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Education News for 06-05-2013

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State Education News

  • Senate, House school funding plans incomparable (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • Ohio senators on Tuesday released more details about their proposed budget for school funding…Read more...

  • Ohio could get millions in early-education funds (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Ohio would receive $103 million in federal funding during the first year of President Barack Obama’s plan to provide preschool for every 4-year-old child in the country…Read more...

  • Lawmakers applaud plan to fix Columbus schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A Senate committee vetting a bill meant to help fix financial and ethical problems within Columbus City Schools praised local leaders yesterday who testified in support of the legislation…Read more...

  • Ohio lawmakers push voucher expansion (Dayton Daily News)

    • Ohio GOP senators proposed several changes to state education funding in the latest round of revisions to the state two-year budget bill…Read more...

Local Education News

  • City schools still target of deception lawsuit (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The civil lawsuit that accuses the Columbus school district of deceiving the public about schools’ true academic standing appears to be moving forward…Read more...

  • Fairfield County school districts that shared superintendent going their own ways (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Two rural school districts in Fairfield County that currently share a superintendent are hiring separate leaders…Read more...

  • Gee’s sudden departure confounds interim superintendent plans for Columbus schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Columbus Board of Education was hours away yesterday from hiring Ohio State University Provost Joseph Alutto to a one-year contract as an interim superintendent that would have cost the district…Read more...

  • TPS revised audit projects fewer possible savings than draft report (Toledo Blade)

    • A revised performance audit of Toledo Public Schools recommends changes that could save the district $91 million over five years, $10 million less in savings than a draft version projected…Read more...

  • 4 speak at Supt. Hathorn's hearing (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Just four people spoke at a public hearing on a request by Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn to retire and then be rehired by the school district…Read more...

  • Niles schools need funding help from state (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Frank Danso, interim superintendent of Niles schools, hopes a funding bill that passed the Ohio House will help his financially strained district overcome its deficit, but two area legislators are unsure…Read more...

Editorial

    

  • Paying for education (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • Richard Ross, Ohio’s superintendent of schools, once described school-funding debates in Ohio as the education version of Groundhog Day…Read more...

So-called "right to work" Hot Potato

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The House Manufacturing and Workforce Development Committee, chaired by Rep. Schuring (R) held the first reading of HB151 and HJR5 - the anti worker so-called "right to work" legislation. They heard from the bills sponsors, Rep. Roegner (R) and Rep. Maag (R).

The hearing room was packed to capacity by opponents of the bill, indeed so many people were in opposition to this bill that they filled two additional overflow rooms, and left some standing in the hallways listening over a speaker system.

Educators opposing so-called 'right to work'

As expected, Rep. Roegner and Rep. Maag gave misleading and highly selective testimony, that failed to stand up to questions from the committee. Often they had to fall back upon "feelings", "beliefs" and ad nauseam recitation of the word "freedom" like they were auditioning for the role of William Wallace in an off-Broad St. production of Braveheart.

Rep. Tom Letson (D-Warren) said Ohio law already allows employees to choose not to belong to unions and instead contribute "fair share" payments. "It seems as though the freedom you are espousing here is already in the body of the law," he said, suggesting the proposal was redundant.

The Democrat's statement drew a roar of applause from the audience, prompting Chairman Schuring to slam the gavel and warn spectators to observe proper decorum or be ejected from the room.

Rep. Roland Winburn (D-Dayton) questioned whether the measure would allow workers who choose not to pay union dues to benefit from the union's representation and called it "a right-to-freeload law more than the workplace freedom law."

Rep. Patterson said he believed allowing individual workers to "cut their own deals" with management effectively undermines the efficacy of collective bargaining and asked the sponsors if they thought the measure would weaken labor unions in the state.

The true facts regarding so-called "right to work" laws and their impact on working people and the economy are clear

right to work stats

The hearing was more notable for what didn't happen, rather than what did. Not a single Republican questioned their colleagues about their proposed bill, despite intense questioning by the Democrats on the committee. It was also apparent that there were few, if any supporters of the bill at the hearing.

The lack of a convincing case for the bill, a lack of support in the Republican caucus, and widespread opposition led the chairman to declare the bill dead in his committee

The chairman of a House panel that heard testimony on controversial right-to-work legislation Tuesday said there would be no further hearings on the matter in his committee.

Chairman Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) said after the hearing that members of the panel had unanimously agreed not to continue deliberations on the proposals.

"I've surveyed the committee and for a wide variety of reasons, the committee has determined that it would not be appropriate to have additional hearings on the legislation," he said in an interview.

"My individual thoughts are that I've been in the legislature now for 20 years and I have not had one union shop - an owner of a company that is a union shop or an executive from a company that is a union shop - has come to me and asked for this type of legislation," the chairman said.

"So I think it's something that does not need to be addressed at this point in time. There are a whole host of other issues regarding our economy and how we can improve the economic climate in this state that we need to address."

The chairman's comments reflect the radioactive nature of the issue currently for majority Republicans who saw an attempt to curb union collective bargaining thrown out by voters last session (SB5, 129th General Assembly).

