May 2013 School Levy Results

The results below are preliminary. A high number of levies passed or failed by less than 2%, with some seperated by just a handful of votes (the Dispatch is reporting that a recount is likely in Groveport as their levy is now failing by 16 votes). A number of these results then, are subject to change before the results are finalized.

Based on these preliminary results, just shy of 60% of all school levies passed yesterday, with a 90% passage rate for renewals and a somewhat higher than normal passage rate for New money requests.

New renewal	Failed	Passed	Pass %
New	50	36	41.9%
Renewal	5	46	90.2%
Over all	55	82	59.9%

Here are the results of the May 7th 2013 school levy elections, currently reported

County	District	Type of issue	Result	N/R	For	Against
Allen	Apollo JVSD	Bond - School	Passed	N	58.0%	42.0%
Allen	Bluffton EV	Income Tax (Permanent	Passed	R	77.2%	22.8%
Allen	Elida Local	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	60.6%	39.4%
Allen	Elida Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	46.8%	53.2%
Allen	Lima City	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	67.3%	32.7%
Ashland	Hillsdale Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	72.1%	27.9%
Ashland	Loudonville-Perrysville	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	55.2%	44.8%
Ashland	Loudonville-Perrysville	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	46.2%	53.8%
Ashtabula	Ashtabula City	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	48.4%	51.6%
Ashtabula	Jefferson Area Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	58.1%	41.9%
Athens	Trimble Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	48.9%	51.1%
Auglaize	St. Marys City	Income Tax (Current	Failed	N	39.7%	60.3%
Auglaize	Waynesfield Goshen	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	64.6%	35.4%
Belmont	Bellaire Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	44.7%	55.3%
Belmont	Bridgeport EV	Current Operating	Failed	N	41.9%	58.1%
Belmont	St. Clairsville-Richland	Current Expenses	Passed	N	70.2%	29.8%
Carroll	Brown Local	Bond Issue (Building) &	Failed	N	49.2%	50.8%
Carroll	Carrollton EV	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	40.6%	59.4%
Champaign	Urbana City	Operating Expenses	Passed	N	75.9%	24.1%
Clark	Clark-Shawnee Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	49.8%	50.2%
Clark	Greenon Local	Building & Current	Failed	N	46.1%	53.9%
Clark	Springfield City	Bond Issues (Building &	Passed	N	57.6%	42.4%
Clark	Tecumseh Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	31.0%	69.0%
Clermont	Milford EV	Current Operating	Passed	N	59.8%	40.2%
Columbiana	Columbiana EV	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	42.1%	57.9%
Columbiana	Salem City	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	74.4%	25.6%
Columbiana	United Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	41.1%	58.9%
Crawford	Galion City	Current Operating	Failed	N	33.8%	66.2%
Cuyahoga	Brecksville-Broadview	Current Operating	Passed	R	61.4%	38.6%
Cuyahoga	Brooklyn City	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	57.6%	42.4%
Cuyahoga	Lakewood City	Current Operating	Passed	N	68.4%	31.6%
Cuyahoga	Westlake City	Current Operating	Failed	N	49.6%	50.4%
Darke	Mississinawa Valley	Building & Permanent	Passed	R	67.6%	32.4%
Delaware	Delaware City	Bond (Building &	Passed	N	60.6%	39.4%
Erie	Edison Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	N	52.0%	48.0%
Erie	Perkins Local	Permanent	Passed	R	51.4%	48.6%
Erie	Perkins Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	35.5%	64.5%
Fairfield	Walnut Township Local	Income Tax (Current	Passed	N	51.7%	48.3%
Franklin	Groveport Madison	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	50.2%	49.8%
