Santorum spread thin in Ohio

We have previuosly covered some of the (evolving) positions on education of the Republican Presidential candidates, but with the Super Tuesday primary tomorrow in Ohio, we thought we'd take a look at the current state of play. Current polling averages have a very tight race: Mitt Romney at 36.2%, Rick Santorum at 36.1% and Newt Gingrich bringing up the rear with 16.1%.

Of course, even if Rick Santorum does win the popular vote in Ohio tomorrow, things aren't quite so simple.

Rick Santorum still holds a slim lead over Mitt Romney in the latest Ohio polls, but win or lose on Tuesday, the results of the primary are almost certainly going to give way to an ugly fight over delegates that has the potential to last for weeks.

Santorum failed to submit the required paperwork in three of the state’s congressional districts to be eligible to win any delegates and only partial paperwork in six other districts. And it’s in those six where things start to get complicated.

The former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign needed to come up with at least three names in each of the state’s 16 congressional districts for full delegate eligibility, but his failure submit full slates in some places will result in “unbound” delegates, which will be up for grabs after Super Tuesday.

Take the state’s fourth congressional district, for example. There Santorum submitted the name of one delegate, but left two other lines blank. If Santorum were to win the district, the state party would award him one delegate with the other two remaining officially un-allocated.

Rick Santorum faces other problems too. Santorum has some old fashioned ideas about education, and by old fashioned we mean pre-1785. Even Fox news, bastion of far right reporting, began to notice how extreme, and in some cases, hypocritical his positions have become.

Reporting from Bowling Green, Ohio -- Rick Santorum repeatedly fumbled on Sunday morning, with statements from his 2006 Senate campaign contradicting his current views on No Child Left Behind and placing him squarely in agreement with President Obama's call for post-high-school education or training.

On "No Child Left Behind," President Bush's signature education reform law that is now deeply unpopular among GOP voters, Santorum told Fox News' Chris Wallace that he voted for it because he supported increased testing provisions for schools, but did not like the increased spending.

Wallace highlighted a statement on Santorum's 2006 reelection website that noted Santorum's support for the act and called it "the most historic legislative initiative enhancing education opportunities to pass Congress in decades." Wallace also noted that Santorum later said he "took one for the team" in voting for the act, and Santorum denied making such a statement.
[...]
Santorum backed down over a statement he made recently that called President Obama a "snob" for saying all Americans should attend college. Wallace noted there was no evidence that the president had made such a statement, and rather had called on all Americans to do something after finishing high school, whether college, vocational training or an apprenticeship, a statement similar to what Santorum has said.

Close in the polls, lacking delegates, and attacked by the Republican party media machine, Rich Santorum is spread very thin in Ohio, and elsewhere.

Union members spotlight - State Senate

Last week we took a look at the union members who have decided to run for the Ohio House of Representatives. With so many there's a good change you have a union member running to represent you! You can check them out at the following links.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Today, the day before the primary, we turn our attention to the four union members running for the Ohio Senate. Where the Ohio House has 99 seats, the Ohio Senate has only 33, with only half up for reelection every two years. This year those districts with even numbers are up for reelection.

It should be noted that the districts listed below are new as a consequence of the legislative redistricting process that happened last year.

Senate district 6 - Rick McKiddy (D)

Rick is a retired member of the UAW. Rick is running unopposed in the primary. Paul Isaacs is challenging Lehner for the GOP nod to face Rick in November. Lehner was appointed to succeed State Sen. John Husted when he assumed the office of Ohio Secretary of State. Sen. Lehner voted for SB5 and the budget.

Senate district 20 - Teresa Scarmack (D)

Teresa is a member of OEA. Recognized as a Master Teacher, with 23 years of teaching experience, she is running uncontested in the primary and will face Troy Balderson in the general election. Sen. Balderson was appointed to the Senate in 2011 form the House, where he voted for SB5 and the budget.
You can learn more about Teresa, here.