With that, the Republicans in the Ohio House passed this hot potato to their Tea Party grassroots activists. Signature collection by right wing extremists now being the only route left for this legislation to move forward. With that signature collection deadline fast approaching, and reports that the Tea Party are struggling to collect those signatures, it is unlikely a so-called "right to work" amendment will find its way onto a ballot this year. This Leaves next year (when the governor and most of his legislative pals are up for reelection) as the next possible date, followed shortly afterwards by the lame duck session of 2014.

But for now, it doesn't look like anyone wants to be left holding this anti-worker, deceitful hot potato.

Education News for 09-05-2012

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State Education News

  • Temple creates enrichment program for home-school families (Lima News)

    • A new program at Temple Christian School will offer opportunities for home-schooled children that aren’t as easy to come by at home…Read more...

  • Hunger in the classroom a growing trend (WKYC)

    • A new study that included Ohio found that teachers are reporting many of their students are hungry…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Carroll works on energy savings (Dayton Daily News)

    • A recent energy conservation project is putting Carroll High School in the spotlight. The Catholic school is the first in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati…Read more...

  • Mansfield City Schools celebrate 'turnaround' (Mansfield News Journal)

    • The Mansfield City Schools Board of Education offered reflection and exhilaration…Read more...

  • Perrysburg Public Service Director Jon Eckel retires, rehired under new policy (Toledo Blade)

    • The public hearing on Perrysburg Public Service Director Jon Eckel's retirement was quick Tuesday, lasting only a few seconds, without any public outcry -- as quiet as the ensuing hearing about his rehiring…Read more...

  • Teen Behind Cryptic Video To Be Released, Bomb Squad Checks School (WBNS)

    • A teenager accused of making a video that other parents and students deemed threatening was in juvenile court…Read more...

Editorial

  • Ohio welcomes Teach for America (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Just as Gov. John Kasich promised in his State of the State address in 2011, Teach for America graduates finally can teach in Ohio. So far, about 50 are assigned…Read more...

  • Ditching private schools (Los Angeles Times)

    • A study released last week by the libertarian Cato Institute showed that students are transferring in unexpectedly large numbers from private schools to charter schools…Read more...

Education News for 04-10-2012

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Local Issues

  • Cleveland City Council supports Jackson's school plan (Plain Dealer)

    • The Cleveland City Council approved Monday night a resolution in support of Mayor Frank Jackson's plan to overhaul the city's schools -- while urging the Cleveland Teachers Union and state legislature to follow suit. Jackson and the union are still locked in negotiations over certain aspects of the plan. Read More…

  • Hilliard to create learning hub for students (Dispatch)

    • Hilliard students will soon be able to gather at one site to take online classes, college courses and participate in after-school clubs and programs. School officials announced at the school board meeting tonight plans to convert the district’s central office, at 5323 Cemetery Rd., to a learning hub for all students districtwide. Read More..

  • Westerville schools plan would restore 80 of 204 jobs cut (Dispatch)

    • Westerville schools would restore about 80 of 204 jobs that were cut after a November levy failure, under a proposal that administrators presented to the school board last night.

    But district officials still plan to eliminate the remaining 124 jobs next school year, of which about 80 are teachers. Read More…

  • Newark schools looking to give students laptops or iPads (Newark Advocate)

    • Newark City Schools leadership can envision a time -- maybe just a few years away -- when every high school student is carrying a laptop or tablet in lieu of textbooks. The district plans to make that transition starting next school year and is deciding between Apple MacBooks and iPads for a specified subset of students. Read More…

  • New court dates set for accused Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane (Plain Dealer)

    • A Geauga County judge today set two key hearing dates that could decide when and where T.J. Lane is prosecuted in the slayings of three students at Chardon High School in February. In a brief hearing today, Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Grendell set a competency hearing for May 2. He also set a hearing for May 12, a Saturday, to determine whether Lane, 17, should be charged as an adult. Read More…

Editorial & Opinion

  • The test comes later (Dispatch)

    • Children aren’t born knowing how to manage money and many have parents who are equally befuddled, so Ohio schools have a formidable task ahead as they fulfill a state requirement to teach basic financial literacy to all graduates starting with the Class of 2014. In Columbus, the district has had programs for decades to teach students starting in grade school concepts that some children might absorb from observing their parents balance checkbooks, compare interest rates, manage credit-card debt and squirrel away savings. But even stable family finances are no guarantee that children will learn these lessons: Suburban children can be equally unprepared. Read More…

  • Think out plans for windfall (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

    • Mathews and Southington schools are wisely taking advantage of Trumbull County's oil and natural gas boom. Now the trick will be to spend the windfall wisely. Mathews Local Schools authorized a lease agreement with BP for the mineral rights to 87 acres that the board of education owns. The district should reap about $339,000 for giving BP the right to tap into the Utica / Point Pleasant shale formation to extract oil and natural gas from under the board's property near Baker and Currie elementary schools. Read More…

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