Education News for 03-15-2012

Statewide Education News

• Gov. John Kasich rolls out mini-budget with tax, education initiatives taking center stage (Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS - As Gov. John Kasich rolled out a mid-term budget blueprint highlighted by an income tax cut for Ohioans but a hike in oil and gas taxes, the sales job began to skeptical lawmakers. Kasich's pitch to majority-party Republicans: Make sure Ohioans benefit from the oil and gas dollars expected to flow from the shale boom, not those in faraway area codes. "What we're saying is every Ohioan ought to benefit from this wealth," he told reporters at an afternoon news conference to announce his initiatives. Read More…

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture to let schools decide whether to feed pink slime to students (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will allow schools to choose whether to buy ground beef patties made with or without the pink slime making headlines. They said they will make the announcement Thursday that could affect the food in schools. According to them, the pink slime filler is a low cost ingredient made from fatty bits of meat left over from other cuts and is treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria. Most of us had never heard about this pink slime until weeks ago when some fast food restaurants decided to stop using it. Read More…

• Superintendents say proposed school grading system gets F (Morning Journal)

ELYRIA — The proposed new Ohio school district grading scale isn’t getting enthusiastic support by some local superintendents. “I don’t understand what our state is trying to do to our public schools,” Elyria City Schools Superintendent Paul Rigda said. “What do they want from us?” The new proposed grading scale will grade districts on an A through F scale, as opposed to the excellent with distinction through academic emergency scale in place now. Elyria schools, which were rated as effective, would have received a D under the new grading scale. Read More…

Local Issues

• City schools to change gifted programs (Dispatch)

Many parents are wary of a Columbus City Schools plan to change its gifted and talented program next school year, but others are encouraged that the new format will serve more than double the number of gifted students. Superintendent Gene Harris explained the changes to an overflow crowd of more than 100 parents and district staff members at a meeting last night at the Downtown High School. Read More…

• Parent posts threat on Facebook (Newark Advocate)

BLACKLICK - Licking Heights West has lifted increased security measures it implemented after a parent reportedly threatened a teacher on Facebook. The threat was made Monday night, district officials said, and West responded immediately, implementing its lowest-level security provisions Tuesday. The security provisions continued at the start of the school day Wednesday, but they were lifted by 10 a.m. Read More…

• After cuts, Lakota focus is severance (Journal-News)

LIBERTY TWP. — The Lakota Board of Education, which slashed its budget by $10.5 million and cut 141 jobs Monday, is now turning its attention to severance pay. Individual employees cut for the 2012-13 school year will be based on seniority and licensing, said Treasurer Jenni Logan. “Our hope is to have that process firmed up and to formally take action on all of that at our final board meeting in April,” she said, to give those affected as much time as possible to seek employment elsewhere. Read More…

• Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board decides not to pursue open enrollment for 2012-13 (Sun News)

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS - The Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board recently reached a consensus not to pursue open enrollment as a district policy for the 2012-13 school year. At a work session Feb. 21, Superintendent Doug Heuer presented information to the board about inter-district open enrollment, which allows a student to attend school tuition-free in a district other than where his or her parents reside. He said each year, the district’s administration must inform the Ohio Department of Education what its position will be on open enrollment. Read More…

• Ax to fall on 16 at East Holmes (Times Reporter)

BERLIN — Sixteen full-time teachers or staff members in the East Holmes Local School District are targeted to lose their jobs in the wake of last week’s narrow defeat of a 3.77-mill emergency operating levy. Affected employees formally were notified Wednesday by Superintendent Joe Edinger, with the board of education expected to take action on the recommendation Monday. The 11 teachers, with 75 years of experience, are paid a total of $445,421. The five classified staff, with 15 years of experience, make a combined $42,599. That’s a total of $488,020. Read More…

Editorial

• Support Reform In Ohio Schools (News-Register)

