Ed News

Education News for 02-08-2012

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Statewide Education News

  • Gov. John Kasich endorses Cleveland mayor's plan to improve schools (Plain Dealer)

    • STEUBENVILLE - Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's new plan to revitalize Cleveland's public schools got a hearty endorsement from Republican Gov. John Kasich Tuesday during his State of the State address. Kasich pledged to go "door to door" with Jackson to persuade lawmakers to support the legislative changes needed. "The Cleveland business community and the mayor are committed to very comprehensive and unbelievable reform," Kasich said. Read More…

  • UD part of effort to train science, math teachers (Dayton Daily News)

    • President Barack Obama on Tuesday said a renewed focus on math and science education, in which he’s proposing to spend $80 million, should be an imperative. Obama called for putting new funding toward improving math and science education, an effort he said would be crucial to the nation’s long-term success. The president’s budget proposal, expected next week, will include a request for $80 million for a competition to support teacher preparation programs. Read More…

  • Ohio Gov. Kasich touts education, broadband in State of State (Newark Advocate)

    • STEUBENVILLE - Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced a plan to boost to broadband network speeds, introduced an award honoring courageous Ohioans and said shale drilling shouldn't come at the expense of the environment in an annual State of the State speech mostly devoid of big initiatives. Kasich spoke for almost 90 minutes in an address in the auditorium of a high-performing elementary school in Steubenville, picking a blue-collar town he said reminded him of his Pennsylvania hometown to take the speech outside Columbus for the first time in history. Read More…

  • Kasich: Education will lead to new jobs (Dayton Daily News)

    • STEUBENVILLE — Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday said that jobs in manufacturing, logistics and other industries are moving back, but the state needs to revamp public education and align work force training to match job openings. In his State of the State speech, Kasich said Ohio has picked up 43,500 jobs and climbed from being ranked 48th in job creation to ninth and is No. 1 in the Midwest. “We are alive again. We are out of the ditch,” he said. Read More…

Local Issues

  • Barberton school officials say layoffs are inevitable (Beacon Journal)

    • BARBERTON - School officials say layoffs are inevitable next school year to help meet financial obligations. The Barberton district faces a $3 million deficit by the end of the 2012-13 school year. Treasurer Ryan Pendleton blames declining revenue on state cuts and lower property values. “The layoffs should come to no surprise to anyone,” interim Superintendent Patti Cleary said Monday at the Barberton Board of Education meeting. “It’s what we knew we would have to do if the levy didn’t pass just to get us through the next school year.” Read More…

  • Cleveland Officials Announce School Overhaul (WJW 8 Fox)

    • CLEVELAND — Cleveland officials are unveiling a plan to transform the city’s school system. The goal is to deliver immediate action for Cleveland’s school children and to serve as a model of innovation for the state of Ohio. Mayor Frank Jackson says unacceptable academic performance, declining enrollment and a broken financial situation are all threatening the very existence of public education in Cleveland. Read More…

  • City, school leaders set to discuss grant for Head Start (Toledo Blade)

    • A who's who of local educators, community leaders, and elected officials is to meet Friday to discuss Toledo's Head Start grant, which could be in jeopardy. "I thought it was a good idea to ask everybody that has an interest in this [grant] … to come together," said Pete Gerken, president of the Board of the Lucas County Commissioners. Locally, Head Start is run by the Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Greater Toledo, which recently was notified it must compete with other agencies if it wants to keep receiving $13 million in federal funding. Read More…

  • West Geauga Schools offers ways to report problems (News-Herald)

    • The West Geauga School District announced it has implemented a 24/7 online and telephone hotline for students and parents to report personal and school safety issues, as well as incidents of bullying. The hot line offers access to crisis management support for concerns such as suicide, self-abuse, drugs and other personal issues. In addition, reports of bullying and other school safety concerns are automatically communicated to administrators for timely investigation, the district said. Read More…

  • Preble Shawnee schools to cut 14 positions (News-Sun)

