Education News for 04-24-2013

State Education News

• Plan for Columbus schools includes fund, auditor outside board’s control (Columbus Dispatch)

A new panel led by the city, school leaders and the private sector would control an “innovation fund” that could spend up to $50 million annually on Columbus charter and district schools, according to a draft…Read more...

• State wants out of school-bus management (Columbus Dispatch)

The Ohio Department of Education wonders: Can someone else regulate busing…Read more...

• Local public high schools ranked in Ohio, nation (Lorain Morning Journal)

Three local schools were among the top 60 in the Ohio, but much farther down the list nationally, in the 2013 ranking of the best public high schools in the U.S., announced yesterday by U.S. News & World Report…Read more...

• New strategies emphasize OAA tests (Middletown Journal)

It’s testing season in Ohio schools, and for more than 7,100…Read more...

Local Education News

• Columbus school board OKs vehicle purchase to take over private busing (Columbus Dispatch)

Columbus City Schools jumped headfirst into a major expansion of its busing operation last night by essentially firing its sole private contractor…Read more...

• School district to vote on cutting teachers (Dayton Daily News)

The members of the Vandalia-Butler City Schools Board of Education voted to cut 47 positions, including those of 33 teachers…Read more...

• Lorain City Schools board approves roughly $2.5 million in teaching contracts (Lorain Morning Journal)

Lorain City Schools board approved roughly $2.4 million in teaching contracts for the next school year…Read more...

• Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board approves teacher cuts (Sun Newspapers)

At its April 23 meeting, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board approved a reduction in force of 42…Read more...

• North Ridgeville schools address overcrowding at elementary schools (Sun Newspapers)

The school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to reorganize two of the district’s elementary schools…Read more...

• Bay Village school board credits superintendent, union for agreement (Sun Newspapers)

School board members are crediting Superintendent Clint Keener and the teachers’ union for reaching a quick agreement in recent contract negotiations…Read more...

• Youngstown schools, diocese settle transportation issues (Youngstown Vindicator)

The city school board passed a resolution Tuesday settling transportation issues between the district and two Diocese of Youngstown schools…Read more...

• Liberty schools has positive financial future (Youngstown Vindicator)

School officials said they are “cautiously optimistic” about the district’s financial future…Read more...

Education News for 04-19-2013

State Education News

• Projections show funding increases for charter schools (Akron Beacon Journal)

After cutting $82.2 million from Gov. John Kasich’s original school funding proposal, recent reports detailing…Read more...

• Emotions run high at 1st school board meeting since Strongsville teachers strike (Sun Newspapers)

Emotions wound taught and simmering frustrations snapped and boiled over…Read more...

• Strongsville teachers continue workplace picketing (Sun Newspapers)

At the end of their seventh week on strike in Strongsville, teachers there have resumed picketing at workplaces of school board members…Read more...

Local Education News

• Medina levy issue crumbles as state probes district, superintendent’s finances (Akron Beacon Journal)

The Medina school board has rescinded Superintendent Randy Stepp’s contract…Read more...

• Geneva BOE: Rehiring Zappitelli saves money (Ashtabula Star-Beacon)

Geneva Board of Education members have not been shy about their intention to retire, then rehire Superintendent Mary Zappitelli, and have given official public notice and scheduled a public hearing on the matter…Read more...

• Emphasis placed on ability to write (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Northwest Local Schools is making big changes in its three middle schools to get its adolescent students writing papers before they get to high…Read more...

• Participation fees might see reductions by Northridge board (Newark Advocate)

The Northridge School Board is considering eliminating school fees for students and reducing pay to participate fees…Read more...

Editorial

• Reeling in Medina (Akron Beacon Journal)

It won’t be easy, and it probably won’t be cheap, but the Medina school board must find a way to move forward, rebuilding public trust shattered by revelations…Read more...

• Relief from dysfunction (Akron Beacon Journal)

Medicaid expansion will remain a contentious issue for many more weeks as Ohio debates the next biennial budget. Advocates of expansion…Read more...

• Inspired teachers inspired students (Columbus Dispatch)

Great teachers don’t just pound knowledge into a student’s head; they care, inspire and change lives. They teach with such passion…Read more...

Education News for 03-06-2013

State Education News

• Ohio school superintendent finalists have questions in past (Columbus Dispatch)

Richard A. Ross, Gov. John Kasich’s education adviser and former superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, pleaded guilty to a operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless operation, speeding, and driving without a seatbelt after being pulled over in Powell, Ohio...Read more...

