Education News for 02-28-2012

Statewide Education News

• State officials weigh in on Chardon shooting (News-Herald)

“Please join me in praying for the students who’ve been injured in this horrible crime. Praise goes to the Chardon Police and Geauga County Sheriff’s office for quickly getting this situation under control. I’ve pledged Ohio’s full support to them, the school and the local community in this difficult time.”
— Ohio Gov. John Kasich

“My deepest sympathies are with the students and their families, staff and teachers of the Chardon School District and the Chardon community as they work through the tragic incident on their school campus this morning. Please keep them in your thoughts today. I appreciate the quick response to this situation by Superintendent Bergant and law enforcement and first responders to protect the students and to quickly apprehend the persons responsible for this horrific act.”
— State Superintendent Stan Heffner
Read More…

• In Chardon, the training paid off (Dispatch)

Students and teachers knew what to do yesterday when a gunman started shooting. “We’ve had a number of disaster drills in the past. Thank God we put those in place,” Chardon school-district Superintendent Joseph Bergant II said. “We’ve been training for this.” Under state law, schools are required to practice lockdown drills at least once a year. Locking classroom doors is designed to keep people safe in a building when threats make evacuation unsafe. Some schools run the drills as often as fire exercises. At Chardon High School yesterday, district officials said students, teachers, law enforcement and even parents followed the district’s plans. Read More…

• Superintendents discuss security in wake of school shooting (Times Reporter)

A tragedy that unfolded Monday morning when shots were fired at Chardon High School in suburban Cleveland — leaving one student dead and four wounded — leaves a dark cloud hanging over education, according to one area superintendent. A teenager, described by one witness as a fellow student, is a suspect in the shooting. He was arrested near his car a half-mile away from the school, the FBI said. Bob Fogler, superintendent at Indian Valley Local Schools in Gnadenhutten, said the tragedy casts a pall over all schools. Read More…

• Chardon High School shooting news was spread rapidly by social media, texting (Plain Dealer)

CHARDON - In the chaotic and critical minutes following the shootings at Chardon High School, text messages among students and to their parents almost instantly conveyed news of injury and death - and also messages from those who hid in safety. In this era of rapidly spreading social media, many of the parents who showed up at Chardon High knew their children were safe because they received text messages from them minutes after the chaos began. Read More…

• Some Ohio schools fail to comply with terror drill laws (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - A 5 On Your Side investigation has found that not all Ohio schools are complying with a state law requiring terror drills and safety plans. Since 2006, state law requires public schools to file safety plans and building blueprints for each school with the Ohio Attorney General's Office. In addition, terror drills are required by December 1 of each school year. The records are also supposed to be on file with the local police department near each school. But a spokesperson with the Ohio Attorney General's office says compliance is "about 90 percent." Read More…

• Area school chiefs assess plans after Chardon tragedy (Vindicator)

Youngstown - School crisis plans and safety precautions are in place, but Mahoning Valley superintendents say building relationships with students is the best way to guard against a Chardon-like tragedy. A student is in custody Monday morning, suspected of opening fire inside the Geauga County high school cafeteria before the start of the Monday school day. One student was killed, and at least four others were injured. Howard Friend, superintendent of Sebring schools, said that school district takes precautions to try to guard against similar incidents. Read More…

• School tragedies open communication between parents and children (Beacon Journal)

When a school shooting dominates the news, experts say parents can use the situation as a chance to talk with their children. Kids will react differently to hearing about Monday’s school shooting in Chardon, depending on their age, said Dr. Stephen Cosby, director of the Division of Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology at Akron Children’s Hospital. Younger children can exhibit symptoms of anxiety, such as fear of going to school or leaving their parents, he said. Teens might say they are “cool with it” but then show their true concerns through angry outbursts or irritability. Read More…

• State schools superintendent speaks at Athens Rotary (Athens Messenger)