Fulton	Swanton Local	Bond (Building) &	Failed	N	45.2%	54.8%
Geauga	Ledgemont Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	40.2%	59.8%
Greene	Fairborn City	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	34.1%	65.9%
Hamilton	Forest Hills Local	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	45.0%	55.0%
Hamilton	Oak Hills Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	45.2%	54.8%
Hancock	Cory-Rawson Local	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	58.0%	42.0%
Hardin	Ada EV	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	55.1%	44.9%
Hardin	Upper Scioto Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	48.5%	51.5%
Hardin	Upper Scioto Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	55.4%	44.6%
Henry	Napoleon Area City	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	46.8%	53.2%
Holmes	West Holmes Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	67.4%	32.6%
Huron	Monroeville Local	Building &	Passed	R	51.0%	49.0%
Huron	Willard City	Permanent	Failed	N	39.4%	60.6%
Jefferson	Buckeye Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	34.5%	65.5%
Jefferson	Indian Creek Local	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	37.9%	62.1%
Jefferson	Jefferson County JVSD	Current Expense &	Failed	N	46.6%	53.4%
Knox	East Knox Local	Current Expense &	Failed	N	45.0%	55.0%
Knox	Mount Vernon Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	65.7%	34.3%
Lake	Kirtland Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	53.4%	46.6%
Lake	Mentor EV	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	73.2%	26.8%
Lake	Mentor EV	Permanent	Passed	R	73.1%	26.9%
Lake	Painesville City	Current Operating	Passed	R	58.8%	41.2%
Lake	Willoughby-Eastlake	Emergency Levy	Failed	R	46.7%	53.3%
Licking	Johnstown-Monroe	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	65.4%	34.6%
Licking	Lakewood Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	59.7%	40.3%
Licking	Licking Heights Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	38.9%	61.1%
Licking	North Fork Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	46.6%	53.4%
Logan	Benjamin Logan Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	49.5%	50.5%
Logan	West Liberty Salem	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	66.1%	33.9%
Lorain	Amherst EV	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	61.0%	39.0%
Lorain	Amherst EV	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	62.0%	38.0%
Lorain	Avon Lake City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	52.2%	47.8%
Lorain	Columbia Local	Current Expenses	Failed	N	44.3%	55.7%
Lorain	North Ridgeville City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	64.4%	35.6%
Lucas	Oregon City	Building & Permanent	Passed	R	61.0%	39.0%
Madison	Madison-Plains Local	Permanent	Failed	N	43.9%	56.1%
Mahoning	Boardman Local	Permanent	Passed	N	50.1%	49.9%
Mahoning	Boardman Local	Current Operating	Passed	R	60.5%	39.5%
Mahoning	Jackson-Milton Local	Permanent	Passed	R	57.4%	42.6%
Mahoning	Jackson-Milton Local	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	57.3%	42.7%
Mahoning	Poland Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	65.4%	34.6%
Mahoning	Springfield Local	Building & Permanent	Passed	N	61.1%	38.9%
Medina	Black River Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	N	51.1%	48.9%
Medina	Cloverleaf Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	49.3%	50.7%
Mercer	Celina City	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	67.4%	32.6%
Mercer	Marion Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	61.2%	38.8%
Miami	Covington EV	Building & Permanent	Passed	N	51.6%	48.4%
Miami	Milton-Union EV	Current Expenses	Passed	R	58.2%	41.8%
Miami	Piqua City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	64.5%	35.5%
