Education News for 02-14-2013

State Education News

• CPS responds on 'data scrubbing' (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Mary Ronan on Wednesday downplayed the possibility that the district could lose up to $40 million in state funding…Read more...

• Kasich education advisers defend school-funding formula (Columbus Dispatch)

Gov. John Kasich’s top education advisers told legislators yesterday that they did not attempt to calculate the adequate cost of educating a child…Read more...

• Budget proposal would fund creative education ideas (Columbus Dispatch)

Richard Ross didn’t mince words yesterday about the proposed $300 million “Straight-A” fund for schools, calling it the “single most-important element for change” in Gov. John Kasich’s school-funding formula…Read more...

Local Education News

• Reynoldsburg, schools to share services of manager (Columbus Dispatch)

Reynoldsburg and the city school district will share the services of a human-resources manager…Read more...

• District to buy 30 new buses for $2.6 million (Hamilton Journal-News)

Fairfield City Schools will spend more than $2 million during the next 10 years to purchase 30 new buses to replenish its aging fleet…Read more...

• East Holmes makes changes in staff, drops German (New Philadelphia Times)

The East Holmes Board of Education has voted to realign academic and administrative staff for the 2013-2014 school year to deal with record enrollment at Hiland High and new graduation…Read more...

• New internal assessments elicit cautious optimism for Toledo Public Schools (Toledo Blade)

As Toledo Public Schools found itself mired in public turmoil in recent months, with a search for a new superintendent, a state investigation that criticized attendance reporting practices, and the defeat of another levy…Read more...

• Elyria City School District to cut 59.5 positions (WEWS)

By a unanimous vote the Elyria City School Board approved $3 million in cuts…Read more...

• Superintendent oversees three districts (WKYC)

There is a push in Ohio for schools to share more resources and even people…Read more...

• Costly lawsuits over school busing problems (WOIO)

For eight years now 19 Action News have brought you stories of busing woes in the Nordonia Hills schools…Read more...

Donna O'Connor

This arrived in our mail box this morning and we wanted to share. Not many candidates can enthuse this many volunteers to go canvassing on the last, cold, Saturday of a campaign. Let alone a first time candidate for the Ohio House. But that's just what Special Ed teacher Donna O'Connor has been able to do every weekend.

Volunteers tell JTF that they have been recieving an incredibly positive response to Donna's message from everyone they speak too - and they have spoken to a lot of people. Well over 30,000 in fact!

Education News for 09-11-2012

State Education News

• Auditor: Probe not affected by report-card release (Associated Press)

COLUMBUS -- Releasing delayed state report cards on school progress won't hamper an investigation into potential tampering with school attendance numbers, Ohio's state auditor told education leaders Monday…Read more…

• Ohio isn't alone when it comes to school funding mistakes: editorial (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

After the Great Recession hit, far too many states took out their carving knives and quickly slashed school funding.…Read more…

• Ohio Board of Education wants school districts to go tobacco-free campus wide (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's no smoking inside schools housing grades kindergarten through 12 because a 6-year-old Ohio law prohibits indoor smoking in all public buildings and places of employment.…Read more…

• Auditor: Release report cards (Columbus Dispatch)

Go ahead and publish the on-hold school report cards, state Auditor Dave Yost told state education officials yesterday.…Read more…

• Auditor: Probe Not Affected By Report Card Release (WBNS)

Ohio's state auditor has advised education leaders that releasing delayed state report cards won't hamper his investigation into potential tampering with school attendance numbers.…Read more…

• School Attendance Scandal Costing Taxpayers Thousands (WBNS)

Ohio’s Auditor said on Monday that his staff has spent 7,000 hours and more than $140,000 on an investigating into whether Columbus City Schools officials manipulated attendance records.…Read more…

Local Education News

• Canton City Schools to follow state law on retaining students (Canton Repository)

CANTON — The Board of Education agreed Monday to change the district’s policy regarding retaining…Read more…

• Wolf Creek Local Schools to seek grant (Marietta Times)

Wolf Creek Local Schools hopes to join with 19 other Ohio school districts for a shot at their share of millions of dollars in grant funding to help with dual enrollment and blended learning classes.…Read more…

• Navy promotes STEM learning at Marion Tech (Marion Star)