Updating outdated curriculum standards and better preparing students for the future are the main goals of state school Supt. Stan Heffner. Heffner, the Ohio Department of Education superintendent of instruction, spoke during Athens Rotary’s noon meeting Monday. Heffner noted that current curriculum standards were originally adopted in 1989 and only expect students to have proficiency in subjects at an eighth- or ninth-grade level. The current plan to update those standards in the 2013-2014 school year — along with changing testing standards and how students take those tests — will be the first manifestations of the strategy to prepare Ohio students for the future. Read More…

Local Issues

• Chardon High School shooting shows value of school security, crisis planning (WEWS 5 ABC)

CHARDON - Nearly 13 years after the Columbine High School shooting, schools across the nation continue to implement the valuable lessons learned from the Colorado tragedy. On Monday, those lessons were put to the test at Chardon High School. Mass parent notification systems, evacuation sites, parent-student reunification plans and methods for quickly mobilizing counselors are core topics school safety experts include in teaching school administrators, crisis teams and law enforcement officers how to prepare for their worst nightmare: a school shooting. Read More…

• Local schools have emergency procedures in place (Morning Journal)

LORAIN — After the tragic incident at Chardon High School, involving a shooter killing one and injuring four others yesterday, local school districts say they have emergency procedures in place if something like that were to occur at their schools. Jamie Montague, safety coordinator and security supervisor for Lorain City Schools, said that they are thinking of Chardon especially since the school is not that far away. He said all districts try to be there for each other. Read More…

• Teachers union pact not done (Dispatch)

The Westerville teachers union will not offer new concessions before voters decide the district’s March 6 levy request, school officials and the head of the teachers union announced last night. “Yes, we would have liked to have had a contract for ratification by now, but those discussions are not complete,” board President Kevin Hoffman said at the school-board meeting, the last before the election. The district’s three other bargaining groups each agreed in recent weeks to two-year freezes in all wages. Read More…

• City, school agree to partner in hopes of sharing bus site (Chillicothe Gazette)

CHILLICOTHE - The city hopes a newly forged partnership with Chillicothe City Schools can result in a savings for both entities if they consolidate their bus facilities. In two separate meetings Monday, the Chillicothe City School District approved legislation that matched an ordinance approved later by City Council authorizing the two groups to apply jointly for a grant feasibility study to move the school district's buses in Yoctangee Park to the Transit Facility at Seventh and Watt streets. Read More…

• Lakota’s latest budget proposal targets athletics (Journal News)

LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota Local Schools administrators are recommending cutting $315,000 from the district’s $2.1 million athletics budget for next school year by decreasing coaching staff, support staff and other sports expenses. This plan released Monday night follows recommendations to cut more than 100 teaching jobs to offset a projected $9 million deficit for next school year. Over the past few weeks, the district has been presenting budget proposals totaling $7.4 million in cuts focusing on preschool, elementary and secondary education, and now athletics. Read More…

• Employees file complaint against Crooksville School District (Times Recorder)

CROOKSVILLE - The Ohio Association of Public School Employees filed a complaint against Crooksville Exempted School District stating the district violated a group of employees rights to form a union. The complaint was filed with the State Employment Relations Board Friday, said Bev Spetz, coordinator of organizing for the OAPSE. Spetz said after several employees at the school district made their intentions clear that they wanted to join the union, the most "shocking behavior" against those employees took place. Read More…

• 2nd Chardon High School student dies of gunshot wound (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND — A second Chardon High School student who was shot Monday morning has died. Russell King Jr., 17, was pronounced brain dead Monday at MetroHealth Medical Center. The hospital notified the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office of the death at 12:42 a.m. today. Russell was described by students as a sociable kid who got along well with people. Read More…

• Two dead in Chardon school shooting (Dispatch)

Authorities say a student wounded in an Ohio school shooting has been declared brain dead, the second reported fatality. Hugh Shannon, administrator at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, says officials received the tragic news early today about Russell King Jr. Shannon says the office is continuing to investigate the manner and cause of death. Read More…

Education News for 02-27-2012

Statewide Education News

• Ohio school districts operate under 2009 rules as they await Kasich's new funding formula (Blade)

