Only a month has passed since we last published the long list of local communities opposing the statewide expansion of vouchers contained in the Governor's budget. But in that short period of time, the number of school districts passing a resolution in opposition has now passed 170.

Here's the list.

Adena local	Lorain County ESC
Allen East Local	Lordstown Local
Anthony Wayne Local	Loudonville-Perrysville
Antwerp Local	Louisville City
Athens City	Lynchburg-Clay Local
Austintown Local	Madeira City
Barnesville EV	Mahoning County C&TC
Bath Local	Manchester Local
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek	Marietta City
Belmont-Harrison Vocational	Mathews Local
Belpre City	Miami County ESC
Berea City	Miamisburg City
Big Walnut Local	Millecreek West Unity
Bloom-Carroll Local	Milton-Union Local
Bloomfield-Mespo Local	Minford Local
Bluffton EV	Monroeville Local
Boardman Local	Morgan Local
Bridgeport	Muskingum Valley ESC
Bristol Local	National Trail Local
Brown Local	Nelsonville-York City
Brown County ESC	New Lexington City
Buckeye Local (Jefferson)	New Richmond
Caldwell EV	New Riegel
Campbell City	Newcomerstown EV
Chagrin Falls EV	Newbury Local
Chillicothe City	Noble Local
Chippewa Local	North Olmsted
Circleville City	Northern Local
Clay Local	Northmont City
Clinton-Massie Local	Northwest Local (Scioto
Clyde Green Springs	Northwestern Local
Columbiana County ESC	Northwood Local
Columbiana EV	Oak Hill Union Local
Coshocton City	Oak Hills Local
Coshocton County JVS	Oakwood City
Coventry	Oberlin Local
Crestline EV	Ohio Valley ESC
Crestview Local	Old Fort Local
Crooksville EV	Ottawa-Glandorf
Cuyahoga Falls	Parma City
Cuyahoga Heights	Put-in-Bay Local
Dublin City	Revere Local
East Guernsey Local	Ridgedale Local
East Liverpool City	Ripley Union Lewis Huntington
Eastern Local (Meigs)	River View Local
Eastern Local (Pike)	Ross Local
Fairbanks	Ross-Pike ESC
Fairborn City	St. Clairsville-Richland City
Fairfield Union	St. Marys City
Fayetteville-Perry Local	Sandusky City
Federal Hocking Local	Sheffield-Sheffield Lake
Felicity-Franklin Local	Shelby City
Findlay City	South Central Ohio ESC
Firelands Local	South Range Local
Fort Frye	Southeast Local (Portage)
Fort Loramie Local	Southern Local
Franklin Local	Southern Ohio ESC
Galion City	Southington Local (Lucas)
Gallipolis City	Springfield Local (Summit)
Garaway Local	Southwest Local
Geneva Area City	Springfield Local
Genoa Area Local	Springfield City
Goshen Local	Streetsboro City
Graham	Sylvania Local
Grand Valley Local	Trimble Local
Granville EV	Trumbull Career & Tech
Green Local (Franklin Furnace)	Tuscarawas Vlley Local
Greenfield EV	Tuslaw Local
Hardin-Houston Local	Union Local
Huber Heights City	Urbana City
Huntington Local	Vanlue Local
Indian Creek Local	Vantage Career Center
Indian Valley Local	Van Wert City
Jackson City	Vinton County Local
James A. Garfield Local	Warren City
Jennings Local	Warren Local
Kalida Local	Washington Local
Kenston Local	Washington-Nile
Keystone Local	Waverly
LaBrae Local	Wayne County Career Center
Lancaster City	Wayne Local
Leetonia EV	Wellston City
Liberty Local	West Muskingum
Licking County ESC	Wheelersburg
Lincolnview Local	Williamsburg Local
Lisbon EV	Yellow Springs EV
Logan-Hocking Local	Zane Trace Local
	Zanesville City

Statewide Education News

Money questions surround Kasich's education reform plan (Dayton Daily News)

COLUMBUS - So many third-grade students are reading below grade level that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is proposing requiring school districts to provide summer school or retain struggling students. But some lawmakers and educators had one question: Where’s the money to pay for the changes? Read More…

Local Issues

Schools chief: ‘This is about kids’ (Tiffin Advertiser Tribune)

The leader of Ohio's public school system visited Tiffin Wednesday to introduce a new phase of school improvement set to begin in the 2014-15 school year. Stan Heffner, superintendent of public instruction for Ohio Department of Education, spoke during Rotary Club of Tiffin's meeting Wednesday afternoon. "This is about kids," he said. "My goal is to put kids ahead of institutions." Read More…