    • CAMDEN — Fourteen positions – mostly teachers from the high school ranks – will be cut when the school year in the Preble Shawnee Local School District ends in May, the superintendent said Tuesday evening. Both he and the president of the local teacher’s union agree the cuts are a direct result of the still sluggish national and local economy, lost state funding for education and a decline in enrollment. Read More…

Editorial

  • Sick, sick, sick (Chicago Tribune)
      We've often heard you talk fondly about your days as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. You may have heard that the schools face a huge budget crisis. You want to do something good for the schools and set an example for everyone who works there? Write a check for $50,297. Make it out to Chicago Public Schools. On the memo line put "Re: unearned pay." That's what you collected for unused vacation time when you left the school system in 2009, according to the Better Government Association. Read More…

    • Education News for 02-07-2012

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    Local Issues

    • Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson proposes sweeping plan to improve education for city students – (Plain Dealer)

      • Mayor Frank Jackson hopes to triple the number of Cleveland students attending good schools by throwing out union rules governing teacher pay and layoffs, partnering more with high-performing charter schools and giving successful district schools more flexibility in how they do their jobs. Read More…

    • Michele Evans resigns as CEO of Canton City Schools – (Canton Repository)

      • Saying the Board of Education for City Schools had lost confidence in her ability to lead the district, Michele Evans gave up her job. Evans resigned, effective Monday, as superintendent and the school board accepted her resignation Monday afternoon with a unanimous vote following a closed-door meeting. Read More…

    • Classroom Turns To Technology, Goes Green – (Ohio News Network)

      • Historical relics surround students in Darren Plessinger's American Government class at Pickaway Ross Career and Technology Center. In the midst of the nation's forefathers and past flags, the teenagers are riding the wave of the future, ONN's Harrison Hove reported. The class is getting high tech while going green and saving on paper and books. Read More…

    • Panel says middle school students should start thinking about college – (News Herald)

      • Educators from multiple school districts in Lake and Geauga counties met recently with representatives of area colleges and universities to ask questions and discuss student success. The panel of higher education included Notre Dame College, Lakeland Community College, Lake Erie College, Ursuline College, Kent State University, Cleveland State University, The University of Akron and John Carrol University. Read More…

    • Bullying can have long-lasting effect – (Youngstown Vindicator)

      • Nearly 30 years have passed since Jodee Blanco’s high-school graduation, but remnants of the damage she endured from having been bullied remain. “I was the kid no one wanted to be caught dead hanging out with,” Blanco, a New York Times best-selling author and anti-bullying activist, said during her presentation Monday at Boardman High School. Read More…

    • Schools jump on health kick – (New Philadelphia Times Reporter)

      • With recent studies showing that more than one-third of third-graders in the Tuscarawas Valley are obese, area schools are taking action to reverse the trend. Educators are employing a variety of methods to help students eat better and become more active. Read More…

    • Buckeye adds oil, gas industry classes – (New Philadelphia Times Reporter)

      • With the avalanche of opportunities the gas and oil industry is bringing to the Tuscarawas Valley, Buckeye Career Center is finding itself a key player. It's making an impact locally, according to Erin VanFossen, assistant director of Adult Workforce Education at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia. That's why there will be classes offered to help provide opportunities. Read More…

    • Mason board mulls merging schools – (Cincinnati Enquirer)

      • School officials here met late into the evening Monday discussing and debating details on a merger of two schools. The Mason Board of Education went into executive session for more than three hours as the board considered layoffs from combining Western Row and Mason Heights elementaries next school year. The board took no action but announced late Monday it will vote on the proposed merger at its regular public meeting on Feb. 14. Read More…

    Editorial & Opinion

    • Cleveland school plan may be a tough sell, but it shouldn't be DOA: editorial – (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

      • For years, some in Cleveland have argued that the powers that be should blow up Cleveland's struggling public school system and start over from scratch. Whether, are willing to use dynamite remains to be seen. But the new and certain-to-be controversial academic transformation they're rolling out this week may well seem the political equivalent of playing with fire. Read More…

    Education News for 02-06-2012

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    Statewide Education News

    • Kasich expected to focus on education in Tuesday's State of State speech (News-Journal)

