Education News for 05-15-2013

State Education News

• Legislators try to combat school-standards rumors (Columbus Dispatch)

Tom Gibbs has reluctantly watched conservative commentator Glenn Beck and is up to speed on the criticisms of the new Common Core…Read more...

• Columbus school district’s staffs being interviewed a 2nd time (Columbus Dispatch)

State investigators started a second round of interviews with dozens of teachers at most of the Columbus school district’s high schools yesterday…Read more...

• School board urged not to arm teachers (Newark Advocate)

Top state law enforcement officials urged members of Ohio’s state school board Tuesday not to support arming untrained teachers with guns in response to recent school shootings…Read more...

• School board members hear ideas on school safety, but seem to be rejecting arming teachers (Ohio Public Radio)

School safety was the top topic for the state board of education, which hoped to learn about how to make buildings, staff and students more secure…Read more...

• Brookfield in fiscal emergency (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

The Brookfield Local School District is in a state of fiscal emergency, according to a report released Tuesday by Auditor of State Dave Yost…Read more...

• State Board Hears Ways To Boost School Safety (WBNS)

Ohio’s top law enforcers addressed members of the state school board as it considers how to best update its school safety polices…Read more...

Local Education News

• Cleveland school board OKs new teachers contract (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The Cleveland school board Tuesday night approved a groundbreaking contract with its teachers, while also picking a new home for district offices…Read more...

• No one told teachers they would lose jobs (Columbus Dispatch)

Less than two weeks before the May 7 election, Groveport Madison schools announced $2 million in cuts if voters turned down…Read more...

• Treasurer’s mistake cuts up to $1.5M off Jonathan Alder’s budget (Columbus Dispatch)

Officials in the Jonathan Alder school district in Madison County don’t know how much money they have to operate on next school year…Read more...

• Lorain School Board hears high school update, approves busing contract (Lorain Morning Journal)

The new Lorain High School has stayed within budget during its design development phase and few changes have happened since the initial design…Read more...

• Lorain City Schools reassessing its 'Success for All' reading program (Lorain Morning Journal)

Lorain City Schools is reevaluating its “Success For All” reading program and could switch to a new system by next year…Read more...

• Some Youngstown school principals to be in new posts (Youngstown Vindicator)

Some positions are being reshuffled to align with the new city school building configuration…Read more...

Education News for 04-23-2013

State Education News

• Delays predicted in Common Core success (Cincinnati Enquirer)

There’s good news and bad news about the rise of the Common Core, that new system of math and English standards people hope will reshape and restore American education…Read more...

• Lorain's Academic Distress Commission looks to set foundation for schools (Lorain Morning Journal)

Lorain’s Academic Distress Commission’s first meeting yesterday allowed the group to lay the foundation for its plan to dig Lorain schools out of its academic hole…Read more...

• Common Core education goals come under fire (Marietta Times)

Three years after Ohio adopted the Common Core educational standards and a little more than 15 months from the start of the first year…Read more...

• State superintendent OKs updated school recovery plan (Youngstown Vindicator)

Saying the city school district and the academic commission that oversees it have made progress, the state superintendent of public instruction has approved an updated academic recovery plan for the schools…Read more...

Local Education News

• Free school lunches coming soon to some local elementary schools (Chillicothe Gazette)

Starting this fall, free lunches will be available to every student at Mount Logan, Tiffin and Worthington…Read more...

• T.J. Lane appeals life sentence without possibility of parole (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Convicted Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane has appealed his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole…Read more...

• Dual enrollment options explained (Marietta Times)

Marietta High School students will have more ways to earn college credit without leaving campus next year…Read more...

• Strongsville teachers union offered 'one-time' proposal to school board (Sun Newspapers)

The negotiation team for the Strongsville Education Association presented a new contract proposal to the school board…Read more...

• Bay Village school district reaches contract agreement with teachers' union (Sun Newspapers)

The Bay Village school board Monday night approved a new three-year contract with the district’s teachers…Read more...

• Boardman schools oppose state expansion of voucher program (Youngstown Vindicator)

The board of education approved a resolution Monday in opposition to two voucher programs included in Gov. John Kasich’s biennial budget…Read more...

Education News for 04-01-2013

State Education News

• Catholic schools embrace Common Core (Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Common Core isn’t just for public schools anymore. These days, private schools across the country are jumping on the public education standards bandwagon…Read more...

• Lawmakers aren’t near a school-funding resolution (Columbus Dispatch)

Faced with an unpopular formula, a fast-approaching deadline, and an uncertain amount of money, Rep. Gerald Stebelton doubts a final school-funding plan can be crafted by the time the two-year state budget is approved…Read more...

• Reports of child abuse, neglect increase (Columbus Dispatch)

Reports of possible abuse or neglect of children continue to rise in Franklin County, driven in part by more notices from schools, day-care centers and others who work with kids…Read more...

• Ohio’s new chief educator is expected to seek change (Columbus Dispatch)

People who know Ohio’s new state school superintendent have called him provocative, direct and impatient…Read more...