Miami	Tipp City EV	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	51.4%	48.6%
Monroe	Switzerland of Ohio	Operating Expenses	Failed	N	48.9%	51.1%
Montgomery	Brookville Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	68.8%	31.2%
Montgomery	Brookville Local	Current Expenses	Passed	N	50.0%	50.0%
Montgomery	Centerville City	Current Expenses	Failed	N	49.3%	50.7%
Montgomery	Jefferson Township	Bond Issue (Building) &	Failed	N	23.8%	76.2%
Montgomery	Valley View Local	Current Expenses	Passed	N	54.8%	45.2%
Morrow	Cardington-Lincoln	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	49.1%	50.9%
Muskingum	East Muskingum Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	76.8%	23.2%
Muskingum	West Muskingum Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	55.9%	44.1%
Noble	Caldwell EV	Replacement and	Passed	N	57.3%	42.7%
Portage	Kent City	Current Expenses	Passed	N	61.0%	39.0%
Preble	Twin Valley	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	48.4%	51.6%
Richland	Mansfield City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	72.2%	27.8%
Ross	Chillicothe City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	50.6%	49.4%
Sandusky	Clyde-Green Springs	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	38.4%	61.6%
Sandusky	Gibsonburg EV	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	47.5%	52.5%
Seneca	Bettsville Local	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	53.3%	46.7%
Seneca	Fostoria City	Necessary Requirements	Passed	N	59.0%	41.0%
Shelby	Fairlawn Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	66.4%	33.6%
Stark	Canton Local	Bond Building &	Failed	N	49.6%	50.4%
Stark	Fairless Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	39.0%	61.0%
Stark	Louisville City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	62.0%	38.0%
Stark	Marlington Local	Bond (Building) &	Failed	N	43.8%	56.2%
Stark	North Canton City	Permanent	Passed	N	57.8%	42.2%
Summit	Barberton City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	54.6%	45.4%
Summit	Coventry Local	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	55.2%	44.8%
Summit	Cuyahoga Falls City	Permanent	Failed	N	42.8%	57.2%
Summit	Manchester Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	72.0%	28.0%
Summit	Mogadore Local	Current Expenses	Failed	R	40.6%	59.4%
Trumbull	Brookfield Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	50.1%	49.9%
Trumbull	Champion Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	51.6%	48.4%
Trumbull	Girard City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	62.1%	37.9%
Trumbull	Lakeview Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	61.6%	38.4%
Trumbull	Maplewood Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	65.0%	35.0%
Trumbull	McDonald Local	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	63.5%	36.5%
Trumbull	Newton Falls EV	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	37.9%	62.1%
Trumbull	Niles City	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	29.9%	70.1%
Trumbull	Niles City	Permanent	Failed	N	30.6%	69.4%
Union	Marysville EV	Current Operating	Passed	R	78.8%	21.2%
Van Wert	Van Wert City	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	59.7%	40.3%
Warren	Carlisle Local	Operating Levy	Passed	N	53.4%	46.6%
Wayne	Orrville City	Current Expenses	Failed	N	40.6%	59.4%
Williams	Millcreek West Unity	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	70.2%	29.8%
Wood	Bowling Green City	Current Expenses	Failed	R	34.6%	65.4%
Wood	Elmwood Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	R	41.5%	58.5%
Wood	Elmwood Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	R	41.7%	58.3%
Wood	North Baltimore Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	53.0%	47.0%
Wyandot	Carey EV	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	64.4%	35.6%