If Ohio Board of Education members are reluctant to take a stand on reforming one of the worst school districts in the state, how likely are they to address less serious but still important problems elsewhere? Gov. John Kasich did something unusual a few days ago. He appealed personally to board members to support a plan by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to improve his city's schools. Board members agreed to discuss the plan next month. For years, Cleveland Municipal Schools have chewed through taxpayers' money at an alarming rate, delivering little in return. Read More…

• Youngstown schools system can do without disruptions (Vindicator)

While we have long URGED com- munity participation in the academic and financial rebuilding of the Youngstown City School District, we are strongly opposed to the threat by a community group to peel away a sizeable number of students just because of a perceived slight. The ongoing effort by many sincere, committed individuals to stabilize the district’s finances and improve its academic performance is too important to be undermined by the Community High Commission led by Jimma McWilson. Read More…

Education News for 03-14-2012

Statewide Education News

• State education board mum on Cleveland plan (Dispatch)

The Ohio Board of Education had no immediate response to Gov. John Kasich’s request that the panel support a controversial plan to turn around Cleveland schools. At its monthly meeting in Columbus yesterday, the board decided to discuss the issue at its April meeting. Traditionally, the board has not waded into political and legislative debates, but on Monday the governor pleaded with members to pass a resolution or provide some sort of backing to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan. Read More…

• Ohio 3rd-graders who can't read at grade level could be held back under Gov. John Kasich's plan (Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS — Third-graders who are not reading at grade level would be held back a year under a midterm budget plan Gov. John Kasich will announce today. The policy will be part of a handful of education initiatives the Republican governor will unveil, the administration confirmed to The Plain Dealer. Other items in the plan, which would require legislative approval, include revamping teacher evaluation metrics and overhauling the state's school report card because the administration believes it encourages mediocrity. Read More…

• Gridlock in Congress threatens Ohio programs (Dispatch)

Automatic spending cuts triggered by gridlock on a bipartisan congressional “supercommittee” could cost Ohio nearly $313 million next year, with a large chunk being pulled from funds for poor students and those with special needs. The overall reduction in federal funding for the state — 1 percent — might be small, but it would hit certain programs hard. Head Start faces a nearly 9 percent cut. So do special-education grants for K-12 schools, work-study payments for needy college students and extra nutritional aid for low-income pregnant women and children, according to an analysis done last month by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Read More…

Local Issues

• City, county, schools join in drive to prevent bullying (Blade)

Local city, county, and school officials announced a joint public awareness campaign Tuesday to combat bullying. Calling the impact of bullying on communities "devastating," Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak said that children can't be effective learners if they feel threatened in school. "We want to prevent the bullying," Ms. Skeldon-Wozniak said. "We want the schools to feel safe." Students, faculty, and staff of area schools will be asked to sign anti-bullying pledges, where they will vow to monitor for bullying and support victims, among other promises. Read More…

• Community split on whether Richmond Heights students should wear uniforms (News-Herald)

The Richmond Heights community is split on the topic of whether the school district should have students wear uniforms. Interim Superintendent Robert J. Moore, at Monday’s school board meeting, shared the results of a survey sent out to families which showed that almost 50 percent are for student uniforms and 50 percent against. Moore said he plans to revisit the issue and propose a sport coat or jacket with the Richmond Heights logo on it in order to create a sense of unity within the community and district. Read More…

• Lakota eyeing unemployment claims, severance after cutting 141 jobs (Journal-News)

LIBERTY TWP. — The Lakota Board of Education, which approved $10.5 million in cuts and a reduction of 141 positions Monday, is now turning its attention to unemployment compensation and severance pay. Treasurer Jenni Logan said the district wants to make sure to give those employees enough lead time to find gainful employment elsewhere. “Our hope is to have that process firmed up and to formally take action on all of that at our final board meeting in April,” she said. Job cuts for the 2012-13 school year will be based on seniority and licensing, Logan said. Read More…

Editorial

• Raising the bar (Courier)