Backers of e-schools protest state’s new grading system (Dispatch)

About 100 parents and students of Ohio e-schools relayed a message to lawmakers today that they should oppose Gov. John Kasich’s proposed school-grading system “until it is fair for all schools.” Instead of the current grading system, in which 92 percent of traditional schools get the equivalent of an A or B, Kasich proposed tougher accountability standards that measure performance on state tests, graduation rates, student progress and how well certain categories of students are doing. Read More…

CMSD Proposes Cuts to Reduce Budget Deficit (WJW-Cleveland)

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is considering laying off teachers as one of several ways to reduce its $66 million deficit. At least 600 teacher and 50 staff member positions are at stake under the proposed cuts, as well as implementing an employee separation incentive program. Selling district owned buildings no longer needed is also under consideration. Read More…

Teays Valley principal was fired illegally, Ohio Supreme Court rules (Dispatch)

The former principal of a Teays Valley Local elementary school must be rehired because school-board members denied her the opportunity to meet with them before she was fired, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The 7-0 decision, written by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, said the Pickaway County school district broke state law in 2008 by improperly firing Principal Stacey Carna of Ashville Elementary School. Read More…

Disputed schools legislation filed in Columbus as Cleveland Teachers Union and Mayor Frank Jackson plan to continue talks tonight (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Teachers Union and Mayor Frank Jackson plan to resume negotiating a deal on Jackson's school improvement plan tonight, even though legislation that the union objects to was filed at the Statehouse today. CTU and Jackson had planned to meet after Easter, both sides said yesterday, but they have called a meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall. If they can reach agreement on one of two remaining sticking points - how to handle staffing at struggling schools - Jackson has hinted that he may not see a need for the other disputed point - his push to start contract negotiations from scratch, throwing out all previous contracts. Read More…

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, teachers union make progress on school reforms plan but don't reach final deal (Plain Dealer)

The Cleveland Teachers Union and Mayor Frank Jackson met for more than seven hours in a last-minute negotiation session Wednesday night trying to reach agreement on the last two disputed points in Jackson’s school improvement plan. The sides broke up about 1:30 a.m., saying they continued making progress and that lawyers would work on language for them to review early next week. Read More…

Students learn science to a different beat (Beacon Journal)

Sitting on the floor in Karen Grindall’s room at Portage Path elementary school on Tuesday afternoon, two cheery first-graders tapped an iPad with enviable ease and laid down their own hip-hop beats. Jullian Lopez and Claire Haidet grinned widely listening to their songs with headphones. They were eager to share them with their teacher, John Bennett. The next step was to write lyrics expressing science concepts in their own words. Read More…

Sheriff: Olentangy H.S. Student Told Others Bomb Would Be Set Off Thursday (WBNS-Columbus)

A student who told another student that a bomb would be set off at Olentangy High School Thursday was being sent to a juvenile detention center, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Walter Davis said Wednesday. The freshman student said that he was leaving the country for the Middle East and that a bomb would be set off at the school at 11 a.m. Thursday, Davis said. Read More…

Green athletic director, attorney still considering course of action (Beacon Journal)

GREEN: Canton attorney Randolph Snow and Green schools Athletic Director Mark Pfaff said they still are considering their next moves following the nonrenewal of Pfaff’s contract last week. “We’re still reviewing the matter to determine what course of action we’ll take,” Snow said in an interview Wednesday. Snow said there is nothing in Pfaff’s personnel file to suggest that the recommendation of Green High School Principal Cindy Brown that Pfaff receive a two-year contract renewal “shouldn’t happen.” Read More…

Lancaster teacher accused of hurting girl, 6 (Dispatch)

A first-grade teacher accused of slamming a student against a locker over homework has been charged with assault and removed from the classroom. Tara W. Graham, 42, pleaded not guilty to the first-degree misdemeanor on Friday in Fairfield County Municipal Court. She teaches at West Elementary School in the Lancaster district. Read More…

Editorial

Building block (Dispatch)

Gov. John Kasich is right to resurrect the idea of the so-called third-grade reading guarantee, this time with more help to prevent kids from falling behind. Lawmakers who are fretting about its cost should work with the administration to develop a plan and then figure out how to fit it into state and school-district budgets. Few academic goals are as important as having children reading at grade level by the end of third grade, because that’s roughly the point at which lessons become complex enough that children can’t master them without good reading-comprehension skills. Read More…

Opposition to voucher expansion has doubled to more than 170

Education News for 04-05-2012