Statewide Education News
- Monroe board delays vote on fiscal emergency (Middletown Journal)
MONROE — The Monroe Board of Education decided Monday night to table the resolution that requested the state auditor’s office to place the district in fiscal emergency. If it had passed, the resolution would not have required Monroe Local Schools — which has a projected $4.5 million deficit at the end of this fiscal year — to submit a fiscal watch recovery plan. The state auditor’s office placed the district in fiscal watch Feb. 2. Read More…
- School district to introduce Learning Café (News-Sun)
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield City School District will host an open house Thursday to introduce new components of the district’s after-hours program The Learning Cafe, formerly called the Family Academy. “We’ve got the best learning menu in the city of Springfield, something for almost everybody,” said Superintendent David Estrop. “That’s the whole idea ... so that we truly can give ... more opportunities for more people of all ages.” Read More…
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National Stories of the Day
- Embracing the Common Core: Helping Students Thrive (Fordham Institute)
Join us February 15 for an important conversation about Ohio’s adoption and implementation of the Common Core Academic Standards! Academic content standards define what students should know and be able to do, and provide guidance to teachers and schools on content and instruction. Ohio’s schools will soon move from the current standards in mathematics and English language arts to more rigorous standards developed and embraced by a consortium of 46 states and the District of Columbia. Ohio joined other states in adopting these new standards, and the aligned assessments that go with them, to help ensure that Buckeye students learn the knowledge and skills needed for success in college, careers, and life. Read More…
- Virtual Education Seen as Understudied (Education Week)
A flurry of reports and high-profile news articles over the past year has cast doubt on the effectiveness of online education, and raised concerns about the rapid growth of virtual education across the country. This increased attention comes as such education moves further into the mainstream of K-12 education and opens itself up to greater scrutiny. At this point in the maturation of virtual education, the importance of high-quality, objective research is greater than ever. Read More…
Local Issues
- Proposed Dublin school cuts include new starting times, higher fees (Dispatch)
Students in Dublin schools would start their days earlier next school year, and some would pay more for extracurricular activities, under changes proposed last night. The changes were part of $7.1 million in cuts that district officials said they need to make over the next two school years because of a November levy failure. Some of the reductions would require board approval; others would be implemented by administrators. The change in starting times would be linked to transportation changes. Read More…
- Newark schools suspends pay-to-participate fees (Newark Advocate)
NEWARK - The Newark Board of Education took two actions that members think will help improve the district's graduation rate Monday night. The board voted 5-0 to both suspend pay-to-participate fees for 2012-13 and restore partial high school busing immediately. The fees were implemented and busing eliminated during a round of cuts in 2007. Since then, students have paid $200 per sport and $55 per fine arts activity -- down to $165 and $45 after the Million Dollar Dream Committee formed four years ago. The fees have raised about $200,000 per year. Read More…
- Lakota considers cutting 69 teachers (Journal-News)
LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota Local School District administrators are proposing eliminating nearly 69 teaching positions for secondary grades in the latest round of budget cuts. The cuts are being proposed to help offset a projected $9 million budget deficit for the 2012-13 academic year. The plan would allow the district to cut the secondary payroll by about $4.3 million, according to district officials. Read More…
- Westerville schools union OKs concessions (Dispatch)
A second Westerville schools union has agreed to give up wage increases and pay more for health care to help ease the district’s financial problems. The Westerville Board of Education approved the contract for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 138 at its meeting last night. The vote was 4-1, with board member Carol French opposed. The union, which represents about 180 custodians, maintenance and food-service workers in the Westerville district, is the second of four unions to agree to concessions, which take effect only if all of the unions agree to them. Read More…
- Granville schools might cut 18.5 positions (Newark Advocate)
GRANVILLE - A reduction in staff by an equivalent of 18.5 positions is being recommended to help the Granville School District save $1.5 million during the next two years. Superintendent Jeff Brown presented a proposal to the Board of Education Monday night that would keep the Ohio Department of Education off of the district's back in two years by keeping the district out of "fiscal caution." Read More…