      • In 2009, Gov. Ted Strickland announced a complete overhaul of Ohio's education system. "It is absolutely clear to me that simply tinkering with centuries-old education practices will not prepare Ohio's children for success in college, in the workplace, or in life," Strickland said during the State of the State speech. "Therefore, today I present my plan to build our education system anew." It's not the first time such words were spoken. In his 2001 State of the State speech, Gov. Bob Taft announced a comprehensive plan: “'The Building Blocks for Student Success.' It is achievable.” Read More…

    • Public schools share services to cut costs (Journal-News)

      • Public schools facing shrinking budgets should consider sharing more services with other districts to cut costs, local education experts say. Education is expected to be a big part of Gov. John Kasich’s State of the State address Tuesday as he gives it from a Steubenville school in eastern Ohio, but local officials don’t expect an announcement of increased funding from the state to come. Without increased revenues, school districts will be forced to make cuts in costs. An examination by the Journal-News found some local schools are sharing services to cut costs. Read More…

    • Charter-CPS battle goes to higher court (Enquirer)

      • An Ohio Supreme Court judge will hear arguments Tuesday in the case of a South Fairmount charter school fighting efforts by Cincinnati Public Schools to shut down its building. The case could set precedent for the way public schools can and can’t handle their vacant buildings. The lower court and an appeals court have already sided with the school, the Theodore Roosevelt Public Charter School, 1550 Tremont Ave. The supreme court agreed in October to hear the case. In June 2009 Cincinnati Public Schools sold nine unused buildings. Read More…

    • Site of Kasich speech spotlights state's woes (Toledo Blade)

      • COLUMBUS - Here's one case where people will be getting on a real bus for Gov. John Kasich, not the figurative one he's discussed. The Republican governor will take the apparently unprecedented step Tuesday of taking his second annual State of the State address 150 miles to the northeast. He will use Steubenville, a struggling steel town on the Ohio River, which in many ways has more in common with Pittsburgh than Columbus, to push job creation and related energy, education, and work force development policies. Read More…

    • Schools may generate revenue from sales of goods, services (Dayton Daily News)

      • VANDALIA — School districts in Montgomery County could become the first in Ohio to explore new revenue streams — beyond relying on taxes, state and federal aid and donations — under a new bill that would allow them to earn profits on its facilities, services and merchandise. State Rep. Mike Henne, R-Clayton, introduced the bill Friday that would amend current legislation and allow Montgomery County’s 16 school districts to pilot the new program. Read More…

    • New Ohio bullying law strengthens school policies (WTOL 11 CBS)

      • TOLEDO – A new law passed on Thursday requires Ohio public schools to expand and update their anti-bullying policies. The Jessica Logan Act is named for a Cincinnati teen who committed suicide after weeks of bullying. Policies must include topics such as bullying on the school bus and bullying via cell phone or online. In addition, districts must now have policies on bullying off school grounds if it disrupts the educational environment. School districts must have a way to report bullying anonymously. Read More…

    • High school grad calculator changes (Enquirer)

      • Get ready for graduation rates to drop this year, but don’t blame your high school. Instead, blame the new way Ohio, Kentucky and most other states will be calculating those rates for federal and state rating. A change in federal law in 2008 gave states until this year to begin reporting an official, four-year graduation rate. Until now, states could decide on their own which students to include in their graduation rates. Many, such as Ohio and Kentucky, included students who took longer than four years to graduate. Read More…

    Local Issues

    • Schools smart to share treasurer (News-Journal)

      • Lexington and Crestline school districts did something last week that many might consider treason -- or at the very least unthinkable. They decided to work together to save money by sharing a treasurer. Christina Bennett will work for both districts for a six-month trial period while the districts determine whether this unique arrangement will work. We think it will, and we think other districts need to follow this excellent example. Read More…

    • Youngstown school officials rethink district financial needs (Vindicator)