Senate district 24 - Tom Patton (D)

Tom is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States (IATSE), President of Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 756 and AFL-CIO delegate. He was one of the few Republican senators to vote against SB5. He faces Jennifer L. Brady in the general election.
You can learn more about Tom, here.

Senate district 26 - Tanyce Addison (D)

Tanyce is a member of OEA. Tanyce is a recently retired Elgin teacher of the year. Her opponent, David Burke, voted YES on SB5. He was appointed to Karen Gillmor's Senate seat after she voted YES on SB5. You can learn more about Tanyce, here.

Education News for 03-05-2012

Statewide Education News

• Ohio puts teachers on notice (Enquirer)

Come September, Ohio will likely be the only state in the country to force thousands of teachers at low-performing schools to take special licensing tests. A provision in Ohio’s budget law requires that by Sept. 1, the state must rank all public schools and charter schools based on a report card measure called the Performance Index – a calculation of student performance on state tests. Schools ranked in the bottom 10 percent will require teachers of “core” subjects to take licensing exams within the school year. Core subjects include reading, math, science and social studies. Read More…

• Ohio may use new report card system (Dayton Daily News)

COLUMBUS — Ohio will revamp how it grades K-12 school performance and set new goals for cutting the achievement gap among student groups if federal authorities exempt the state from requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act. State Superintendent Stan Heffner called the No Child Left Behind Act out of date and unrealistic. On Wednesday, Heffner outlined the changes the Ohio Department of Education is proposing in exchange for relief from the burdens imposed by the 2001 landmark federal education law. Read More…

• College opportunities growing in area high schools (Dispatch)

More Columbus-area high schools are bringing Columbus State Community College to their students. Reynoldsburg school officials said last month that their high school will house a Columbus State regional campus for students and adults this fall. The Hilliard and Olentangy districts also are discussing expanding dual-enrollment opportunities with the community college. Columbus State says it’s talking with other districts as well. Read More…

• Chardon Students Head Back To Class (ONN)

CHARDON - Students and parents said that Friday was a day full of mixed emotions as they headed back into Chardon High School for the first official day of school since the shootings. The students walked into the building hundreds at a time, with reminders that things will never be the same. A memorial greeted the students at the entrance of the school and some were nervous to adventure back into the cafeteria. Some students had been dreading the first day back, but knew it was something they have to do, ONN's Cristin Severance reported. Read More…

• Youngstown school board won’t meet with High Commission, chief says (Vindicator)

Youngstown - The city schools superintendent can arrange meetings between district personnel charged with academic success and the Community High Commission, the school board president wrote in a letter to the group. Earlier this week, Jimma McWilson of the commission, a group seeking to close the achievement gap for black students in the city schools, delivered a letter to Lock P. Beachum Sr., school board president, asking for meetings with the board, as part of the regular board meetings of March 13 and March 27. McWilson wasn’t satisfied with Beachum’s response. Read More…

• Some schools don’t have their safety plans on file (Dispatch)

Following the deadly school shooting in northeastern Ohio this week, the Ohio attorney general’s office says that 45 central Ohio schools have failed to file required safety plans designed to help police in a similar incident. But most districts contacted yesterday insisted that they had filed the plans. On the list from Franklin County were two Hilliard schools — Hilliard Bradley High School and HCSD Preschool — as well as the Reynoldsburg district’s Waggoner Road Junior High and Worthington’s Phoenix Middle School. Read More…

Local Issues

• Threats continue to send northeast Ohio schools into lockdown following Chardon shooting (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - Threats continue to cause schools in northeast Ohio to go into lockdown Friday, days after a school shooting in Chardon. Reports of apparent threats started coming into area schools almost immediately after Monday’s shooting rampage, which left three students dead and two others injured. And the threats continue to be reported. On Friday alone, police confirmed incidents at Garfield Heights Middle School, Memorial Junior High in South Euclid and Springfield High School in Springfield Township. Read More…

• TPS mulls new plan for student breakfasts (Blade)

