Education News for 05-28-2013

State Education News

• Coventry schools lead state in financial stress, but may have righted the ship (Akron Beacon Journal)

For nearly as long as Ohio has been rating school districts based on their financial health, Coventry schools has been in fiscal watch — the second-lowest level possible…Read more...

• Bulletproof backpacks used to protect some school children (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Guns weren't the only thing people raced to buy after 20 students and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School…Read more...

• Columbus school board president clarifies stand on auditor (Columbus Dispatch)

Columbus Board of Education President Carol Perkins said this week that the district’s internal auditor’s post “is not going to be done away with,” but she issued a statement later saying that her words had been misinterpreted…Read more...

• 3 referred to state in city schools data probe (Columbus Dispatch)

The Columbus school district has reported three former employees with ties to its data scandal to a state office that investigates educator wrongdoing…Read more...

• Area schools to get $1.8M to meet new state requirements (Dayton Daily News)

Several districts and schools across the Miami Valley will get a $1.8 million boost to meet the state’s new early literacy and reading requirements, including two districts in Clark and all districts in Champaign counties…Read more...

• State denies request for more information on attendance investigation (Dayton Daily News)

The Ohio Department of Education has denied the newspaper’s request to see Northridge Local Schools’ official written response to allegations that it scrubbed student attendance data…Read more...

• Non-traditional high school graduates grows (Dayton Daily News)

The majority of Ohio public high school seniors still graduate from traditional schools but a growing number of them are graduating from non-traditional high schools…Read more...

• Changes coming to GED; New standards, switch to digital format (Lorain Morning Journal)

It’s been three years since 21-year-old Larita White started working toward her GED, but her progress may be undone if she doesn’t receive the diploma before January…Read more...

• State OKs plans to fix school data errors (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

Ohio schools that reportedly had errors in certain enrollment data have gotten state approval of plans to fix the issues…Read more...

• It looks like there will be more money for more preschool in state (Ohio Public Radio)

Some conservative Ohio lawmakers and some faith leaders who generally support conservative causes want to put millions of additional dollars into more preschool…Read more...

Local Education News

• Kids learning to COPE with stress (Columbus Dispatch)

Nothing gets 14-year-old Lyle Watters’ stomach tied up in knots as much as when his mom and stepdad argue…Read more...

• Columbus schools may tap OSU provost as fill-in chief (Columbus Dispatch)

The Columbus school board president has asked Joseph Alutto, vice president and provost at Ohio State University, to lead Columbus City Schools until a permanent superintendent…Read more...

• North Baltimore to evaluate digital device program (Findlay Courier)

Results of a pilot program that permitted North Baltimore students to use mobile electronic devices during school hours will be assessed by school officials this summer…Read more...

• VB teachers, school begin contract talks (Findlay Courier)

Contract negotiations between Van Buren's teachers and administrators have begun and are proceeding well, Superintendent Tim Myers…Read more...

• Board approves reading, math programs for 2013 (Toledo Blade)

At its regular meeting last week, the board of education approved the 2013 elementary intervention program, including its fees and instructors…Read more...

• Board supports policy of student drug testing (Toledo Blade)

Fremont Ross High School students will undergo random drug testing next school year, following the school board’s support for a new drug testing policy…Read more...

• District to provide iPads to students (Toledo Blade)

Seventh and eighth graders in Oregon schools will get a welcome amenity next year when classes start: a new iPad. The board of education last week approved a technology lease with Apple Inc. that will put an iPad…Read more...

Editorial

• School board made good choice (Columbus Dispatch)

A public resolution by the Columbus Board of Education, expressing support for the recommendations of the Columbus Education Commission, is welcome…Read more...

• Easy vote for lawmakers (Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio lawmakers have before them a simple piece of legislation that won’t cost a dime in state funds, has bipartisan sponsorship, enjoys the broadest possible community support and unites groups…Read more...

Education News for 04-05-2013

Local Education News

• Ohio superintendent of public instruction presents banners to 3 schools (Coshocton Tribune)

Richard Ross, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction, visited a couple classrooms during a stop in the county to present three schools with special Schools of Promise banners…Read more…

• Avon Lake City School officials receive $1,500,000 tax revenue advance (Lorain Morning Journal)

Avon Lake City School officials are relieved after being granted a $1.5 million tax revenue advance from the Lorain County Auditor’s Office yesterday after a late tax payment by NRG Energy Inc.…Read more…

• Board overturns decision to close Akron Digital Academy (Akron Beacon Journal)

A recent vote to close Akron Digital Academy, an online charter school sponsored by Akron Public Schools, was overturned Thursday…Read more…