      • YOUNGSTOWN - The board of education met Friday to remove a levy request from the March 6 ballot, after learning this week that state funding for Youngstown City Schools will drop by $4 million. The district learned that state funding will drop from $80 million to $76 million because of the head count of students that took place in October, which school board President Lock Beachum Sr. said showed a drop of about 200 students more than anticipated. Beachum said the district expected a drop, but $4 million was about $2 million more than anticipated. Read More…

    • Newark schools to drop activity fees (Newark Advocate)

      • NEWARK - In an attempt to increase student participation, the Newark City School District is planning to suspend activity fees for all middle and high school athletics and fine arts. The district instituted the fees in 2007 as part of more than $5 million in cuts. All money for extra- and co-curricular activities was removed from the general fund, with students paying $200 for sports and $55 for band, orchestra and choir. Read More…

    • Monroe schools weighs options as deficit looms (Middletown Journal)

      • MONROE — In the wake of being placed in fiscal watch Thursday by the state auditor’s office, Monroe Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said the school district is weighing its options as it moves forward. The two main options, Lolli said, are submit another plan to the Ohio Department of Education or pass a resolution stating that the district is unable to propose a plan and request to be placed in fiscal emergency. If Monroe is placed in fiscal emergency, a financial planning and supervision commission would be appointed to oversee the district and adopt a financial recovery plan. Read More…

    Editorial

    • Priority check (Dispatch)

      • Once again, a bill in the Ohio House would dictate a later start date for most school districts’ academic year to give the state’s tourism industry one more long summer weekend. It was a bad idea in 2007, and it’s a bad idea now. Promoting Ohio’s economy is important, but not more important than making schools more effective. Most experts agree American schools should have longer school days and years, not shorter, if academic performance is to improve. House Bill 191, sponsored by Rep. Bill Hayes, R-Harrison Township, generally would forbid public schools to start the school year before Labor Day. Read More…

    • Missing pieces (Dispatch)

      • The dispute over a London charter school’s finances illustrates what’s still wrong with charter-school law in Ohio: While the state has made progress in holding charters accountable for what happens in the classroom, laws regarding how charters are structured allow fundamental conflicts of interest that undermine their purpose. The greatest weakness in Ohio’s charter-school system is a lack of clear boundaries between the principal players in a charter school: The governing board, which creates the school and is responsible for it. Read More…

    Education News for 02-03-2012

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    Statewide Education News

    • Cuts in Ohio's state budget could make Northeast Ohio communities consider combining services (Plain Dealer)

      • CLEVELAND - Gov. John Kasich's $112 billion state budget, which cut $455 million in funding for local governments, has caused communities statewide to consider collaborating and sharing services. That was the focus of a special forum held before about 55 people Thursday evening at the City Club in downtown Cleveland. Orange Mayor Kathy Mulcahy, one of three panelists, said that regionalism could be good for local governments but that she realizes a lack of trust among city leaders and the potential loss of supportive officials -- if they are not re-elected -- hinders the process. Read More…

    • Bill's school scheduling limits draw fire from educators (Times Reporter)

      • Area superintendents are cool to the idea of restricting the school year from Labor Day to Memorial Day — a measure that proponents say would help Ohio’s tourism industry. “This sends the wrong message to the people of Ohio with new school standards coming out,” said Newcomerstown Schools Superintendent Jeff Staggs. He wondered why the state would condense the time that school districts have to prepare their students to get ready for new tests and curriculum that will take effect in 2014 and 2015. Read More…

    • Monroe schools fall into 'fiscal watch' (Enquirer)

      • MONROE — Despite recent deep budget cuts with more planned in 2012, the Monroe school district was placed in “fiscal watch” Thursday by the Ohio Auditor’s office. “These are undoubtedly tough times for the Monroe Schools that will require difficult decisions,” Ohio Auditor David Yost said. “I encourage the district to utilize every tool available to chart a path back to fiscal health.” The Butler County district had already been placed in “fiscal caution” last fall by the Ohio Department of Education and school district officials said they were not surprised by this latest development. Read More…

    • County boards share services, budgets (Dispatch)