A potential new approach to how Toledo Public Schools serves students breakfast could save the district money, boost academics, and feed hundreds of hungry children. Most TPS students already are eligible for free and reduced lunch and breakfasts, but not every student takes advantage of the subsidized meal. Some district officials and Toledo Board of Education members want to move breakfast from the cafeteria to the classroom. Beyond the altruistic benefits, if every student eligible for subsidized breakfasts ate the meals, the district could save more than $1 million. Read More…

• Space issues prompt Newark schools to end transfers (Newark Advocate)

NEWARK - Newark's new schools are almost filled to capacity, prompting the district to discontinue transfers and to search for other options for its preschool units. The district announced this past week it no longer would allow students to transfer to an elementary or middle school whose boundaries they don't live in. Students who already have transferred can stay in their new schools, and siblings also are eligible to transfer if there is room in the grade. "We've got to give the transfer thing a break for a while," Newark City Schools Superintendent Doug Ute said. Read More…

• Barrett school closing signals change in special education for Akron district (Beacon Journal)

The parents and staff who oppose closing Barrett elementary urged Akron school board members to visit the school so they could witness stories like this: On Wednesday, Tom Ward from Akron Orthotic Solutions came to Barrett to adjust a special kind of leg brace that 5-year-old Joshua Holcomb wears to help him walk. Joshua was born with spina bifida, which has left him unable to move his legs on his own. Read More…

• 19 Northeast Ohio school districts seek financial support from voters in Tuesday's election (Plain Dealer)

Facing declining property tax revenue and uncertain state financial support, 19 Northeast Ohio school districts have placed money issues on Tuesday's ballot, betting on a glimmer of hope in the economy and their cost-cutting measures to sway voters. Nearly half the school levies are renewals, meaning property taxes won't go up because voters are simply being asked to OK a tax rate that's already in place. Read More…

• Kindergartners get first exposure to science (Journal-News)

HAMILTON — At the registration table for Highland Elementary’s second annual Family Fun Science Night, kindergartner West Cannon prances excitedly as he anticipates an evening of magic. “I like how you turn one thing into another,” he said, and demonstrates pouring an imaginary potion from one beaker to another. At his age, explained kindergarten teacher Pam Vernot, there’s not much difference between science and magic. “I always start the year asking them what science is,” she said. Read More…

Editorial

• Promise to parents (Beacon Journal)

When the superintendent of Akron Public Schools delivered the State of the Schools address last week, he said the district continues to “right-size our footprint” with the school board weighing his recommendation to close Barrett, Essex and Rankin elementary schools. There’s no arguing the reality David James cited: The district no longer can support a physical infrastructure built to accommodate 30,000 students when enrollment has declined by one-third the past 20 years. Operating funds are shrinking, and the district is short by a projected $22 million for the next school year. Read More…

• Mayor Jackson's school plan merits Democratic legislators' support (Plain Dealer)

The emergency-rescue package for the Cleveland schools is already in trouble in Columbus from a resistant Republican leadership and Democrats who are missing in action when their support is needed most. Republican Gov. John Kasich, Democratic Mayor Frank Jackson and Cleveland schools CEO Eric Gordon need to redouble efforts to push their proposal to alter teacher seniority rules, punish nonperforming Cleveland charters and build a better school system from the ground up. To start, they need to get it into legislative language, pronto. But it's up to lawmakers to set aside the usual partisanship and political myopia to show that state government and schools can be partners in promoting educational innovations when spending more is no longer feasible or even practical. Read More…

Union members spotlight - day 5

This is the final day five of our week long spotlight on union members who have decided to run for the Ohio House of Representatives.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

It should be noted that the districts listed below are new as a consequence of the legislative redistricting process that happened last year.

House district 88 - Bill Young (D)

Bill is a member of OEA and an award-winning Social Studies teacher. He will be facing incumbent Rep. Rex Damschroder in November. Damschroder was absent for the vote on SB5, but did vote for the budget bill which contained many similar provisions as SB5, while also deeply cutting education funding.