Education News for 10-10-2012

State Education News

• School report card date set (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Ohio will be handing out state report card ratings for districts and schools Oct. 17, state officials said Tuesday, now that State Auditor Dave Yost’s investigations into enrollment…Read more...

• State to release new report cards (Columbus Dispatch)

A second round of preliminary school report-card data that includes school ratings and attendance rates will be released next week. The State Board of Education voted 12-3 yesterday to make the additional data public…Read more...

• Parent attacks dress code policy (Dayton Daily News)

A Tippecanoe High School student’s mother isn’t happy with the new principal’s interpretation of the dress code…Read more...

• State board to release some report-card data (Toledo Blade)

The state board of education voted Tuesday to release some of the school report card information it has withheld pending a state auditor’s investigation of attendance-data manipulation in some districts…Read more...

• Ohio officials discuss Ledgemont Schools' fiscal emergency (Willoughby News Herald)

Community and staff members filled Ledgemont Elementary School’s cafeteria Monday to hear an Ohio Department of Education official outline the ramifications of the school district’s fiscal emergency status…Read more...

Local Education News

• Riverdale, teachers union reach contract settlement (Findlay Courier)

Contract agreements have been reached between Riverdale school's administration and the teachers union, officials…Read more...

• Schools, families adjust to healthier school lunches (Hamilton Journal-News)

Many students and parents have reacted strongly to National School Lunch Program updates introduced this year that mandate calorie limits and more fruits…Read more...

• Parents cite bullying issue as reason to reject Lima schools levy (Lima News)

Bullying is at the center of an effort to defeat next month’s Lima schools levy. Three families upset about what they say is a bullying problem in the district called a news conference…Read more...

• Switzerland of Ohio schools paring $1M from budget (Marietta Times)

The Switzerland of Ohio Local school district is working to cut $1 million from its budget. The district has already laid off three employees and instituted a teacher hiring freeze…Read more...

• Career center banks on surplus (Marietta Times)

The Washington County Career Center is projected to be in the black for the next five years, even as expenses overtake revenue, according to a forecast approved…Read more...

• Catholic teachers will vote on union (Youngstown Vindicator)

About 100 Catholic elementary school teachers will decide later this month whether to be part of a union…Read more...

Editorial

• Why secrecy? (Columbus Dispatch)

The Dispatch has filed a lawsuit against the Columbus Board of Education for a simple reason: Public meetings should be open to the public. The board has ignored repeated requests by the newspaper to honor that legal requirement…Read more...

Education News for 01-27-2012

Statewide Education News

• Charters’ treasurer owes Ohio $617,260 (Dispatch)

A New Albany man owes the state more than $600,000 because he mismanaged taxpayer dollars meant for kids at several charter schools, the state auditor said yesterday. At least two schools closed in financial ruin, including Montessori Renaissance Experience in Columbus. Carl W. Shye Jr. has been hit with 25 findings at three schools since last year, including the auditor’s announcement yesterday that he must repay $112,000 that he collected on behalf of Montessori Renaissance Experience — even after it no longer had students. Read More…

• Fiscal emergency would be ‘ugly’ for Lorain Schools (Morning Journal)

LORAIN — The Lorain school board was told going through the steps to fiscal emergency is an “ugly” process. The board heard a presentation from Roger Hardin, assistant director for finance program services with the Ohio Department of Education, regarding what fiscal emergency is and what they can do. “Lorain Schools is in fiscal caution,” Hardin told them. “I will throw this out there in the beginning, everything we do at my office is to try and avoid fiscal emergency.” Read More…

• School Choice Ohio program set to expand (Repository)

CANTON — Representatives from School Choice Ohio (SCO) hosted a news conference Thursday morning with families, teachers and students at Heritage Christian School to celebrate Ohio School Choice Week. Heritage Christian School has the most EdChoice students in Stark County with 87. The vouchers allow students in poor performing schools to attend private schools that accept the voucher. Read More…

Local Issues

• Local parents sing praises of EdChoice scholarships (Vindicator)

Youngstown - Through the EdChoice scholarship program, Cindi Hilson is able to send her three children to Youngstown Christian School. “Without [the EdChoice scholarship], even though my husband works, we wouldn’t be able to afford to send all three of them,” she said. “Maybe one of them could come here.” EdChoice allows children whose residential school is considered low-performing to attend a private school using a voucher. The Hilson family lives within the city school district. Read More…

• Garfield Heights schools reduce staff, increase pay to play (WEWS 5 ABC)

GARFIELD HEIGHTS - Already faced with shortened school days and the elimination of art, music and gym classes, students in the Garfield Heights City School District will have to pay more to participate in extra-curricular activities next school year. The Garfield Heights school board voted Thursday to go to full pay to participate during the 2012-2013 school year, and to eliminate 48 positions in an effort to balance its budget. Read More…

Editorial

• Realistic standards (Dispatch)