COLUMBUS — How much does it cost to properly educate Ohio schoolchildren? What percentage of taxpayer dollars should go into classrooms or reading help, counseling or the arts? Should struggling districts get more than comfortable ones? How much more? All huge questions. All without answers. Since 2009, Ohio has been effectively without a school funding formula, the equation that answers vexing policy questions and doles out dollars accordingly. Read More…

• State teachers' union names new chief (Enquirer)

DOWNTOWN — Longtime Cincinnati teacher Sue Taylor will retire next month after most recently serving five years as president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Teacher Melissa Cropper of Georgetown, Ohio, in Brown County has been elected as the federation’s new president to succeed Taylor. The statewide labor union represents about 20,000 teachers in Ohio, including about 3,500 part of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Read More…

• Overcoming obstacles: School programs help economically disadvantaged students get ahead (Times Recorder)

Haylee Hardwick doesn't have a computer at home. But on any given weekday, the third-grader can be found in the John McIntire Elementary School computer lab, finishing her homework or playing study games on a computer. Hardwick is part of an after-school tutoring program called 21st Century. The program, funded through a Title I grant, targets students who are struggling in math and reading and are considered economically disadvantaged. Read More…

• State oversight commission rejects Little Miami plan to reopen schools (Dayton Daily News)

The state Financial Planning and Supervision Commission on Thursday rejected Little Miami Local School District’s plan to reopen Butlerville Elementary and Maineville Elementary schools. Interim Superintendent Greg Power and Treasurer Terry Gonda presented the district’s reconfiguration plan for 2012-13 to the oversight commission, asking for approval to re-establish neighborhood elementary schools, return to every day, half-day kindergarten, and bring back art, music and physical education. Read More…

Local Issues

• Collection agency to go after lunch debt (Dispatch)

A collection agency will try to recover about $900,000 in unpaid lunch money unless parents of nearly 6,000 Columbus City Schools students pay up quickly. Next month, the district will turn over any account in which the family owes more than $50 for lunches served since the 2009-10 school year. If parents don’t pay after a few months of prodding, the district can notify credit-rating agencies of the unpaid debt, under a contract the Board of Education approved on Tuesday. Read More…

• Cincinnati Public Schools expands choices again (Enquirer)

Cincinnati Public Schools, the state’s third-largest district, will open two new autism units next year to better serve its special-needs population. The district is also being courted by two charter schools seeking partnerships with the district. It’s evaluating their applications to see whether they would be good fits. The developments are the latest examples of CPS’ push over the past two years to expand the number of school choices it offers its 33,000 students. The district is on a mission to attract, retain and better serve students. Read More…

• Liberty board to discuss possible reinstatement of open enrollment (Vindicator)

Liberty - The board of education will discuss and possibly vote on reinstating open enrollment at its Tuesday meeting. The school district currently has 81 open- enrollment students who entered the school before it closed open enrollment in the 2010 school year. Joe Nohra, board of education president, said that it closed down open enrollment because all the student slots were filled. But now the district has a $700,000 budget shortfall for next year even after the board approved $1.2 million in cuts to staff. Read More…

• Schools sharing more costs (News-Sun)

SPRINGFIELD — School districts facing tight budgets are finding savings through shared services — and some officials say there’s still more savings to be had. For example, a superintendent works for two districts, special education classrooms serve students across the county and consortiums help districts take advantage of reduced group prices. “We’re going to look for every opportunity we can find to see if we can be more efficient in our opportunity and yet provide better services,” Springfield City School District Superintendent David Estrop said. Read More…

• Eugene Sanders, former Cleveland schools chief, has no new role with district, officials say (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Have you heard? Retired CEO Eugene Sanders is consulting for the Cleveland school district. It's been the hot rumor for months, but everyone from the district to the mayor's office to the Cleveland Teachers Union says it's not true. He's also not working for any of the major organizations involved with the district. Representatives of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cleveland Foundation and George Gund Foundation say they have not hired him and know of no one who has. Read More…

