Statewide Education News
- Voters were sympathetic to schools’ levy requests (Dispatch)
Ohio voters approved 75 percent of the tax requests for schools in Tuesday’s primary, the highest passage rate in nearly 12 years. Not since the November 2000 general election have voters approved three-fourths of school levies. In Westerville and other parts of the state, voters opened their wallets in the wake of sweeping cuts in state aid to schools last year, which triggered teacher layoffs and reductions in academic programs, transportation services and extracurricular activities. Read More…
- Teachers Speak Out Against SB5-Like Proposal (ONN)
CINCINNATI - Ohio educators spoke out on Wednesday about what they called the first step in a statewide threat to revive Senate Bill 5, ONN’s Denise Alex reported. “Together Works Better” was the message a coalition, led by the Ohio Federation Of Teachers, wanted to get across to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and others wanting to run schools and limit collective bargaining rights of unions. Melissa Cropper is president of the Ohio Federation Of Teachers. Read More…
- iPad learning (Marietta Times)
Five-year-old Sophie Hutchinson certainly knows her way around the iPad. Quick to display her prowess with one of the hottest technological gadgets, Hutchinson has everything from math games to painting down pat. And she's not the only youngster like that. Technology like the iPad is becoming more and more prevalent among children as young as toddlers, and it's altering the educational outlook for their generation. Read More…
- Voters pass 75 percent of Ohio's school levies; 5 out of 6 pass in Cuyahoga County (Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND — Public school officials across Ohio woke up smiling Wednesday following a long election night that saw voters approve school levies in higher numbers than they had in several years. Statewide, there were 110 public school money issues on Tuesday's ballot. Eighty-one passed. While many of the state's races were nail-bitters -- more than a third of those that won did so with less than 250 votes -- school officials said that voters seemed to understand the impact of dramatic declines in revenue from property taxes, ongoing state budget cuts and the phase-out of Ohio's tangible personal property tax, which taxes business inventory and equipment. Read More…
Local Issues
- Teach For America debuts in Dayton this fall (Dayton Daily News)
DAYTON — Three Dayton charter schools or systems have signed on for Teach For America’s debut in Ohio this fall, part of the organization’s three-year commitment to place 90 teachers in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Dayton Early College Academy, Dayton Leadership Academy and National Heritage Academies are among six charter schools or systems and two districts that will partner with TFA, said Ben Lindy, executive director for Teach For America-Southwest Ohio. Read More…
- Suit demands data on city schools’ use of ‘seclusion rooms’ (Dispatch)
A mother says her son, who is autistic, was terrified when he was left in a “seclusion room” at his Columbus high school. The 18-year-old stripped naked and urinated. A state agency that protects people with disabilities wants to investigate but says the Columbus school district has blocked its attempts. The Ohio Legal Rights Service sued the district in federal court on Monday, seeking records to show how often — and why — school employees isolate students in the cell-like rooms. Read More…
- New-money school taxes fare well statewide but poorly in Akron-Canton area (Beacon Journal)
The 53 percent statewide passage rate for new school taxes in Tuesday’s election — 30 of 57 — was the highest percentage since at least 2003, according to the Ohio School Boards Association. “We had about 81 out of the 110 issues pass [Tuesday],” OSBA spokesman Jeff Chambers said. But voters in only one school district in the Akron-Canton area approved new money: the Triway district in Wayne County, which easily passed a 0.75 percent earned income tax. Read More…
- Southwest Licking Schools serious about saving energy (Newark Advocate)
PATASKALA - Southwest Licking Local Schools intends to craft an energy policy to save money on its utility costs. The board recently voted to hire Johnson Controls -- the move temporarily is on hold until the district's attorney reviews the contract -- to perform an energy audit that will highlight ways to save on utility bills, not just in every district building but in every district classroom. Southwest Licking will pay $46,000 in the first year of the five-year contract for the service, but Johnson Controls is guaranteeing the district will realize at least $67,000 in annual savings. Read More…
- Carlisle to consider cuts following school issue defeat (Middletown Journal)
CARLISLE — The day after a combined bond issue and income tax increase failed for a second straight time, Superintendent Larry Hook said the Carlisle Local School District has little option but to proceed with budget cuts. Voters on Tuesday again defeated a bond issue that would have generated $28.1 million and a 0.75 percent income tax increase that would bring in $1.3 million annually for operations. The monies raised from the bond issue would have been combined with $29.8 million from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission to build a new K-12 facility. Read More…
- Teen held in high-school hit-list case (Dispatch)
A Licking County high-school student, who was arrested after authorities say she wrote a hit-list in a school bathroom on Monday, is being evaluated to see whether she’s a danger to herself or others. Sierra K. Bruner, 17, appeared in juvenile court yesterday afternoon, and a court-appointed attorney entered denials — the juvenile equivalent of a not-guilty plea — to two felony juvenile charges of inducing panic, one felony juvenile count of making a false alarm and one misdemeanor juvenile charge of criminal damaging. She originally faced one count of inducing panic. Read More…
- Teach for America recruits to work for Cleveland charter schools this fall (Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND - Fifty or more recruits from Teach for America will be in Cleveland-area classrooms this fall, the program announced Wednesday. They will teach at charter schools operated by Breakthrough Schools, Constellation Schools, I CAN Schools and Mosaica Education. Partnership agreements with more schools are likely to be added as discussions continue, said Mike Wang, a senior vice president in charge of expanding the national program. In addition, another 30 or so recruits will work in the Cincinnati and Dayton regions. Read More...