Charter schools that serve dropouts and students at risk of quitting school can’t fairly be judged by the same standards as other schools, but they should be judged. Families in the unhappy position of needing that sort of help for their children deserve to know which ones are most effective. To date, this has been hard to determine, because the state Department of Education had only one set of criteria for measuring charter schools’ effectiveness, and most dropout-recovery schools earned dismal marks. Read More…

Education News for 01-11-2012

Statewide Education News

• State sets Race to the Top pace (Dispatch)

Despite a change of administration and decisions by some districts to abandon the effort, Ohio is on track to implement sweeping reforms to its public-school system, according to an initial assessment of $4 billion Race to the Top grants. In first-year progress reports, the U.S. Department of Education was largely complimentary of the efforts made by the 11 states and District of Columbia to meet individually set goals for improving student and teacher performance. Read More…

• Niles schools edge toward fiscal emergency (Vindicator)

NILES - The Ohio Department of Education may place the Niles schools under fiscal emergency by the end of this month unless the district can produce a plan to eliminate its projected deficits. Niles schools have been under fiscal watch since 2003. A letter to Superintendent Mark Robinson from the finance office of ODE warns that “under the current Fiscal Watch guidelines, your district could be placed in Fiscal Emergency for failure to submit an acceptable financial recovery plan.” “If they aren’t happy with what I give them, they could place us in fiscal emergency by the end of January,” Robinson said. Read More…

• Anti-bullying bill clears Ohio Senate committee (WTOL 11 CBS)

COLUMBUS - An Ohio House bill that would expand policies against bullying in schools and online has cleared a Senate committee. The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday approved House Bill 116 known as the Jessica Logan Act. The proposed legislation is named for a Cincinnati teenager who hanged herself in 2008 after weeks of bullying at her school. State Sen. Joe Schiavoni says the bill includes several concepts from a similar bill he has proposed to address bullying. Read More…

• Wanted: 2,000 tutors (Enquirer)

Education groups Thursday will kick off the second year of a massive campaign to recruit 2,000 volunteer tutors – enough to help every child in Cincinnati Public Schools improve reading and math scores. The Be the Change campaign and volunteer celebration kicks off 11 a.m. Thursday at Rothenberg Academy in Over-the-Rhine. Volunteers do not have to attend the kickoff to apply; they can also apply online, by email or phone. Tutors are asked to commit to one hour of tutoring a week. Training is provided. Read More…

Local Issues

• Hamilton school district looks to focus on improving academics through technology (Journal News)

HAMILTON — At the 2012 organizational meeting of the Hamilton City School District Board of Education, Superintendent Janet Baker said that with the district’s master facilities plan winding down, the district will be able to focus more on improving academic achievement. “A district committee is working with a technology and planning consultant with the goal of creating a comprehensive five-year technology plan,” she said Tuesday night, reporting that a committee met last week for the second time to work on the plan. Read More…

• Accounting error might lead to more cuts (Newark Advocate)

GRANVILLE - Granville's new board of education got some grim news Monday night at its first meeting. Board members learned the district's funding shortfall is worse than projected, although not enough to seek another new property tax levy sooner than expected. District Treasurer Mike Sobul said because of an accounting error in 2011 resulting from a keyboarding mistake in the district office, $396,000 in property tax revenue mistakenly was reflected in the general operating fund instead of the debt service fund, where it was supposed to be. Read More…

• West Carrollton school district reallows non-school activities (Dayton Daily News)

WEST CARROLLTON — School buildings, closed after school to non-school programs following a Nov. 8 levy defeat, have reopened in the West Carrollton school district. District officials agreed to reopen the buildings after determining it was illegal to close them to recreational sports organizations and other non-school groups, officials said Tuesday. “Basically you have to keep your buildings open,” Superintendent Rusty Clifford. Read More…

• Little Miami schools get back on financial feet (Enquirer)