      • Because federal funds won’t be increasing and state money is diminishing, county boards of developmental disabilities across Ohio are cutting their budgets. “The money we all once had isn’t coming back, and programs are adjusting accordingly. And, yes, change is difficult, particularly when our sons and daughters are vulnerable,” John L. Martin, the director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, told board members in charge of such programs in Union County last week. Read More…

    Local Issues

    • School Background Checks Under Scrutiny (WBNS 10 CBS)

      • GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS - A California teacher was in jail on $23 million bond on Thursday after being accused of tying up his students and other children up and taking pictures. The teacher, Mark Berndt, had passed his background check, CrimeTracker 10’s Jeff Hogan reported. A central Ohio superintendent said on Thursday that there were checks in place to prevent a school employee from getting away with criminal behavior. Read More…

    • CPS rolls out career-counseling tool (Enquirer)

      • Cincinnati Public Schools’ high school students will soon have their own personal guidance counselors -- ones that start working with the student as early as ninth grade, will be available anytime they’re needed and who memorize their career goals and do college research in a split second. Oh, the counselors aren’t people. They’re embodied in a software program called Naviance Succeed. CPS has partnered with the software giant Naviance, based in Arlington, Va., for a computer program that allows students to create individual success plans for college and career. Read More…

    • Hebrew is elementary at Youngstown's Akiva Academy (Vindicator)

      • Youngstown - By using the Rosetta Stone program, Akiva Academy sixth- grader Alexander Smith, 12, may work on Hebrew at his own pace. “It’s supposed to be one of the easiest [languages], but I struggle,” he said. Using the program, though, lets him focus on areas that give him difficulty. Sixth- and seventh- graders at the school began using Rosetta online about a month ago with plans for fourth- and fifth-graders to begin using it soon. Read More…

    • City schools OK tutoring for 2,901 students (Dispatch)

      • After a long delay, the Columbus City Schools now have approved tutoring for 2,901 students in a federally funded program, and the district is awaiting information from companies that have signed up an additional 600 children. Because of a time lag in invoicing, the district doesn’t know how many students have begun being tutored. As of Wednesday, the district had received bills for 241 students. Read More…

    Editorial

    • Passing the Blue Ribbon Schools test (L.A. Times)

      • When the 2011 winners of the coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award were announced, only one of the 305 recipients was in Los Angeles, and that was a charter school. By contrast, two were located about 30 miles away, in Santa Ana — in a school district less than one-tenth the size of L.A. Unified. Yet Santa Ana Unified is far from affluent. A higher percentage of its students are poor and not fluent in English than in L.A. Unified. Close to 95% are Latino — making Santa Ana the most demographically homogenous school district in Orange County. Read More…

    Education News for 02-02-2012

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    Statewide Education News

    • Bill to delay school start until after Labor Day draws educators’ objections (Dispatch)

      • A bill that would change how Ohio schools calculate class time came under fire from both state and local school officials yesterday. But supporters say it would not only keep students in school longer, but also help the state’s tourism industry. Representatives of the Ohio School Boards Association, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials and a local school district testified before the House Education Committee in opposition to a bill that proposes a minimum school year based on the number of hours students spend in school, rather than days. Read More…

    Local Issues

    • Groveport Madison to ask: ‘What can you live without?’ (Dispatch)

      • Sports programs, high-school busing or all-day kindergarten could be gone this fall, as Groveport Madison school officials consider $4 million in budget cuts for the 2012-13 school year. But before district leaders come up with a plan to make those reductions, they want to hear from parents and community members about what they think is off-limits and what they are willing to live without. The district will play host to the first of two forums to discuss the issue at 7 p.m. Thursday at Groveport Madison High School. Read More…

    • Board OKs phys ed opt-outs (Tribune Chronicle)

      • WARREN - Students of the city school district who participate in athletics and various other activities will now have the option to forego the physical education classes required for graduation. At a special Wednesday afternoon meeting, Warren City Board of Education members Regina Patterson, president, Robert Faulkner and Patricia Limperos approved the second and final reading of the new physical education waiver policy. Board members Andre Coleman and Rhonda Baldwin-Amorganos, who each initially voted against the opt-out policy, were absent. Read More…