Whether or not our children decide to compete for a job in another state or country, or stay home, they must have the best education possible. And it must start well before they get to a university, community college or trade school. Signs show good things happening in most schools in Ohio. More than half of the 609 schools that received a state report card for the 2010-2011 school year got "excellent" or "excellent with distinction" marks. And more than a handful of those schools are in our area. Read More…

• Cleveland school-reform bill needs teachers' input (Plain Dealer)

When the usually reserved Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson says he would trade his office for "quality education for our children," all of the other adults involved in the high-stakes discussion on school reform ought to determine what they would give up as well. So far, judging from the Cleveland Teachers Union's tepid response to the mayor's Cleveland-only school reform package, the answer appears to be little or nothing. Read More…

Education News for 03-13-2012

Statewide Education News

• How the state will rank school spending (Dispatch)

Among the slew of school rankings we'll see on this year's report cards is a best-to-worst efficiency ranking based on per-pupil spending. The rankings will be based entirely on operational expenditures -- money spent to run the school district. So no facilities spending will be included. Read More…

• Group wants students to withdraw (Vindicator)

Youngstown - A community group plans to target the city school district’s 1,500 lowest-performing students, asking their parents to withdraw them from the schools. Jimma McWilson of the Community High Commission declined to specify how those students would be targeted, or during what time frame. The commission, which McWilson says includes about 50 members plus several affiliated groups, called a news conference Monday at the East Side branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. Read More…

• Kasich hails Cleveland school plan (Dispatch)

Gov. John Kasich is praying and begging for support for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to overhaul the city’s schools, saying it’s a model that could be used in urban districts across Ohio. “I’m begging you as human beings to not let this go down the drain,” Kasich told the State Board of Education at its monthly meeting yesterday in Columbus. The governor urged the 19-member board to back the plan, which might be included in a mid-biennium review of the state budget that Kasich plans to unveil on Wednesday. Read More…

• State to lower ratings of area schools (Findlay Courier)

Almost every area school district that received an "excellent" rating on last year's state-issued report card would see that rating demoted if a new, tougher evaluation system is used. Arcadia, Findlay City, Liberty-Benton, McComb and Van Buren schools were all given excellent ratings, the equivalent of an A, for the 2010-11 school year. Had the new evaluation system been in place, all five districts would have instead received an "effective" rating, the equivalent of a B. The state plans to begin using the new system this year. Read More…

Local Issues

• Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson unveils draft legislation to support schools plan (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson hopes to line up a legislative sponsor for his schools plan yet this month and is aiming for the necessary changes in state law by May and a tax increase this fall. Read More…

• New school rating system would reduce grades (Coshocton Tribune)

COSHOCTON - All county schools would drop a grade level if judged by a new system the state plans to put in place. "They're increasing the rigor, and it's nothing that we haven't anticipated," said Rick Raach, Ridgewood Local School District superintendent. Read More…

• School district grades drop under new rating system (Times-Recorder)

Three Muskingum County schools were rated excellent on the last state report card, but none of them would have achieved that rating under the state's new evaluation system. In fact, almost every Ohio school district rated excellent or higher on the state's 2011 report card -- the equivalent of an A -- would drop to a B or lower under proposed changes to the rating system. Read More…

• State gives Lorain Schools a ‘D’; Under new grading scale, not one district in Lorain County earned an ‘A’ (Morning Journal)

Under the proposed changes in how the state grades school districts, not one district in Lorain County would receive a top mark from the state. Under the new A to F grading scale, the highest grade a Lorain County school would receive is a B, according to the Ohio department of Education. Read More…

• Resident praises embattled principal (Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin)

OLD FORT - During an Old Fort Local Board of Education meeting Monday evening, a district resident spoke out in support of an administrator who was suspended without pay Feb. 27. After the board spent 20 minutes in executive session, Anna Alexander described Tom Weaver, principal of grades 7-12 and athletic director, as a wonderful person and decent man. Read More…

• New Riegel board learns of new grading system for school districts (Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin)