• Charter schools would receive 'F' in new standards (Newark Advocate)

Seven in 10 Ohio charter schools wouldn’t make the grade under Ohio’s new school rating system, which will replace ambiguous terms with an A-F scale…Read more...

Local Education News

• Treasurer predicts fewer students will leave Akron for charter, private schools (Akron Beacon Journal)

Each year in May, Treasurer Jack Pierson prepares a five-year financial forecast for Akron Public Schools…Read more...

• Lobbying not part of education panel’s expenses (Columbus Dispatch)

The Columbus Education Commission had spent just under $360,000 through February and had about $640,000 in city cash and pledges from the business community, officials said last week…Read more...

• Campus Impact program helps students cope with bullying (Lorain Morning Journal)

In light of reports of bullying involving children, preventative programs such as Campus Impact are being sought locally to help students deal with the issue of bullying…Read more...

• Linkage coordinators reflect on three years helping students stay in school (Newark Advocate)

In July 2010, Josh Devoll and Dava Kaltenecker became linkage coordinators…Read more...

• Mathews teachers, board OK contract (Youngstown Vindicator)

Mathews schoolteachers and the board of education have ratified a three-year contract containing no salary increases for the duration of the contract and increased medical premiums in the third year…Read more...

• Youngstown board members sound off on supt., each other (Youngstown Vindicator)

“Fractured” and “strained” are some of the adjectives city school board members used to describe their relationships with one another and with Superintendent Connie Hathorn — but so are “cordial” and "professional."…Read more...

Editorial

• Medina situation in a word: Disconnect (Canton Repository)

Medina residents are rightly upset about their school board’s lax policies on spending. They aren’t likely to rest until they’re satisfied that the board and administration are making resolution of this issue a top priority…Read more...

• Give consideration to school consolidation (Lancaster Eagle-Gazette)

This past week, we raised the question: Does Ohio need 612 school districts? There is no clear-cut answer, but we believe it’s a question worthy of closer scrutiny…Read more...

Education News for 03-29-2013

State Education News

• Board of directors’ votes to shut down Akron Digital Academy (Akron Beacon Journal)

With just more than half of its nine-member roster present, the board of directors for the Akron Digital Academy voted 4-1 Wednesday night to shut down the online school…Read more...

• Bethel works to meet reading guarantee requirements (Cincinnati Enquirer)

School board members March 21 approved a resolution stating the district would not be compliant with the Third Grade Reading Guarantee requirements for the 2013-2014 school year…Read more...

• Students sharing successes (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

From designing bridges and 3D projects to exploring their creative side, area high school students also are getting a head start on their college degrees…Read more...

• Tests point to improved designation for Youngstown schools (Youngstown Vindicator)

Based on preliminary data, city school and state officials expect the Youngstown district to move to the equivalent of “continuous improvement” on the 2012-13 state report card…Read more...

Local Education News

• Small crowds attended Conneaut school shooter meetings (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)

A subject dear to parents, the safety of their children, didn’t help put people into seats at a series of recent meetings outlining Conneaut’s school defense plans…Read more...

• Striking Strongsville teachers obtain documents (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Strongsville schools spent more than $1.1 million through the first two weeks of a teachers strike, according to figures the Strongsville Education Association…Read more...

• ‘Still Frontier kids’ (Marietta Times)

Becoming a charter school would not sever Lawrence Elementary's ties with the Frontier Local school district…Read more...

• Springboro school board posts contract proposals (Middletown Journal)

The Springboro school board has published contract proposals submitted by the board and the union representing district’s teachers and certified staff during their first negotiating session…Read more...

• New school projects deficit in first 4 years (Springfield News-Sun)

Financial projections for the agricultural science school show that the academy would operate at a deficit for the first four years…Read more...

• Documents detail cost of Strongsville teachers strike for district (Sun Newspapers)

According to recently released documents, the school district spent more than $1.1 million in preparation and execution through the first two weeks…Read more...

Education News for 03-19-2013

State Education News

• State tests require computers some schools can't afford (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Ohio public schools appear to be far short of having enough computers to have all their students take new state-mandated tests within a four-week period beginning in the 2014- 15 school year…Read more…

• Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane faces sentencing in 3 student murders (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The teenager who killed three students at a Northeast Ohio high school in a shooting rampage just over a year ago could face life in prison at his sentencing....Read more…

• Longtime Johnstown bus driver receiving award in England (Newark Advocate)

Larry Warner will be getting a ride Tuesday instead of giving one to the Johnstown-Monroe students he usually drives to school....Read more…

Local Education News

• Some third-graders won’t be promoted (Springfield News-Sun)

Clark, Champaign schools handle reading guarantee differently this year. Next year, students who don’t pass portion of state test cannot move to fourth grade....Read more…

• Teachers approve tentative contract (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

The teaching union for Austintown School District approved a tentative contract Monday after nearly a year of negotiations....Read more…

• Strongsville teachers' strike hits week 3 with high school trips canceled (WEWS)