• Oregon City Schools predict large deficit (WTOL 11 CBS)

OREGON – While revenue continues to shrink for local schools districts, Oregon City Schools District Treasurer predicts an $11 million deficit for 2016. The Treasurer recommends the district proceed with caution. The state of Ohio requires all districts to prepare five year financial forecasts, and Oregon City School's budget is in the black for the next few years. In 2015, the forecast shows the district will slip into the red by about $3 million, and $11 million in 2016. Read More…

Editorial

• A funding conundrum: Schools' resistance to change, voter hardship and declining state money create a financing crisis the parade of levies will not cure (Plain Dealer)

The Plain Dealer editorial board endorses in 21 school money issues on the March 6 primary ballot. It will not surprise regular readers of this page that we are supporting all 21, despite serious reservations about some districts' commitment to reform and belt-tightening. That's especially true in the case of the Garfield Heights schools, with a hefty 9.4-mill levy request on the ballot. We were outraged that while kids suffer from reduced options and school hours, both teachers and administrators in the school system continue to take step-up pay increases tied to seniority. Read More…

• Achievement test (Beacon Journal)

David James, the superintendent of Akron Public Schools, outlined briefly in his State of the Schools address on Wednesday the new realities confronting the school system: Curriculum standards are rising; testing is more rigorous; the careers of teachers and principals are on the line with new performance assessments; the demand for workers with post-secondary education has risen. Funding sources have tightened up. The district is struggling to erase a $22 million deficit by June 30. Read More…

• Dramatic proposal (Dispatch)

Those searching for the way to break through the calcified dysfunction of failing big-city public schools will be studying closely the ambitious reform plan proposed by city and school leaders in Cleveland. If it goes forward, it will be a test of some fundamental reform ideas that have been suggested many times but not attempted on such a scale. Its primary goal is to triple, in six years, the number of Cleveland students attending schools rated “excellent” or “efficient” and to close and replace failing schools faster. Read More…

• Cleveland kids' fate rests in legislators' shaky hands (Plain Dealer)

When it comes to Cleveland's future, Mayor Frank Jackson's plan to save the schools isn't a matter of pass or perish. But it's awfully close. As Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio General Assembly begin to marshal their feeble excuses not to give Jackson the legislation he needs to implement his plan -- and they're already busy doing just that -- they should keep this in mind: A "no" vote is essentially a vote in favor of Cleveland's demise. It's a vote in favor of keeping Cleveland's children mired in a life of poverty. Read More…

Education News for 02-23-2012

Statewide Education News

• Group offers bold plan for improving city schools (Vindicator)

Youngstown - A draft improvement plan for the city schools is a start, but representatives of a Cincinnati-based education-reform organization advocate an even bolder approach. KnowledgeWorks representatives met with Vindicator news and editorial staff Wednesday to talk about their recommendations. They’ll make a presentation at today’s city schools Academic Distress Commission meeting. Read More…

• State bill to aid schools has detractors (Journal-News)

A proposed state bill that would allow school districts to explore new revenue streams by earning profits on facilities, services and merchandise does not sit well with some local officials. The bill — introduced Feb. 3 by state Rep. Mike Henne, R-Clayton — would amend current legislation and allow Montgomery County’s 16 school districts to pilot the new program, possibly as early as the 2013-14 school year. Henne said the bill could expand to other school districts outside of Montgomery County, other counties or the entire state. Read More…

• Ohio schools join to fight AEP rate increase (WKYC 3 NBC)

COLUMBUS - Three of the largest Ohio school groups have joined together to fight a sudden jump in their bills from American Electric Power. The groups are asking state utility regulators to give special consideration to school districts at a time of budget cuts and the bad economy. The Ohio School Boards Association, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators raised their concerns in a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Tuesday. Read More…

Local Issues

• Tough decisions ahead for Akron schools (Beacon Journal)

Akron superintendent David James made the case for passing a levy in November with his fourth annual “State of the Schools” address Wednesday. But he delivered no big announcements about the consequences of failing to pass a new tax. The district must eliminate a $22 million deficit before July 1, which could mean the layoff of up to 300 teachers if the cuts were made exclusively to labor costs. Read More…