New Riegel Board of Education members learned a new accountability system may go into effect that would change the school's state report card significantly. Superintendent Elaine Nye said the Ohio Department of Education has submitted a waiver to the U.S. Department of Education for the new system. Read More…

• Parents set up experiments (Vindicator)

Canfield - Students at Hilltop Elementary are spending the week playing with science. On Monday, Hilltop fourth-graders took turns with hands-on science, technology, engineering and math experiments that were designed and organized by about 50 parent volunteers over the course of several months, said Principal Cathy Mowry. Throughout the week, the other grade levels also will participate. Mowry said the experiments were created with the kids in mind. Read More…

• Willoughby-Eastlake Schools proposes new grading scale (News-Herald)

While many supporters are still celebrating the passage of the Willoughby-Eastlake School levy, the school board got back to work and had its first meeting at Kennedy Community School on Monday night since the election. A revision to the district's grading scale was proposed that would put Willoughby-Eastlake more in line with other schools, Superintendent Steve Thompson said. "What we have found is that our grading scale is higher than almost every school district around," Thompson said. Read More…

• Lakota schools' budget ax falls (Enquirer)

LIBERTY TWP. — When Lakota students start next school year, they will see fewer teachers, staff specialists and have fewer course options, thanks to about $10.5 million in sweeping budget cuts approved Monday night by the district’s school board. The Lakota board voted to accept some of the deepest budget reductions in the 18,000-student district’s 55-year history. The district is running out of money after voters have rejected three tax hikes in two years. Read More…

• Spring Valley to close, saves district $300K annually (Morning Journal)

ELYRIA — Spring Valley Early Childhood Center will close at the end of the year, sending young students to other buildings in a move that will save the district $300,000 annually, according to Superintendent Paul Rigda. Kindergarten students now attending Spring Valley will attend Windsor Elementary School, 264 Windsor Drive, in the fall, and Spring Valley’s preschool classes, for developing students and special-needs children, will be at the district’s Administration Building, 42101 Griswold Road. Read More…

Editorial

• Use caution with open enrollment (Tribune Chronicle)

Now that Liberty Local Schools has approved open enrollment, the district has a fighting chance of escaping state fiscal oversight sooner rather than later, improving its academic standing and avoiding another levy request on a community beleaguered by an extraordinary tax rate. The Board of Education last month unanimously approved reinstating open enrollment. This is noteworthy because so many parents attended the meeting to oppose the decision, and the district closed enrollment two years ago in answer to parental protests. Read More…

• Enhanced degree (Dispatch)

Any way that students can get a head start on a quality college education — and at a discount — is welcome. Reynoldsburg City Schools students soon might get the opportunity to graduate with both a diploma and an associate’s degree, through a partnership being considered by the district and Columbus State Community College. Officials still are working out details, including how much the high-school students would have to pay for the college credit, but a Columbus State spokesman says the cost will be “dramatically less” than the $79 per college credit hour that other students pay. Read More…

Education News for 03-12-2012

Statewide Education News

• It’s PB and crackers if parents don’t pay (Dispatch)

Students at Fouse Elementary School ordered off a menu of burgers, chicken tenders and a slew of sides last week –– unless their parents were behind on lunch payments. The menu for those children was juice, six peanut butter-filled crackers and applesauce. The meal meets federal nutrition requirements, officials at the Westerville school say, while sending parents the message that they need to pay up. “It’s very comparable to a regular lunch,” Principal Brian Orrenmaa said. Read More…

• Ohio schools leader fears for future of arts teaching (Enquirer)

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — Ohio Superintendent of Public Education Stan Heffner told a group of Cincinnati business leaders Thursday that he’s worried about the future of the arts in public schools. “I am worried for the arts because of funding,” said Heffner. “Superintendents have no choice. They took hits.” Heffner mentioned his concerns during a talk at Hughes STEM High School for Leadership Cincinnati’s Education Day, a day-long session in which business leaders learned about the issues affecting education in Cincinnati. Read More…