• Charter school under scrutiny (Cincinnati Enquirer)

So many financial and student records are missing from the now shuttered International College Preparatory Academy in Bond Hill that Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost says he questions how nearly $1 million in federal funds was spent…Read more…

• Toledo Public Schools narrows interim superintendent search to 2 finalists (Toledo Blade)

The Toledo Board of Education pared further Thursday its candidate list for interim superintendent of Toledo Public Schools…Read more…

• Canal Winchester plans April 15 vote on open enrollment (Columbus Dispatch)

Canal Winchester could become the third Franklin County school system to open its doors to students living outside the district.…Read more…

• Taking advantage of a change in state law, Fostoria school administrators are seeking voter (Findlay Courier)

Taking advantage of a change in state law, Fostoria school administrators are seeking voter approval of an 8.15-mill continuing levy on May 7.…Read more…

• Three school tax issues on Seneca County ballots in May (Findlay Courier)

Bettsville School District is seeking renewal of a 1 percent, five-year income tax for operating expenses in the May 7 primary.…Read more…

• Clear Fork puts off drug test vote (Mansfield News Journal)

A vote to approve the first reading of the potential new Clear Fork Schools drug testing policy was postponed during a lengthy board meeting Thursday night.…Read more…

• Takin’ It to the Schools part of Alcohol Awareness Month (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

As part of Alcohol Awareness Month, Takin’ It to the Schools, a school-based alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention program…Read more…

• $27M Niles high school set to open next week (Youngstown Vindicator)

The new $27 million Niles McKinley High School will officially open to students Tuesday morning.…Read more…

Education News for 04-04-2013

Local Education News

• Toledo Public Schools audit identifies $100M in savings over 5 years (Toledo Blade)

A private consulting firm that conducted a performance audit of Toledo Public Schools recommends moves the firm says would save the district about $100 million over five years…Read more…

• State Auditor: Noncompliance Findings For Columbus City Schools (WBNS)

State Auditor Dave Yost released documents overnight detailing findings from an annual audit of the Columbus City School district.…Read more…

• Strongsville Strike: Negotiation meeting ends with no deal (WOIO)

A federal mediator met with both sides in the ongoing Strongsville teachers strike Wednesday morning. But after 14 hours of negotiating, no deal was made.…Read more…

• Assaulting bus drivers, passing school buses could bring stiffer penalties in Cleveland (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

City Council's Public Safety Committee approved two ordinances this morning that would stiffen the penalty for passing school buses and add assaults on a public transit worker to the list of misconduct on a public bus or train.…Read more…

• Left behind? (Marietta Times)

Some local school officials are concerned about having the hardware and capacity to administer new computer-based state tests set to debut in 2014-15.…Read more…

• Monroe approves superintendent contract (Middletown Journal)

The Monroe school board in late March approved a two-year contract for Dr. Phil Cagwin as superintendent, confirmed district treasurer Holly Cahall.…Read more…

• Schools face up to $1.3M cuts (Springfield News-Sun)

Federal sequestration budget cuts could cost Clark and Champaign County schools up to $1.3 million for tutors and other staff members that help disadvantaged students, at the same time that districts are facing new state reading requirements.…Read more…

• Preschool project hinging on quality (Cincinnati Enquirer)

“A chair for every child in a quality preschool.” That’s the mission of Preschool Promise, an ambitious plan to expand preschool access to 1,000 more children from low- and middle- income families annually in Greater Cincinnati……Read more…

• Mock school shooting gives true experience in Boardman (Youngstown Vindicator)

Two Boardman High School students lay helpless, one in a first-floor hallway bleeding from her arm, one on the stairs missing half of his leg.…Read more…

• Activists complain of inaction by Youngstown school board (Youngstown Vindicator)

A group of activists and city school parents, frustrated with what they see as a lack of response to its concerns from the school board, is launching its own action plan to improve the quality of education.…Read more…

Education News for 03-18-2013

State Education News

• Fund manager bonuses questioned (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Fund managers at Ohio’s state teacher pension system took in nearly $4 million in bonuses last year – with many of the bonuses alone more than the governor’s salary…Read more...

• New superintendents getting smaller salaries (Columbus Dispatch)

So far, all of the new superintendents in Franklin County will start their jobs at a lower salary than their predecessors…Read more...

• Acting state superintendent takes New Albany job (Columbus Dispatch)

Days after being passed over for Ohio schools chief, Michael Sawyers, who has been acting superintendent for seven months, announced yesterday he is leaving the Department of Education for a job in New Albany-Plain schools…Read more...

• When is it bullying? (Mansfield News Journal)

Bullying has drawn increased attention, as some of the nation’s deadliest school shootings have been linked to it…Read more...