• Parents say switching schools could result in switching students to another district (Morning Journal)

LORAIN — With Lorain High School students being relocated for four years, starting next school year, to the old Southview High School while a new high school is built, many parents reacted to the news by stating they would seek to enroll their student at another district. However, open enrollment opportunities are few and far between. The Amherst school district is experiencing financial problems and probably won’t have that many openings for students outside the district’s borders. Read More…

• Fight to save Libbey was good lesson for schools (Blade)

As dozens of schools fall in the final stages of Toledo Public Schools' massive building project, the district's remaining aged architecture soon could receive new distinctions and potential protections. Toledo Board of Education members and district officials researched and discussed in recent weeks the benefits and drawbacks of an effort to place older schools on the National Register of Historic Places. Read More…

Editorial

• Shame Is Not the Solution (NY Times – Bill Gates)

Last week, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that teachers’ individual performance assessments could be made public. I have no opinion on the ruling as a matter of law, but as a harbinger of education policy in the United States, it is a big mistake. I am a strong proponent of measuring teachers’ effectiveness, and my foundation works with many schools to help make sure that such evaluations improve the overall quality of teaching. Read More…

Education News for 02-22-2012

Statewide Education News

• Columbus City Schools Biggest User of Non-Traditional New Teachers (State Impact – NPR)

We’ve been writing recently about ways to become a teacher in Ohio if you didn’t graduate from a school of education. But you may be wondering: Where are all these usually career-changing new teachers who followed an alternative route to the classroom? (Well, we were curious about it.) Ohio Department of Education data shows that the Columbus school district is likely the biggest employer of new alternative-route teachers this school year. The district was set to hire 19 of them. Read More…

• Beaver district out of emergency (Vindicator)

Lisbon - After just more than two years in fiscal emergency, the state auditor’s office has lifted that designation from the Beaver Local School District. The state auditor’s office declared the district in fiscal emergency Feb. 11, 2010, after the school board passed a resolution in September 2009 stating its inability to develop a fiscal-watch recovery plan that’s acceptable to the state superintendent of public instruction. A Financial Planning and Supervision Commission was appointed to direct the district’s return to financial stability. Read More…

• State consultant calls Lake schools operation lean (Blade)

MILLBURY - After analyzing staff numbers and the financial books, an Ohio Department of Education consultant described Lake Local Schools as lean. "You've been through some tough financial times and have made cuts," said Rob Miller, a former school superintendent who is now a state fiscal consultant to financially troubled schools. "There comes a limit to what you can do without affecting programs. And I know what this board is concerned about." Mr. Miller made his presentation a month before Lake school officials are expected to make budget cuts. Read More…

• Schools close doors as budgets tighten (Enquirer)

LINCOLN HEIGHTS — At Lincoln Heights Elementary recently, tears rolled down parent-volunteer Dominique Langford’s eyes as she imagined what would happen if Princeton’s school levy fails March 6. The mother of two knows about the $6.7 million in cuts the school board recently approved if the levy fails. An elementary school will close, dozens of teachers, aides and others will lose jobs, busing will end for high school and some classes will be crowded. Read More…

• Glenn Urges Focus On Future, Education (WCMH 4 NBC)

COUMBUS - Former Senator John Glenn, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his historic flight into earth orbit, appeared at the Ohio State University today to say that education is the pathway to a bright future. "I think, unless we correct our K-12 education system, we are in trouble," the former senator said during a news conference with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Both men have logged time in orbit and credit much of their success to their education and training. Read More…

Local Issues

• Columbus State partnering with Reynoldsburg schools (Dispatch)

Reynoldsburg students will soon be able to take Columbus State Community College courses at their high school and possibly earn a two-year associate degree along with their diploma, officials said last night. Under the proposal, announced at the district’s regular board meeting, Reynoldsburg High School’s Livingston building would house a Columbus State regional campus where area students and adults could take classes starting this fall. Officials are working out details. The school board and Columbus State’s board still need to approve the initiative. Read More…