• Tougher state ratings for schools make ‘A’ hard to get (Beacon Journal)

Hudson would be the only school district in Summit County earning an “A” if the state’s new rating system had been in place last year. Stark County’s only A school would be Jackson. Aurora would have the only A in Portage County, and Wadsworth would get the only top grade in Medina County. Wayne County would have no A schools at all. Only 17 Ohio districts out of 609 that received report cards last year would be given the top grade under the new system, which begins with this school year. Read More…

• Area schools may see lower marks (Chillicothe Gazette)

Almost every Ohio school district rated excellent or better on the state's 2011 report card would drop to a B or worse under proposed changes to the rating system. The change is part of Ohio's waiver application for key portions of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. It replaces the state's current rating system with traditional letter grades and beefs up the standards for achieving high grades. "The purpose is to make it more understandable to the public," Ohio Department of Education spokesman Patrick Gallaway wrote in an email. Read More…

• Kasich to pitch policy reform (Dispatch)

Gov. John Kasich is likely to propose a new tax structure for Ohio’s banks that would provide relief for community banks but close loopholes for larger financial institutions, sources tell The Dispatch. Kasich also could propose legislation on Wednesday that would allow Cleveland schools to divorce tenure from staffing decisions — a potential steppingstone for changing education policy statewide and a component of the failed Senate Bill 5. Read More…

• New law will put some teachers to the test (News-Sun)

This fall, thousands of teachers in Ohio’s lowest-performing schools will be required to take new licensing tests. The requirement — a provision of the state budget law — likely would make Ohio the first state to take this step. It would affect teachers in core subject areas whose schools are in the bottom 10 percent based on Performance Index scores and are in Academic Watch or Academic Emergency. The rankings would be based on Performance Index scores on the next state report cards, which come out in August. Read More…

• Schools push up property values (Dispatch)

Through February, school districts had filed more than double the number of complaints contesting property values set by the Franklin County auditor’s office than they filed in all of last year. The districts want the property values raised so they can collect more tax dollars. To show that property is undervalued, they hire lawyers who seek out commercial and industrial properties that were sold at a price higher than the value set by Auditor Clarence Mingo. School districts had filed 447 complaints through February, compared with 262 complaints last year. Read More…

• Mild winter means districts haven't used allotted calamity days (News-Herald)

Last year, after months of discussion, state legislators chose to restore the number of calamity days schools could use to five, up from the previous three. However, to the chagrin of most students, this increase has not come into play this year thanks to a mild winter. Geauga County schools frequently use their full supply of calamity days because of historically heavy snows. However, this winter has required few or no days off from attending class. Ledgemont Schools used a single day and is on pace the use the fewest in several years, said district treasurer Kelly Moore. Read More…

• Push for action to curtail restraining students (Dispatch)

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of students, most of them disabled, are strapped down or physically restrained in school, and disability advocates hope that a new Education Department report detailing the practice of "seclusion and restraint" will spur federal action to end it. The report, compiled and made public for the first time by the department's civil rights arm, shows that 70 percent of students subjected to the techniques have disabilities. There are no current federal standards on the use of the techniques in schools. Read More…

• Healthier lunches helping students develop nutritious eating habits (News-Herald)

Brown bags packed with provisions from home along with purchased meals from the food service filled cafeteria tables during a recent lunch period at West Geauga High School. Whether bagged or bought, the majority of edibles appeared to be healthy and nutritious. Fruits, sandwiches made with whole-grain bread, salads and soups seemed to be the norm. Noticeably absent were cans of soda, french fries and sugary desserts. Read More…

Local Issues

• Olentangy schools didn’t track expenses (Dispatch)

More than $11,000 in unapproved purchases occurred in the Olentangy Local School District’s athletic department, the state auditor says. The audit, released this week, shows the money was spent from outside bank accounts between 2008 and 2011. The money has been repaid, “but it should not take an audit to correct this kind of error,” State Auditor Dave Yost said in a news release. The outside accounts were opened by three athletic directors to pay for tournaments sponsored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Read More…

