Education News for 04-19-2012

Local Issues

• Town hall session on teen drinking sparks interest (Newark Advocate)

The students of Granville High School's CHAMPS group kicked off this past week's town hall meeting on underage alcohol use by shocking the audience. They read anonymous stories from Granville teens who said they used drugs and alcohol on a regular basis. Read more..

• Parents, Teachers Angry Over CMSD Staff Layoffs (WJW – Cleveland)

The decision by the Cleveland Municipal School District to respond to a $66-million budget deficit, by laying off 508 teachers, is being criticized by teachers and parents. Justin Hons, 32, is being laid-off from his job as a social studies teacher at John Hay High School, and it’s his fourth lay-off notice in 11 years. Read more..

• Raising Tusc summit: Give grads skills that employers require (New Philadelphia Times Reporter)

Schools of the 21st century must focus on graduating students who have the skills employers are requiring, a Georgia educator told area business and school leaders Wednesday. Frank Pinson, chief executive officer of the Floyd County College and Career Academy, was keynote speaker at the Raising Tuscarawas summit at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University Tuscarawas. Read more..

• Bellaire School District asking community for funding ideas (WTOV-Steubenville)

Bellaire School District officials will hold a community meeting on Thursday focusing on the future of the financially strapped district. In 35 years, the district has not had any additional money for operations, and Superintendent Tony Scott said he hopes community members can generate ideas for funding. Read more..

• CPS cuts 10 percent of teaching staff (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Cincinnati Public Schools will have 237 fewer teachers next school year. The seven-member board of education voted unanimously Wednesday to eliminate about 10 percent of its teaching staff to help fill a $43 million budget gap. The cuts, which the Enquirer reported earlier this month, come as the district works to maintain its place as Ohio’s highest-rated urban school district. Read more..

• Reynoldsburg City School Students Will Pay More To Play (10-TV-Columbus)

Reynoldsburg City School District officials said that many were questioning the school booster club following a rise in prices for students wishing to participate in sports. The school board voted on Tuesday night to raise the fee to participate in sports to more than $100 to make up for the money it expected to receive from a booster club, 10TV's Tanisha Mallett reported. Read more..

• Student's mother seeks reprimand against police chief, principal (Springfield News Sun)

A mother is asking for the Enon police chief and principal of Indian Valley School to be reprimanded after she said her son was unjustly questioned about a missing cell phone against school policies. The incident happened March 28 after the mother of an Indian Valley School parent reported her daughter’s cell phone missing. Read more..

• Taking gun to school gets student 3 weekends in jail (Columbus Dispatch)

A Columbus high-school student who took a gun to school last year was placed on probation yesterday and ordered to spend three weekends in jail. Razoar B.D. Harding, 18, of Briar Ridge Road on the East Side, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of carrying a concealed weapon. Read more..

Why educators oppose SB5 and vote no on issue 2

Here are some of the reasons educators and educational support professionals are opposed to SB5 and will be voting no on Issue 2

Issue 2 is Unfair

"Teachers care deeply about our kids. When I discovered that special education students in my school district didn't have the books and resources they needed, I turned to my colleagues. The union contract helped my students get the tools they needed. That's why I'm voting NO on Issue 2. I know that without collective bargaining, my special needs students would fall through the cracks—and that's just not fair for them, or anyone else."

—Marjorie Punter, special education teacher, Dayton, Ohio

Issue 2 is Unsafe

"I take my job very seriously. After all, parents trust me to make sure their child is safe. It's a huge responsibility, and I'm afraid Issue 2 will put our kids' safety in jeopardy. For me, that's just too much to risk, which is why I am voting NO on Issue 2."

—Ian Ruck, bus driver, Pataskala, Ohio

Issue 2 Hurts Us All

“As a teacher and a mother, I worry about our children. Politicians may think they are fixing our schools, but they haven't spent any time in the classroom, and their one-size-fits-all reforms are risking our children’s future. Our kids are not widgets, and shortchanging them is not only irresponsible and shortsighted, but it hurts us all. That's why I'm voting NO on Issue 2.”

—Kyley Richardson, high school Spanish teacher, Continental, Ohio

The Ethics Of Testing Children Solely To Evaluate Adults

The recent New York Times article, “Tests for Pupils, but the Grades Go to Teachers,” alerts us of an emerging paradox in education – the development and use of standardized student testing solely as a means to evaluate teachers, not students. “We are not focusing on teaching and learning anymore; we are focusing on collecting data,” says one mother quoted in the article. Now, let’s see: collecting data on minors that is not explicitly for their benefit – does this ring a bell?

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