• Parents urged to organize to save Youngstown schools (Vindicator)

YOUNGSTOWN - Key ingredients to improve Youngstown city schools are engaged parents and a commitment to long-term involvement, a longtime community organizer contends. “If we begin to create a movement between parents, between educators, between churches and between administrators, we can begin to challenge the status quo,” said Greg Galluzzo, founder and senior organizer of the Chicago-based Gamaliel Foundation. Read More…

• Perrysburg schools may allow iPads, iPods (Blade)

Perrysburg school officials are considering letting students bring iPads, iPods, smart phones, and other hand-held devices to school. The school board heard a first reading on the policy Tuesday and is expected to vote on the issue March 19. Under the policy, students in all grades could use electronic devices before and after school and during lunch or in class at the teacher's discretion. In December, school officials said they were considering buying such devices for high school students. The move could happen as early as January, 2013, at an estimated cost of $360,000. Read More…

• School board agrees to pay fee for background checks (Findlay Courier)

FOSTORIA - Fostoria school board approved a motion Tuesday to waive a $60 fee for Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification/Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks for district volunteers. The board will pay the fee. Superintendent Steve Pritts said it was an important action by the board to ensure students and staff are safe in district buildings. It was unknown Tuesday how many volunteers serve in the district. Read More…

Education News for 02-21-2012

Statewide Education News

• ‘No Child’ left behind? Ohio seeks waiver from federal law (Dispatch)

Ohio schools wouldn’t be judged by whether all students pass state tests if federal officials grant the state’s request for freedom from the No Child Left Behind Act. Instead of inching toward the requirement that 100 percent of students be “proficient” on standardized math and reading exams by 2014, Ohio would require schools to show improvement among all students, regardless of race, family wealth or other factors. Students still would need to take and pass tests and graduate on time. But Ohio’s system of holding schools accountable would change dramatically. Read More…

• Schools making progress in Race to the Top (Chillicothe Gazette)

It's a transformational time for Ohio's kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools. By 2014, all English and math classes will be operating under new curriculum standards because of a voluntary federal program the state adopted. By the 2013-14 school year, all teachers must be paid based on merit, using a teacher evaluation system that has yet to be established. Read More…

• Local educators concerned about evaluation standards (News-Sun)

SPRINGFIELD — A new law that requires student performance to count as 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation seems like a good idea in theory but is more complicated in practice, local educators say. “To measure this is virtually an impossibility given the current environment we’re in,” said Northwestern Local Schools Superintendent Tony Orr. “I think there are an awful lot of question marks out there.” Read More…

• Speaker touts inclusion program (Blade)

In many schools, students with disabilities are seen as a burden, an extra cost. Schools for years tucked them in "resource rooms" or bused them to faraway locations. They weren't expected to excel, Richard Villa said, were rarely expected to contribute. The students were kept out of sight, and schools could pretend they weren't there. "As long as you can send away anyone that challenges the status quo," he said, "the status quo never has to change." Read More…

• Students’ use of Web for classwork can get sticky (Dispatch)

Some students took on the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. Others wrote defiant statements as if they were Rosa Parks. But other students’ posts on Twitter sounded less like an assignment to write as a civil-rights leader and more like other posts on social media: Their comments were laced with pop-culture humor and hashtags usually used to evoke a laugh. One student wrote: “ #thatawkwardmomentwhen that white guy doesn’t hear me call shotgun on the bus ” — an attempt to speak as Parks. Read More…

National Stories of the Day

• States Try to Fix Quirks in Teacher Evaluations (NY Times)

Steve Ball, executive principal at the East Literature Magnet School in Nashville, arrived at an English class unannounced one day this month and spent 60 minutes taking copious notes as he watched the teacher introduce and explain the concept of irony. “It was a good lesson,” Mr. Ball said. But under Tennessee’s new teacher-evaluation system, which is similar to systems being adopted around the country, Mr. Ball said he had to give the teacher a one — the lowest rating on a five-point scale — in one of 12 categories: breaking students into groups. Read More…