• Mayor Frank Jackson's plan to revamp Cleveland schools still needs legislative support (Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS - Mayor Frank Jackson wants to make it easier for the city's public school brass to fire or re-assign ineffective teachers to help turn around low-performing buildings. The Democratic mayor also wants the school system to share school revenue raised through tax measures with high-performing Cleveland charter schools, a holistic schooling approach aimed at reversing the city's dismal record for educating children. Read More…

• Region mobilizes to ensure 3rd-graders read well (Enquirer)

More than 70 organizations in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are teaming up on a national effort to improve third-grade reading levels. The eight-year initiative includes seven counties and 19 school districts. It’s one of the broadest such efforts ever undertaken, organizers said. Its goal is to have 100 percent of children in this region reading successfully by the end of third grade by 2020. The groups are taking on this issue because third-grade reading is a problem here, they say. And failing to address it has huge consequences. Read More…

• Ohio plan would hurt TPS rating (Blade)

A proposed school evaluation system could have major effects on the images of area schools, and hits Toledo Public Schools especially hard. Part of Ohio's request for a waiver from No Child Left Behind Act requirements includes a proposal by the state's Department of Education for a new school rating system. Gone would be designations such as "academic emergency" and "excellent." In the designation's place would be an A through F scale. Gone also would be high rankings for many districts, with A's sparsely distributed, as the new system is considerably more rigorous. Read More…

• Steubenville a model for other districts — including Warren (Tribune Chronicle)

At first glance the classrooms inside the Steubenville city school district may look similar to those found in other schools throughout the state. Colorful bulletin boards decorate the walls, instructors use some of the most modern technology and students work on assignments at their desks or in small groups around the room. But when it comes to academics, Steubenville is a cut above the rest. So successful is the district that it is garnering attention from officials in other school districts - including Warren City Schools. Read More…

• Niles schools still face financial difficulty despite passage of levy (Vindicator)

NILES - Voter approval of a renewal school levy last Tuesday has staved off a state declaration of fiscal emergency for now, but the school district faces the same threat again with the start of the new fiscal year this July. “We are still under the specter of a fiscal-emergency declaration because our current five-year plan shows a deficit of more than $2 million for fiscal year 2013, and we have to show the state we can eliminate it,” said Mark Robinson, school superintendent. Fiscal year 2013 begins July 1. Niles schools have been under a fiscal watch since 2003. Read More…

• Granville only 'A' school under new grading system (Newark Advocate)

NEWARK - Eight Licking County school districts were rated excellent or better in 2011, but only Granville would have achieved that rating under Ohio's new evaluation system. The change is part of the state's waiver application for key portions of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. It replaces the state's current rating system with traditional letter grades and beefs up the standards for achieving high grades. Read More…

Education News for 03-09-2012

Statewide Education News

• State switching to new system of grading academic performance (Dispatch)

Ohio is about to lose nearly 95 percent of its “excellent” schools. Last year, 382 school districts and charter schools received an A, or excellent rating, on state-issued report cards. If a new evaluation system the state plans to start using this year had been in place, only 22 would have gotten an A — just one in central Ohio (Granville). In Franklin County, 11 of the 12 districts that earned A’s on last year’s report cards would drop to B’s, and one, South-Western City Schools, would fall to a C. Read More…

• Schools from across Northeast Ohio, nation offer support to Chardon students (Plain Dealer)

CHARDON — Students at Chardon High School need only look to the hallways in their building to find encouragement. Banners, sympathy cards and private notes of well wishes from their peers at high schools and colleges throughout the region and across the country adorn the walls, offering support to help cope with the shootings Feb. 27 that left three students dead. The signs -- from schools like Aurora, Chagrin Falls, Mentor and Westlake -- carry messages like "We Support You," "We are all Hilltoppers," "Our hands hold you, Our hearts love you" and "One Heartbeat." Read More…