The Navy is joining educators to encourage more students to seek STEM degrees. Vice Admiral James "Phil" Wisecup visited Marion Technical College recently…Read more…

• School Districts Hope To Share Services, Save Money (WBNS)

Two school districts in Licking County are exploring ways to share services to save money. Licking Heights Local Schools and the Southwest Licking Local Schools’ boards of education…Read more…

Editorial

• Lesson about secrecy still unlearned (Canton Repository)

The issue: Possible violations of open meetings law
Our view: Private meetings make it look as if Columbus board is circling the wagons…Read more…

• Catch Cheaters In Ohio Schools (Wheeling Intelligencer)

One hundred public school districts in Ohio are the focus of an investigation of falsified reports on student enrollment and attendance, it was reported during the weekend. That is approximately one-sixth of the districts in the state -…Read more…

Education News for 06-12-2012

Statewide Stories of the Day

• Language for Cleveland school reform bill finalized at last minute (Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS - The Cleveland schools reform plan, supposedly a done deal just before Memorial Day weekend, was barely finished in time for today's planned vote. At the close of business Monday, the final legislation due to be voted on by both the Ohio House and Senate education committees still wasn't written -- 17 days after Republican Gov. John Kasich joined Democratic Mayor Frank Jackson and others in a celebratory press conference. Read more...

• Deal struck on Kasich’s schools bill (Dispatch)

Special charter schools for gifted children are out, and there will be no exemption from Ohio’s school-closure law for failing dropout-recovery charter schools under an agreement reached by state legislators on Gov. John Kasich’s sweeping education bill. The House and Senate are expected to pass Senate Bill 316 this week after legislators and the administration reached a compromise on competing versions of the proposal. Read more...

Local Issues

• Youngstown school district must get handle on finances (Vindicator)

When the president of the Youngstown Board of Education used the word “yet” in talking about the district’s finances — “We’re not out of the woods yet” — we wondered if he was indulging in a bit of wishful thinking. Lock P. Beachum has been around public education in the city for many years, having served as an educator — he retired as principal of East High School — and a board member for more than a decade, which means nothing surprises him. However, the system’s ongoing financial turmoil has Beachum baffled. Read more...

• Newark school board ends 'pickup' of administrator retirement costs (Newark Advocate)

NEWARK - Newark City Schools no longer will pay its administrators' share of retirement costs, beginning with their next contracts. Board members approved a resolution Monday to adjust administrators' pay during the next contract cycle to get rid of the district payment of their share of retirement -- commonly known as a "pickup" and a "pickup-on-the-pickup." "The pickup-on-the-pickup is a political hot button," Board President Bev Niccum said. "We want to move away from it." Read more...

Brennan ordered to show where the dollars go

Although charter school operator and GOP donor David Brennan has long maintained that he does not have to show how his charter schools spend the millions they receive in taxpayer money each year, a Franklin County judge disagreed and ordered Brennan to open his books.

The ruling is a remarkable victory for open and accountable government and for parents who have been struggling to learn why schools run by White Hat Management have consistently had abysmal academic records.

[readon2 url="http://innovationohio.org/blog/sunshine-is-the-best-policy-courts-rule-charters-must-share-spending-records"]Continue reading...[/readon2]

Sen. Mark Wagoner (R) responds to JTF

State Sen. Mark Wagoner (R) wins the silver medal for being the second legislator to responsd to our recent letter. Here it is.

Thank you for your e-mail regarding House Bill 153, the state budget bill. I always appreciate hearing directly from constituents.

Creating a balanced state budget that provides value to taxpayers and improves the quality of our government’s services will be no easy task, and your input is important to me. House Bill 153 is currently undergoing hearings in the Senate Finance Committee. As you can imagine, my office receives a large volume of e-mails, letters, and phone calls regarding the budget. Although I do not have the pleasure of serving on the Finance Committee, please know that I value the information that you share with me. I will certainly keep your concerns and suggestions in mind as I continue to monitor developments in the budget closely.

Thank you again for your email. I encourage you to contact my office at (614) 466-8060 if you would like to discuss the budget or any other issue in further detail.

Sincerely,

Mark Wagoner
Ohio Senate
2nd District

Didn't really answer our questions either does it?