HAMILTON TWP. — Buses will soon begin rolling again in Little Miami Schools, but restoration of other student services and programs – after years of historically deep budget cuts – are farther down the road, school officials said during Tuesday evening’s board meeting. The dubious distinction for the Warren County school system as the most financially distressed in Southwest Ohio will continue through 2012 despite voters in November approving a long-sought tax hike. “We’re sort of standing in a hole right now,” Little Miami Interim Superintendent Greg Power said. Read More…

• Amherst schools cut jobs, close Shupe (Morning Journal)

AMHERST — The Amherst school board agreed to close Shupe Elementary School as a part of its plan to cut $2.5 million from its budget. The board approved cutting $1.55 million from the budget to help deal with the deficit predicted for 2012-2013 school year. With the closing of the elementary school, the district will have to restructure its lower grade levels, according to Superintendent Steve Sayers. Powers Elementary will have pre-kindergarten through second grade, while Harris Elementary will house the third and fourth grades, according to Sayers. Read More…

• East Holmes BOE outlines ways to cut costs (Times Reporter)

BERLIN — About 75 people attended the East Holmes Board of Education meeting Monday, in which a proposal to cut about $1.1 million in spending was outlined. The plan included $600,000 in cuts that were necessitated by the defeat of an emergency operating levy last November and another $500,000 in cuts that will take effect if a 3.77-mill emergency levy is defeated March 6. Read More…

Editorial

• Troubled kids (Dispatch)

Any seasoned teacher can attest that the school struggles of many kids are rooted in emotional and behavioral problems. The longer those problems go unaddressed, the worse everything else is likely to get. That makes two central Ohio programs promising: One requires bullies — and their parents — to confront the ugliness of their actions. Another offers intense therapy for preschoolers, whose behavioral issues are derailing their school careers before they start. Both programs, if successful, would provide a major collateral benefit, as well: making school better for everyone else. Read More…

• Test in November (Beacon Journal)

The Akron Board of Education acted wisely in pulling its request for a property tax increase off the March 6 ballot. The school board has opted instead to place the tax request on the ballot for the general election in November. The decision to wait carries some risk, to be sure, because it gives the board only one shot this year to raise new money that would be collected beginning in 2013. With all that is at stake in the district, school officials need time to ensure they have their ducks in a row if they hope to succeed in persuading voters to raise their property taxes. Read More…

Education Czar ok with expanding charter failure

Currently Ohio has almost 100,000 students attending 339 charter schools, costing tax payers about $720 million a year. The Governors new budget seeks to significantly privatize public education further.

With so much at stake, there's currently a lot of lobbying going on, and lot of that lobbying is around this issue

In Ohio, a charter school must have a contract with one of 77 approved sponsors (also known as authorizers) who are responsible for overseeing academics and finances. Many are school districts or county educational service centers that sponsor only one or two charter schools, but a few are nonprofit organizations that sponsor dozens.

As introduced, Kasich's budget pins more responsibility on sponsors by forbidding them from adding schools if any of their current schools are in academic watch or academic emergency, the state's two lowest rankings.

Seems reasonable that we would want authorizers to only be sponsoring quality school programs. But there's a hitch, and it's a big one

That disqualifies just about everyone who's a sponsor now because almost all have at least one low-performing school, said Terry Ryan, who heads the Ohio offices of the conservative-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Its sister foundation sponsors seven charter schools in Ohio, one of which is in academic emergency.

One would think these organizations would want to spend some time fixing their current failing schools, but no, that's not what is being lobbied for in Columbus

Ryan would like to see that changed to allow, say, 20 percent of a sponsor's schools to be low-ranked. But he's quick to add, "We do not want to return to the days when 50, 60, 70 schools were being opened by people who did not have a solid track record. We're still seeing the repercussions from that."

20 percent! That's an awful lot of students being left behind. What does the Governor's education Czar think?

Sommers is amenable to a change.

Well of course he is. This massive expansion of charter schools has nothing to do with improving education quality. It's about the bottom line.