• Ohio to toughen school, district rating system (Dayton Daily News)

There will be far fewer As on this year’s state-issued report cards under a new, more rigorous school rating system the state plans to start using. Only three of the 28 school districts in Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Warren counties that received Excellent or Excellent with Distinction ratings on last year’s report cards would get an A under the new system — Oakwood, Miami East and Mason. Last year, 382 school districts and charter schools in Ohio received the equivalent of an A, or excellent rating, but only 22 would have gotten that top grade if the new evaluation system had been in place. Read More…

Local Issues

• Cleveland Mayor Jackson brings schools to forefront in 'State of the City' speech (Cleveland Business)

As he has in recent years, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson closed his annual State of the City address today by bringing to the forefront his effort to improve Cleveland's schools. He spoke in the address of plans for the lakefront and Public Square, and he ticked off a long list of accomplishments, including the financial stability of the city. But Mayor Jackson found his voice, one businessperson in attendance said, when he spoke about education. Read More…

• Hathorn’s first report card: Good but not yet excellent (Vindicator)

Judging by the report card issued by the Youngstown Board of Education to Superintendent Connie Hathorn last week, one would not accuse the city school district’s policymakers of grade inflation. In their evaluation of Hathorn’s first year at the helm of the troubled city school district, board members rated the top administrator a 7 out of a possible 9 points across six categories, or roughly a B grade for “commendable” good work. Read More…

• Special-needs restraint called means to safety (Dispatch)

To keep everyone safe, schools need to be able to restrain and isolate special-needs students when they become violent or disruptive, a national educators group says. And using “seclusion rooms” — sometimes called timeout rooms or quiet rooms — has allowed students whose disabilities once kept them from attending public schools to do so, the American Association of School Administrators said in a report released yesterday. The report was, in part, a response to a bill introduced in Congress in December that would limit the restraint or seclusion of students. Read More…

• Lunch becomes a moneymaker for Springfield City Schools (News-Sun)

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield City Schools are figuring out ways to make more lunch money while saving taxpayer dollars. The district makes about 8,500 meals for its own students. Now, it’s also making 800 meals for other programs, including Springfield Head Start, Springfield Catholic Central, Clark County Educational Service Center and OIC of Clark County, said Chris Ashley, supervisor of food and nutrition for the district. Read More…

Education News for 03-08-2012

Statewide Education News

• Voters were sympathetic to schools’ levy requests (Dispatch)

Ohio voters approved 75 percent of the tax requests for schools in Tuesday’s primary, the highest passage rate in nearly 12 years. Not since the November 2000 general election have voters approved three-fourths of school levies. In Westerville and other parts of the state, voters opened their wallets in the wake of sweeping cuts in state aid to schools last year, which triggered teacher layoffs and reductions in academic programs, transportation services and extracurricular activities. Read More…

• Teachers Speak Out Against SB5-Like Proposal (ONN)

CINCINNATI - Ohio educators spoke out on Wednesday about what they called the first step in a statewide threat to revive Senate Bill 5, ONN’s Denise Alex reported. “Together Works Better” was the message a coalition, led by the Ohio Federation Of Teachers, wanted to get across to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and others wanting to run schools and limit collective bargaining rights of unions. Melissa Cropper is president of the Ohio Federation Of Teachers. Read More…

• iPad learning (Marietta Times)

Five-year-old Sophie Hutchinson certainly knows her way around the iPad. Quick to display her prowess with one of the hottest technological gadgets, Hutchinson has everything from math games to painting down pat. And she's not the only youngster like that. Technology like the iPad is becoming more and more prevalent among children as young as toddlers, and it's altering the educational outlook for their generation. Read More…