As the Strongsville teachers' strike entered its third week Monday, the school district canceled two student trips due to a lack of chaperones....Read more…

• Applicants for Akron School Board announced (Akron Beacon Journal)

Round one of interviews for the Akron School Board is complete after the board met with potential candidates Monday night....Read more…

• Deputies plan daily visits to Butler schools (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Butler County sheriff’s deputies will be stopping by county schools every day beginning today through a new initiative being launched this week to help make schools safer....Read more…

• District energy makeover on schedule (Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Northwest Local School District has been able to save energy and taxpayer dollars thanks to a law that lets districts pay for capital improvements with the energy savings they generate....Read more…

• State agency plans review of schools (Findlay Courier)

As part of Fostoria School District's improvement plan, state Department of Education personnel will spend four days in the district next month to talk with staff and observe classroom activities…...Read more…

• Bluffton opposes voucher expansion (Findlay Courier)

The Bluffton school board sent a strong message to Gov. John Kasich opposing his proposed expansions of the Education Choice Scholarship Program during its meeting Monday night....Read more…

• Beaver students walk out, briefly (Lisbon Morning Journal)

A group of students at Beaver Local High School staged a walkout Monday morning in support of their teachers, whose union has reached an impasse in contract negotiations with the school board....Read more…

• Fenwick teacher, coach firing ‘in the best interest of the students’ (Middletown Journal)

A Bishop Fenwick High School teacher, who once was recognized for fostering self esteem in students, was terminated by the school Friday, said Principal Trevor Block....Read more…

• Radio station carries on tradition in Struthers (Youngstown Vindicator)

By spinning records every Saturday, Dennis Spisak is keeping a local tradition from fading away....Read more…

Stongsville Strike Primer

What's going on in Strongsville? Here's a good primer, via Diane Ravitch's blog.

My name is Christina Potter and I have taught in the Strongsville City Schools in Strongsville, Ohio for the last eight years.

When I was hired in Strongsville, a great community with excellent schools, many other teachers said I was lucky, and they were jealous of my new job, and during the first two years, they were right; things were great with all sides working together,and we earned Ohio’s highest ranking, Excellent with Distinction.

As time went on a division started to occur between the administration and the teachers. During our 2010 contract negotiations the school stated that times were difficult and they needed the teachers to make concessions. In good faith, and promise of a levy, we agreed to an additional two year pay freeze on top of the three years we had already taken. We also increased our medical expenses, took on an additional duty period, and agreed to work two days unpaid. Times were tough, but everyone was striving to make Strongsville great.

Then, everything went haywire. With the ink still drying on our contract, the Board tried to take the levy off the ballot but failed, so instead, they informed the community to vote the levy down. Then we learned that while the district cried broke in 2010, it spent $500,000 to hire an attorney who publicizes himself as a union breaker. Every school district in this area that has hired him has either gone on strike or threatened to. Needless to say, the teachers, who negotiated in good faith, were outraged.

When our contract ended in June 2012, the district asked for extra time before negotiating to get its finances in order, so on July 19th, the first negotiation session took place. Upon walking in, their attorney put a contract down on the table and told us it was a take it or leave it offer and refused to negotiate one item at a time. After months of failing to negotiate a contract, our Education Association declared an impasse, and a Federal Mediator came in to oversee negotiations. Here is the timeline of recent events:

1. On February 15th, 2013 the teachers of the Strongsville Education Association (SEA) overwhelmingly passed a strike authorization.

2. On February 22nd, SEA submitted a 10-day notice of our intent to strike.

3. On March 1st, I had to hand in my I.D. badge and keys and have all of my personal belongings out of the building by 3:15 p.m. After 3:15, the doors would be locked, and anyone still on school property would be arrested even though we had not taken a final strike vote; we also had another negotiation session scheduled for Saturday morning. For all intense purposes we were not on strike yet but we were being locked out of the buildings, our email accounts and our grade books.

4. On March 2nd, both negotiating teams and the School Board members met with the federal negotiator. At that time the school gave its final offer which was only slightly different than their original.

And that takes us to where we are today, on strike. Many of my fellow teachers are also Strongsville residents, who have children in the system. They fear we are destroying our great public schools by trashing the teaching profession within them, instead of working toward a settlement. They feel the Board has chosen to waste tax payer money and painted teachers as greedy; meanwhile, it has forked over another $500,000, for a total of $1 million, to an attorney instead of using the money for books and technology.

Why are we striking in the cold, wind, and snow from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. We, the Strongsville teachers, feel we are not just standing for the SEA, but for all of our fellow public school teachers in the Ohio and across the nation during this statewide/national epidemic of privatizing our public schools. If this contract goes through other school districts may soon go after their teachers, and we cannot in good conscience allow that to happen. As a teacher and a parent of two, I believe in public education and its hard working teachers, who too often are the brunt of undeserved bashing.

The teachers of Strongsville will hold a rally this afternoon at 4 pm in the center of Strongsville, at the gazebo, at the corners of Pearl Rd. and Rt 82.