Local Issues

• Girls make peace, now urge others to curb bullying (Chillicothe Gazette)

NEWARK - Breonna Helmondollar and Saige Perrin didn't get along with each other at the beginning of the school year. The Par Excellence Academy fourth-graders tried to avoid each other as much as possible -- difficult in a small classroom -- and frequently argued. "There was a camp for Breonna and a camp for Saige," school administrator Gisele James said. "Each of them felt the other one was trying to attack them." That changed just before Christmas break, when the girls met in James' office and talked about their issues. Read More…

• Between the Lines: School transformation plan (WKYC 3 NBC)

CLEVELAND - Cleveland mayors back to Mike White have been in charge of Cleveland's school system. Now Mayor Frank Jackson is offering the boldest transformation plan ever to come out of City Hall. He needs changes in state law to do this. The mayor can expect pushback from teachers who are upset they were not consulted and view this as Senate Bill 5 "light." He's hoping for Democratic and Republican lawmakers to introduce this. Read More…

• Mt. Healthy district says financial forecast is bleak (Enquirer)

Even if voters approve a levy, officials at the Mount Healthy City School District say the district will have to make cuts for the 2012-13 school year. The passage or failure of the levy on the March 6 ballot will determine how deep the cuts will be. This is a familiar scenario for the district. School officials made cuts every year but one since 2003, when the district last passed a levy for additional revenue. Read More…

• London Schools Looks To Slash $500,000 From Budget (WBNS 10 CBS)

LONDON - London City Schools officials proposed a number of cuts to reduce its budget, 10TV News reported on Friday. According to the Madison Press, the district proposed eliminating 21 supplemental contacts, including some coaching positions. The proposal also calls for an increase in sports fees for participants and fewer trips for the school band. The cuts would amount to $500,000 in savings. Read More…

• Fairfield schools may outsource bus service (Enquirer)

FAIRFIELD — An aging fleet and no money to buy additional buses has prompted Fairfield City Schools to look at contracting out some or all transportation services. “If we wouldn’t have reduced service (this year), we would not be able to serve high school students without buying buses,’’ said Chad Lewis, assistant superintendent for business. “We would have had one spare bus.” In a cost saving move, the district eliminated busing for students in grades 10-12 and revamped its remaining routes. Read More…

• Westerville schools’ finances scrutinized in levy debate (Dispatch)

Before November, the most-recent levy defeat for Westerville schools had been seven years ago. Between the bookends of those failures, voters agreed to two operating levies and a capital-

improvements issue. Meanwhile, the district’s spending increased by $7.7 million more than inflation, not including capital costs and debt payments. Read More…

Editorial

• Misdirected (Dispatch)

The chaos surrounding the $26 million renovation of Indianola Middle School resulted from the failure of Columbus City Schools leaders to remember whom they are supposed to serve: the taxpayers and students of the district. Instead, they awarded this contract to an architect unqualified to handle a project of this scope on his own and who violated the contract by failing for months to tell the district that his partner, a construction-services firm that was to do the bulk of the work, had withdrawn from the project. Read More…

• Illusion left behind (Beacon Journal)

It is 2012, and Ohio is nowhere near meeting the deadline to have 100 percent of its students proficient in math and reading within two years. No state is, and none will. The proficiency requirement in the federal education law, No Child Left Behind, is quixotic and a major reason President Obama has offered to waive the mandate along with others, releasing 10 states this month to pursue more realistic and achievable goals. The Ohio Department of Education is finalizing its application for another round of waivers. Read More…

• Don’t tie the teachers’ hands (Tribune Chronicle)

One concern in most states is how many days children spend in public school classrooms. For various reasons, including inclement weather, many school systems don't meet state-mandated requirements for instructional days. An obvious answer to that, implemented in many states, is to provide more flexibility in setting school calendars. Now a few Ohio legislators want to place a new restriction on school calendars. Public schools should not be permitted to open for the year before Labor Day, they say. Read More…