    • Unique Curriculum at Holmes Middle School Pays Off (WKRC 12 CBS)

      • Imagine kids who want to go to school... who look forward to learning in colorful rooms, where they sometimes break into a dance. That unique teaching method at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, has been adopted locally by Covington Independent Schools. Local 12 News Reporter Deborah Dixon takes us to Holmes Middle School, where attendance and grades are up, and discipline problems are down. Students start the day in Ms. Wolf's Language Arts Class. "We are going to brainstorm the traits of a hero." Read More…

    • Two companies sue over bus garage (News-Sun)

      • SPRINGFIELD — Two companies are suing entities involved in building the Springfield City School District’s bus garage, according to documents filed in the common pleas court. But the city schools and the Community Improvement Corporation of Springfield and Clark County are not responsible for the payments the companies are seeking, according to the parties involved. “It’s really a dispute between a contractor and a sub-(contractor),” said Jim Peifer, a local attorney who represent CIC, an economic development nonprofit organization. Read More…

    • Lakota board agrees to get ready for $9M in cutbacks (Enquirer)

      • LIBERTY TWP. – Before Lakota Schools can tackle its looming budget shortfall, all officials need to be on the same page – especially administrators and the governing board, said Superintendent Karen Mantia. Mantia, at Wednesday’s board meeting, asked for clarification as to whether its five members agree that cutting $9 million to balance next school year’s budget is the way to go. The unusual request was brought about in part by an extensive and lengthy public discussion during last month’s board meeting that saw Mantia fielding a series of questions, primarily from veteran board member Joan Powell. Read More…

    • No raises for Westerville schools support staff (Dispatch)

      • Support-staff workers in Westerville schools will receive no pay raises for the next two years under a deal unanimously approved yesterday by the Board of Education. But those provisions and a concession on health-care costs will take effect only if the district’s three other unions also take on more of their health-care costs. If the other unions don’t agree, the Westerville Educational Support Staff Association and district will revisit the contract extension. Read More…

    Editorial

    • Claymont Junior High School scores with e-reader funds (Times-Reporter)

      • On Jan. 14, 2012, I was listening to my police scanner when I heard a call for a possible fire at the Lincoln high-rise apartments. When the first officer arrived, he reported the Fire Department needed to step it up, because there was a fully engaged fire. As officers arrived, they entered the building and went to the 4th, 5th and 6th floors. We applaud the initiative shown at Claymont Junior High School, which this week began using Kindle e-readers in seventh- and eighth-grade language arts classes. Read More…

    Education News for 02-01-2012

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    Statewide Education News

    • Youngstown academic distress panel gains Cleveland member (Vindicator)

      • Youngstown - The commission overseeing the city school district’s academics has a new member — again. Stan Heffner, state superintendent of public instruction, announced Tuesday that Paul Williams, retired superintendent of Beachwood City Schools and a professor at Cleveland State University, is the academic-distress commission’s newest member. Williams moves into the seat formerly occupied by Adrienne O’Neill. Read More…

    • Ohio receives ‘B’ in report on teaching science in K-12 (Dayton Daily News)

      • Ohio does a better job of teaching science to students in grades K-12 compared to most other states that “remain mediocre to awful,” according to a new report released Tuesday. Teaching science well is crucial to improving the nation’s ability to compete globally, remain prosperous and scientifically-advanced, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found. While the news is good for Ohio, which received a “B” grade, the report’s overall findings are troubling because 27 states either earned “Ds” or “Fs” for their standards in a subject many experts said will play a critical role in future high-tech jobs. Read More…

    • Terry Johnson introduces teacher appeals bill (Daily Times)

      • State Reps. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, and Casey Kozlowski, R-Pierpoint, announced Monday they have introduced legislation to create a formal appeals process for school teachers who receive a letter of admonishment in their files from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Currently, when a complaint is filed and investigated, a letter of admonishment may be placed in his or her file as disciplinary action. Read More…

    • Schools link smarts, phones (Dispatch)