House district 95 - Jim Drake (D) and Charles Daniels (D)

This is the only race where two union members will face each other in a primary.
Jim Drake is a member of OEA. Jim is a twenty-year veteran high school teacher, He worked in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Education to implement the Ohio Entry-Year Teacher Program, and served as both vice-president and president of the St. Clairsville Education Association.

Jim is a member of the Ohio Foreign Language Association and has served on the OEA’s Fund for Children in Public Education State Council, Legislative Committee, and is the current chair of the Organizing Strategy Committee. He currently teaches Spanish at St. Clairsville High School. You can learn more about Jim, here.

Charles Daniels is a member of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA). You can follow Charles on Facebook, here.
Incumbent Jack Cera (D) is running for reeelction in district 95, so the incumbent of current District 93, Republican Andrew Thompson will be the primary opponent of the eventual Democratic primary winner. It will be no surprise ot learn that Rep. Thompson was a big supporter of SB5 and the budget which passed the buck to the schools and local governments.

House district 99 - John Patterson (D)

John is a member of OEA. since 1983 John taught U.S. History at Jefferson Area High School. While at Jefferson, John has coached girls basketball, boys baseball, golf, and for the past 12 seasons, boys’ cross-country. During this he has been very active in the Jefferson Area Teachers’ Association, and has been the chief negotiator for his union since the late 1980′s.
He will be facing incumbent Casey Kozlowski in November, one of the few Republicans to buck party pressure and vote against SB5. He did however for the budget.
You can learn more about John, here.

Monday we will turn our attention to union members who are running for the Ohio State Senate.

Education News for 03-02-2012

Statewide Education News

• Mansfield schools develop new mathematics program (News-Journal)

MANSFIELD - Mansfield City Schools has begun reshaping the way mathematics is taught at the elementary, intermediate and middle school levels in preparation for state common core academic standards that will be required for the 2014-15 school year. "The Ohio Department of Education's revised common core standards will be in effect in 18 months, but we aren't waiting," said Superintendent Dan Freund. "We have begun embedding new strategies in classroom math instruction in conjunction with coaching from Ohio State University-Mansfield. Read More…

• Private schools spared tragedy of shootings (Blade)

In the past 45 years, of the dozens of school shootings across the country, almost all of them have taken place at a public institution. People who study school shootings seem to agree that there isn't a large enough sample of cases -- thankfully, they add -- to say with certainty that most of the incidents happen at public schools and, if true, why. "I'm skeptical if that's a valid enough conclusion," said Eric Dubow, a psychology professor at Bowling Green State University. "Thank God there are not that many school shootings. It's not a large enough sample size to make that claim yet." Read More…

• School districts face tough choices if ballot issues fail (Beacon Journal)

The Woodridge school district covers nearly 43 square miles of hilly terrain from North Akron and Cuyahoga Falls deep into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park beyond Peninsula into a sliver of Brecksville on the north side. So the district spends $1.6 million a year to provide bus service to every student from kindergarten to high school. “We have the national park sitting right in the middle of the district,” said Superintendent Walter Davis. “We have school buses that are 22 and 20 years old with 300,000 and 400,000 miles on them.” Read More…

• School Officials: Rumor Control Most Difficult During Lockdowns (WBNS 10 CBS)

POWELL - Two days after eight schools in the Olentangy Local Schools district were placed under lockdown, administrators on Thursday explained the events that led to their decision. School officials said that fast, accurate information was key to responding appropriately. "They were in pursuit, but they weren't sure where they were," said Mark Raiff, the district's executive director of academics. "At that point in time, the decision was simple - the entire west side is going into lockdown." Read More…

• Repayment would ‘force bankruptcy’ (Vindicator)

YOUNGSTOWN - The Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership has mounted a multifaceted campaign to persuade the United States Department of Agriculture to review a demand for nearly $900,000 by the Ohio Department of Education. If the state education department demand stands, MYCAP says it would be forced into bankruptcy and out of business. The anti-poverty agency provides assistance to low-income residents through programs such as Head Start. Read More…

