent of its overall budget.…Read more…

Warrensville Heights cheerleading club protests school district fees (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

A cheerleading club for girls in this economically struggling suburb has lost its longtime practice space after the Warrensville Heights school district insisted that the group pay hundreds of dollars to use school facilities.…Read more…

Former Springboro booster treasurer stole $439,000 (Dayton Daily News)

The former treasurer of the Springboro Athletic Boosters Association admitted Thursday to stealing almost $440,000 from the group he helped found 20 years before.…Read more…

Kalida Elementary earns top honors (Lima News)

It took just one attempt for Kalida Elementary School to win an award for providing the highest quality of education to its pupils.…Read more…

Ashtabula Area City Schools BOE member receives Award of Achievement from state (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)

The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) annually recognizes board members for their commitment to learning and leadership with the Award of Achievement program and the Master Board Member Award.…Read more…

Louisville City Schools seeks emergency funds (Canton Repository)

Reductions will happen either way, but a levy passage in May will mean less cuts to an already strapped Louisville school system.…Read more…

Lorain High students plan international food tasting (Lorain Morning Journal)

Lorain High Schools’ culinary arts and junior achievement programs are sponsoring an international food tasting event at Lorain High to promote a cookbook developed by the students.…Read more…

Cuts coming to Firelands; Schools to eliminate 8 staff members, reduce hours (Lorain Morning Journal)

Firelands Local Schools will cut eight classified staff members and reduce hours for eight others for the 2013-14 school year.…Read more…

Parent asks school official to resign (Mansfield News Journal)

Parent Beth Diesch requested the resignation of board president Susan Shealy at Thursday’s Buckeye Central school board meeting.…Read more…

Fenwick students dig ‘talons’ into service work (Middletown Journal)

It may only take 45 minutes, but an activity by students and staff at Bishop Fenwick High School is helping to feed hundreds of homeless people.…Read more…

Leaders for Learning awards presented to 14 Licking County teachers (Newark Advocate)

The group of administrators stealthily crept down the hallway of Heritage Middle School, peeking around corners to make sure their appearance at Claire Goins’ door would be a complete surprise.…Read more…

City schools hosting ready fair for families (Springfield News-Sun)

The Springfield City School District will host its third annual “ready fair” Friday with activities and giveaways that will help parents of young children prepare for school.…Read more…

Presidential descendant helps mark special day at Oregon school (Toledo Blade)

Merrill Eisenhower Atwater drove 12 hours from Kansas City to northwest Ohio, much of it on I-70.…Read more…

Bedford hires its top choice for superintendent (Toledo Blade)

It’s official. Bedford Public Schools has a new superintendent. The Board of Education last week unanimously approved a three-year contract for Mark Kleinhans, the candidate selected as its top choice during a search this year.…Read more…

Scott Hunt leaving Perry Schools to become Cardinal superintendent (Willoughby News Herald)

Scott J. Hunt will leave Perry Schools to become Cardinal School District superintendent effective Aug. 1.…Read more…

Niles schools seek 2 levies (Youngstown Vindicator)

Two additional school levies are on the May 7 primary ballot in the city, and the school district’s superintendent says their approval is the only way to keep the red ink from getting worse.…Read more…

Jackson Milton English assignment grows into fundraiser for animals (Youngstown Vindicator)

It looked like a 3-mile run/walk with dogs, but it was really a homework assignment.…Read more…

Editorial

Most districts understood rules (Columbus Dispatch)

There is no harm in the Ohio Department of Education clarifying the rules for how and why schools may officially withdraw students from attendance rolls.…Read more…

When oversight slips, the taxpayers suffer: editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Only a U.S. District Court jury -- or Joseph Palazzo himself -- can say whether the former technology director of Cuyahoga Heights Schools is guilty of stealing $3.4 million from the district.…Read more…

Inadequacy 2.0 (Akron Beacon Journal)

The Ohio House put forward its own school-funding plan last week with the aim to rectify shortcomings in Gov. John Kasich’s “Achievement Everywhere” proposal in the biennial budget bill.…Read more…

Medina superintendent's too-sweet deal: editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Shame on the Medina City School District's Board of Education and Superintendent Randy Stepp, for the disdain they showed citizens by quietly negotiating hundreds of thousands of dollars for Stepp's bonuses and education expenses…Read more…

It’s worth making an exception to keep Hathorn at the helm (Youngstown Vindicator)

As a general rule, we are opposed to the retire/rehire policies that have grown in popularity in the public sector as government employees strive to squeeze the maximum in benefits by retiring when they become eligible.…Read more…