• School board president reported neighboring district (Middletown Journal)

Kelly Kohls, president of the Springboro school board, was the first person to ask whether aletter critical of the governor that was posted on the Franklin schools web site and sent to families violated Ohio law…Read more...

• Pecko defends district action on ‘scrubbing’ (Toledo Blade)

Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Jerome Pecko defended how his district handled truancy reports and other data in a written response sent to the Ohio Department of Education over a state investigation involving TPS reporting practices…Read more...

• Area school districts prepare for state tests taken online (Youngstown Vindicator)

Tenth-graders across the state spent much of last week huddled over test booklets, pencils in hand, but in 2014-15 they’ll sit in front of computers instead…Read more...

Local Education News

• Canton City Schools expands focus on early learning (Canton Repository)

When Alicia Paulette first heard about City Schools’ “A Brighter Tomorrow” plan last month, she was excited…Read more...

• Jackson school district moves Jesus portrait (Columbus Dispatch)

A Jesus portrait that has embroiled a southeastern Ohio school district in a federal lawsuit has been moved from the middle school to a high school at the preference of a Christian- based student club that the district views as the picture’s owner…Read more...

• Panel asks: Columbus school board due for change? (Columbus Dispatch)

A mayoral takeover is not the only option for those who want to overhaul Columbus City Schools. Maybe not even a realistic one…Read more...

• Xenia school board censures member (Dayton Daily News)

A Xenia Community Board of Education member said a resolution censuring him that was recently passed by his fellow board members was “wrongful, unfair, and grossly illegal."…Read more...

• Conotton Valley Local considers layoffs amid funding woes (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

A month after voting to close one of its elementary schools, the Conotton Valley Board of Education will consider a proposal Monday to lay off or reduce the hours of more than a dozen employees…Read more...

• Demand for at-risk group's services higher than ever (Newark Advocate)

Skylar Tharp has felt the sting of words such as “weird” and “freak."Read more...

• District plans to improve security (Springfield News-Sun)

Mechanicsburg school board members are considering a plan to improve security in the district by installing new cameras and requiring visitors to buzz in at additional entrances to school facilities…Read more...

• Toledo Public Schools system boosts communication (Toledo Blade)

When bad weather hit in years past and Toledo Public Schools canceled or delayed classes, parents and kids had to wait for media reports to cycle through Toledo to learn if there was school that day…Read more...

Editorial

• Charter diversion (Akron Beacon Journal)

Ohio’s charter school program has made remarkable strides as an alternative to the traditional public school system. But from the beginning, the mechanism for funding the rapidly expanding system was — and remains — contentious…Read more...

• Lake Local faces tough decisions (Canton Repository)

The Lake Local Board of Education is facing what every other school district has in the last few years: More cuts to its budget — to the tune of $1.5 million in the upcoming school year — and an attempt to raise more money…Read more...

• New leader, big issues (Columbus Dispatch)

Taking the helm of the Ohio Department of Education now presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities, and The Dispatch extends best wishes to Richard Ross in the top job…Read more...

• School system restructuring deserves state financial help (Youngstown Vindicator)

For the second time in two years, the troubled Youngstown City School District is undergoing a major transformation in an effort to not only stop the exodus of students…Read more...

• ODE's rating system muddies perception (Zanesville Times-Recorder)

The problem with labels is they rarely tell the whole story. In the case of the Ohio Department of Education’s newest label, the story of school performance has become completely muddled…Read more...

Education News for 02-15-2013

Local Education News

• James tackles Akron, state issues in ‘State of the Schools’ speech (Akron Beacon Journal)

Akron Public Schools Superintendent David James gave his fifth annual “State of the Schools” address Thursday, detailing challenges stemming…Read more...

• Normal school security routine returns Monday (Chillicothe Gazette)

The atmosphere at Chillicothe Middle and High School is expected to regain a sense of normalcy on Monday after a week of boosted police presence at the campus…Read more...

• Findlay evaluations will look for gifted students (Findlay Courier)

Findlay City Schools Gifted Services is arranging evaluations of students in kindergarten through 12th grade to determine if they are gifted in the visual and performing arts areas of dance, drama, music and visual arts…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…Read more...

• McDonald officials reject arming teachers (Youngstown Vindicator)

McDonald schools have hired local off-duty police officers who will rotate for an eight-hour shift daily to provide additional security at the schools…Read more...

Editorial

• Question of adequacy (Akron Beacon Journal)

For more than 20 years two concepts have dominated the school-funding debate in Ohio: adequacy and equity. Equity points to a distribution issue…Read more...

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...