• State no longer flags school-worker probes (Columbus Dispatch)

We used to be able to tell you whether the state was investigating local educators for misconduct. Those days, apparently, are over…Read more...

• Officials concerned about looming cuts (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Schools could see a loss in shared service programs and staff positions if proposed funding cuts are implemented, according to area officials…Read more...

• Panel warns Yo. BOE: Keep Hathorn or we’ll take over (Youngstown Vindicator)

Youngstown schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn is staying put in the district, and the board of education has been warned to keep it that way, or lose control of the schools altogether…Read more...

Local Education News

• Jobs, busing may feel ax as Columbus schools face $25 million shortfall (Columbus Dispatch)

Eliminating more than 300 jobs, shortening the school day, dropping middle-school sports and ending all high-school transportation — including for charter and private schools…Read more...

• Fairfield schools to increase security (Hamilton Journal-News)

Fairfield City Schools plans to increase security following a review of its buildings in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting…Read more...

• Group of Strongsville High School students say they 'will not be silenced' from talking about (Sun Newspapers)

About 20 students at Strongsville High School held a silent rally outside the Board of Education office March 5…Read more...

• All sides in Strongsville teachers strike say they want deal, but no talks are scheduled (Sun Newspapers)

It's official - all sides involved in the ongoing Strongsville teachers strike have said they are ready to continue negotiating…Read more...

• Austintown teachers break off without a vote on a new contract (Youngstown Vindicator)

Austintown teachers met Tuesday but broke off without a vote on a new contract with the school board…Read more...

The diminished power of the press

The governor wasn't the only big loser last night. In fact, he probably wasn't even the biggest loser. That accolade might well be laid at the door of Ohio's print media. In usual tradition, each of Ohio's major newspapers made their endorsements to both fanfare and derision, but as the State Troopers Association notes not so ironically on the Facebook page

Ohio State Troopers Association (O.S.T.A.)
Newspaper Endorsements: Building a Better Ohio trumpeted the endorsements of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Columbus Dispatch. A review of the clout of these endorsements discloses the Dispatch endorsement produced a 36/64% vote against Issue #2 in Franklin County. The Plain Dealer did even worse, helping Issue #2 to a better than two to one thumping and the Cincinnati Enquirer endorsement preceded a 42/58% vote against Issue #2.

Is it any wonder that the printed media is looking so economically unstable. The real endorsements were found in the millions of social network pages that served as a peoples press.

Quite. But that is not all. Plunderbund, in their long SB5 reaction piece makes mention of this too

The irrelevancy of newspaper endorsements

Building a Better Ohio made much to do about getting the endorsements of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Columbus Dispatch.

Here’s the splits on Issue 2 for those counties:

Cuyahoga: 31% (endorsed position)/69% (against endorsed position).
Franklin: 36%/64%.
Hamilton: 42%/58%.
The Dispatch and Plain Dealer saw their endorsed position perform substantially worse in their home counties than they did overall. How is endorsing a position that is opposed by roughly two-thirds of your customer base smart business?

Let’s also not forget that it was many of these media outlets who called labor “foolish” for risking an all-or-nothing political gamble on a referendum campaign, even as polls at the time showed them with twenty-point leads. That was the main argument for a compromise… because Issue 2 was too divisive. Issue 2 won by almost the same margin as Ted Strickland did against Ken Blackwell in 2006. Nobody called Strickland’s election “divisive” with those numbers.

Keep in mind, there wasn’t a single newspaper in Ohio that endorsed Issue 3, either. There is nothing in the 2011 results to suggest that these endorsement brought about anything but cancelled subscriptions.

We raised this question, with the Editor of the Dispatch, Ben Marrison, about newspapers making endorsements and how they might cause readers to question the partiality of the Dispatch's reporting. The reply

@jointhefutureOH Newsroom doesn't make endorsements. We just write stories.

We replied "@dispatcheditor Yeah, but do you think readers really make a distinction? Newspapers should get out of the endorsement biz, and just report."

Given that newspaper endorsements no longer appear to carry any influence, and rightly run the risk of alienating readers, subscribers, advertisers and raising doubt on the partiality of reporting, should newspaper endorsements be cast into the dustbin of history? We believe they should be.