Education News for 02-17-2012

Statewide Education News

• Ohio taking EdChoice scholarship applications (Blade)

Applications for EdChoice scholarships are now being accepted by the Ohio Department of Education. EdChoice scholarships are state-funded vouchers that pay for student tuition at private schools. Students whose designated public schools have received a rating of "academic watch" or "academic emergency" in two of the past three years or whose test scores ranked in the bottom 10 percent in the state are eligible for the vouchers. Read More…

• Funding challenges continue for schools (News-Herald)

While much of the nation’s economy seems to be slowly recovering from years of trouble, many area school districts are still dealing with budget problems. In the past month, Riverside school announced the elimination of 25 teacher positions and Willoughby-Eastlake schools had to cut almost 90 jobs, including 50 teachers. More could be on the way should a March school levy fail. Many districts have had to seek out new ways to raise revenue to try to make up their deficits. Read More…

• Academic-recovery plan vote expected (Vindicator)

Youngstown - The city schools’ Academic Distress Commission expects to vote next week on an updated recovery plan for the district that includes extensive community engagement, increased student choice and frameworks for principal- and teacher-training. The commission’s next meeting is 2 p.m. Thursday at P. Ross Berry Eighth and Ninth Grade Academy, 940 Bryn Mawr Ave., on the city’s East Side. At a meeting Thursday at Choffin Career and Technical Center, commission members reviewed a draft plan but took no action. Read More…

• Are you an Ohio educator?

We invite you to join Ohio Teachers’ Homeroom, the new Facebook page from the Ohio Department of Education. It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news important to your career and to connect with colleagues around the state. We welcome you to share your ideas, lesson plans and comments with fellow Ohio educators. Find us here

National Stories of the Day

• New analysis makes case for higher ranking for U.S. schools (USA Today)

The idea that U.S. public schools are falling behind the rest of the world is widely accepted, but a new analysis of international data suggests that using rankings to sort global winners from losers is often misguided, exaggerating tiny differences between countries that may be producing nearly identical results. In other words, maybe U.S. schools are not as bad as you might think. "Sometimes rankings can make small gaps appear big and vice versa," says researcher Tom Loveless of the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution think tank. Read More…

• 'Value Added' Concept Proves Beneficial to Teacher Colleges (Education Week)

The use of “value added” information appears poised to expand into the nation’s teacher colleges, with more than a dozen states planning to use the technique to analyze how graduates of training programs fare in classrooms. Supporters say the data could help determine which teacher education pathways produce teachers who are at least as good as—or even better than—other novice teachers, spurring other providers to emulate their practices. Read More…

• The Teaching Penalty (Economic Policy Institute)

Effective teachers are demonstrably the most important resource schools have for improving the academic success of their students (Hanushek and Rivkin 2006; Rice 2003). Yet for many school leaders, recruiting and retaining talented and effective classroom teachers remains an uphill battle. For decades, a small and declining fraction of the most cognitively skilled graduates have elected to enter the teaching profession (Corcoran, Evans, and Schwab 2004), while rigorous national standards and school-based accountability for student performance have pushed the demand for talented teachers to an all-time high. Read More…

Local Issues

• Chardon Schools taking another look at open enrollment (News-Herald)

Chardon School District is taking a second look at open enrollment which could potentially deliver thousands of dollars to financially strained coffers. At a public meeting earlier this week Superintendent Joseph Bergant said the topic was discussed a few years ago but later shelved for several reasons including lack of support. Chardon and Kenston are the only two districts in Geauga County not offering open enrollment, which is the voluntary enrollment of a student in a public school other than the one assigned based on where they live. Read More…

• North Canton board approves administrative changes (Beacon Journal)

NORTH CANTON - The Board of Education approved two administrative staff changes Wednesday night, in one case over the objections of two board members. Greentown Elementary Principal Bryan McKenzie will become instructional supervisor for the district. Hoover High Associate Principal Jeff Breit was named principal of Greentown. The moves take effect at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Read More…