      • Teachers in some classrooms confiscate smartphones from students caught texting or surfing social-media websites. Damon Mollenkopf doesn’t bother. The teacher at Westerville North High School actually encourages students to chat with one another on social-networking websites, with the hope that they’re talking about history. Read More…

    Local Issues

    • Massillon City Schools treasurer abruptly resigns (Repository)

      • MASSILLON — City School District Treasurer Teresa Emmerling abruptly resigned Tuesday, saying the school board and superintendent are attempting to make her the scapegoat for the district’s financial problems. “I cannot and will not continue to put myself in a situation where the board and superintendent have now started their ‘paper trail’ to corrupt my credibility, integrity and work ethic,” she said, reading a three-page resignation letter at the start of a special board meeting. Read More…

    • Cincinnati School Lunches Setting Example With Healthy Makeover (WKRC 12 CBS)

      • A healthy change is coming which impacts millions of school children. For the first time in fifteen years, nutritional guidelines for school lunches have been revised. Local 12 News Reporter Jeff Hirsh tells us about the change for less junk and more quality. Kids today are getting less tater tots and more produce as part of the new Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. The guidelines just announced last week by First Lady Michelle Obama ... things like more whole grains, low fat milk and cheese, and vending machines minus junk. Read More…

    • School? There’s an MCCTC app for that (Vindicator)

      • Canfield - Mahoning County Career and Technical Center senior Elizabeth Blythe scrolled through the center’s new mobile application on her iPhone. “You can check grades on here?” she asked. “Yep, on Progress Book,” said Jacqueline Kuffel, career development supervisor at the school. The app, simply called MCCTC app, launched after the first of the year, allows students, parents and others from the community to check out what goes on at the center. Read More…

    • District details $2.5M in cuts if levy fails (Dayton Daily News)

      • BEAVERCREEK — Elementary students’ art, music and physical education programs will be chopped in half while middle school and high school students will face higher pay-to-participate fees and fewer elective classes if Beavercreek City Schools’ 6.7-mill levy fails on March 6. The district announced $2.5 million in cuts to address the projected budget deficit if voters turn down an emergency operating levy request for a third time. Read More…

    • Evans under fire from Canton teachers' union (Repository)

      • CANTON — The superintendent of City Schools is defending her record as the leader of Stark County’s largest school district as the teacher’s union demands a closed-door meeting with the Board of Education to air its concerns. The Canton Professional Educators’ Association has sent a letter to the school board seeking an executive session meeting with the board. If it doesn’t get the meeting, the union says it will make a public statement saying it has no confidence in Superintendent Michele Evans. Read More…

    • Bedford schools offered $10,000 for ad-sign contract (Toledo Blade)

      • TEMPERANCE - The Bedford Public Schools could be in line for additional money for Bedford Community Stadium, the board of education was told at its committee of the whole meeting last week. Superintendent Ted Magrum said a Bedford business has offered to pay $10,000 a year for 10 years in return for being allowed to place ad signs at the press box and baseball and softball fields. The superintendent did not identify the business but said negotiations were under way. The Bedford High School Alumni Association has been the contact with the business, he said. Read More…

    Editorial

    • Bus stop (Dispatch) Kids who ride school buses operated by First Student Inc. to charter and private schools in Columbus should thank the State Highway Patrol trooper who showed recently that he’s looking out for their well-being. The Columbus City Schools should do the same, by keeping constant vigilance on this private transportation provider. A trooper who stopped a First Student bus for running a red light, which is alarming enough, was so shocked by the condition of the bus that he followed it to the company’s garage to perform some spot-checks on it and other buses. Read More…

    • From the Statehouse to Steubenville (Beacon Journal)

      • If you haven’t noticed yet, John Kasich likes to do things a bit differently. The governor appeared to take pride a year ago in delivering the State of the State address with little in the way of a prepared text. No matter, evidently, that the speech turned into something closer to what you expect at a fund-raiser, complete with the umpteenth rendition of how Kasich once worked with the liberal Ron Dellums during their days in Congress. Read More…