• Voters pass 75 percent of Ohio's school levies; 5 out of 6 pass in Cuyahoga County (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND — Public school officials across Ohio woke up smiling Wednesday following a long election night that saw voters approve school levies in higher numbers than they had in several years. Statewide, there were 110 public school money issues on Tuesday's ballot. Eighty-one passed. While many of the state's races were nail-bitters -- more than a third of those that won did so with less than 250 votes -- school officials said that voters seemed to understand the impact of dramatic declines in revenue from property taxes, ongoing state budget cuts and the phase-out of Ohio's tangible personal property tax, which taxes business inventory and equipment. Read More…

Local Issues

• Teach For America debuts in Dayton this fall (Dayton Daily News)

DAYTON — Three Dayton charter schools or systems have signed on for Teach For America’s debut in Ohio this fall, part of the organization’s three-year commitment to place 90 teachers in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Dayton Early College Academy, Dayton Leadership Academy and National Heritage Academies are among six charter schools or systems and two districts that will partner with TFA, said Ben Lindy, executive director for Teach For America-Southwest Ohio. Read More…

• Suit demands data on city schools’ use of ‘seclusion rooms’ (Dispatch)

A mother says her son, who is autistic, was terrified when he was left in a “seclusion room” at his Columbus high school. The 18-year-old stripped naked and urinated. A state agency that protects people with disabilities wants to investigate but says the Columbus school district has blocked its attempts. The Ohio Legal Rights Service sued the district in federal court on Monday, seeking records to show how often — and why — school employees isolate students in the cell-like rooms. Read More…

• New-money school taxes fare well statewide but poorly in Akron-Canton area (Beacon Journal)

The 53 percent statewide passage rate for new school taxes in Tuesday’s election — 30 of 57 — was the highest percentage since at least 2003, according to the Ohio School Boards Association. “We had about 81 out of the 110 issues pass [Tuesday],” OSBA spokesman Jeff Chambers said. But voters in only one school district in the Akron-Canton area approved new money: the Triway district in Wayne County, which easily passed a 0.75 percent earned income tax. Read More…

• Southwest Licking Schools serious about saving energy (Newark Advocate)

PATASKALA - Southwest Licking Local Schools intends to craft an energy policy to save money on its utility costs. The board recently voted to hire Johnson Controls -- the move temporarily is on hold until the district's attorney reviews the contract -- to perform an energy audit that will highlight ways to save on utility bills, not just in every district building but in every district classroom. Southwest Licking will pay $46,000 in the first year of the five-year contract for the service, but Johnson Controls is guaranteeing the district will realize at least $67,000 in annual savings. Read More…

• Carlisle to consider cuts following school issue defeat (Middletown Journal)

CARLISLE — The day after a combined bond issue and income tax increase failed for a second straight time, Superintendent Larry Hook said the Carlisle Local School District has little option but to proceed with budget cuts. Voters on Tuesday again defeated a bond issue that would have generated $28.1 million and a 0.75 percent income tax increase that would bring in $1.3 million annually for operations. The monies raised from the bond issue would have been combined with $29.8 million from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission to build a new K-12 facility. Read More…

• Teen held in high-school hit-list case (Dispatch)

A Licking County high-school student, who was arrested after authorities say she wrote a hit-list in a school bathroom on Monday, is being evaluated to see whether she’s a danger to herself or others. Sierra K. Bruner, 17, appeared in juvenile court yesterday afternoon, and a court-appointed attorney entered denials — the juvenile equivalent of a not-guilty plea — to two felony juvenile charges of inducing panic, one felony juvenile count of making a false alarm and one misdemeanor juvenile charge of criminal damaging. She originally faced one count of inducing panic. Read More…

• Teach for America recruits to work for Cleveland charter schools this fall (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Fifty or more recruits from Teach for America will be in Cleveland-area classrooms this fall, the program announced Wednesday. They will teach at charter schools operated by Breakthrough Schools, Constellation Schools, I CAN Schools and Mosaica Education. Partnership agreements with more schools are likely to be added as discussions continue, said Mike Wang, a senior vice president in charge of expanding the national program. In addition, another 30 or so recruits will work in the Cincinnati and Dayton regions. Read More...