Local Issues

• Teacher shuffling by Columbus schools upsets parents (Dispatch)

The Columbus school district is changing its gifted and talented programs, and also shifting about 160 math and science teaching positions to reading jobs. The district on Tuesday notified a group of teachers who work with gifted students and the 160 specialists who worked to improve students’ understanding of math and science that their positions would be “staff reduced” at the end of the school year. The teachers aren’t being laid off, but they will have to apply for another job within the district. Read More…

• Chardon community unites during march to High School (News-Herald)

One heartbeat. That was the message more than a thousand people wanted to send Thursday morning as they walked from Chardon Square to Chardon High School together. It was an emotional show of unity as students, parents and other members of the community made their way back to the scene where five students were shot Monday morning, three fatally. A sea of black and red made its way down the street during the more than 3/4 mile walk. Read More…

• Phila school district hopes to save $2.9M with retirement incentives (Times Reporter)

NEW PHILADELPHIA — Facing nearly $7 million in red ink by 2016 in its five-year fiscal projection, New Philadelphia City Schools is offering veteran teachers a retirement incentive plan to help cut the district’s expenses. If two-thirds or 20 of the 30 eligible teachers agree to the plan, it would save the district a projected $2.9 million over the next five years, covering a portion of the projected deficit. Superintendent Bob Alsept said the district has been working on the plan for about a year. Read More…

• Program helps students think about future (Newark Advocate)

HEBRON - The Lakewood Education Foundation started with $10 in the bank and a group of community members looking to make a difference. It is paying off in its first year with the Get On Track program, a college and post-secondary access program for Lakewood High School students. "We want to say it's getting on track to something beyond high school," said Holly Graham, a parent of three district students who leads the Get On Track program. Read More…

• TPS presents transformation plan to public (Blade)

A year ago, Toledo Public School administrators presented a blueprint for change in the district, a transformation plan. Middle schools and elementary schools would be dropped, and K-8 neighborhood schools adopted. Special education students would leave self-contained classrooms and join their peers in traditional settings. Students in seventh- and eighth-grade would be eligible for high school level courses. Now, administrators say they’ve kept the promises they made, and there’s more changes to come. Read More…

• School-levy win won’t mean end of cuts in London (Dispatch)

The London school district has cut more than $4million from its operating budget in the past year, and the board of education recently approved cutting $500,000 more. This latest round of cuts, which include four teaching positions and nearly two-dozen supplemental contracts, likely will happen even if voters approve the district’s property-tax request in Tuesday’s primary election. The operating levy isn’t about restoring services or jobs; it is about balancing the district’s $19.5 million operating budget, said Tom Ben, the interim superintendent. Read More…

Union members spotlight - day 4

This is day four of our week long spotlight on union members who have decided to run for the Ohio general assembly.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

It should be noted that the districts listed below are new as a consequence of the legislative redistricting process that happened last year.

House district 72 - David Dilly (D)

David Dilly is a member of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). David is the current Coshocton County Recorder. He is running unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 6. Former District 91 incumbent Bill Hayes (R), who voted for SB5 and the budget bill will be his November opponent.

House district 76 - Mary O’Toole (R)

Mary is a member of OEA. With Incumbent Rep Sprague running for election in district 83, Mary is running in a 4 way Republican primary. She will face Tom Warren in the november election if she is succesful.
Learn more about Mary, here.

House district 81 - John Vanover (D)

John is another member of the united Steel workers. john has been involved in the USW rapid response political program, coordinated communications and legislative responses. He's running unopposed to face the extreme Rep Lynn Wachtmann who enthusiastically voted for SB5, and the budget bill (HB153).

House district 87 - Dennis Sterling (R)

Dennis is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). A retired police officer after having served 27 years with the State Highway Patrol, the Dublin Police Department and the Fairborn Police Department. With a background of working for the Fraternal Order of Police, including 10 years of negotiating public safety contracts, Sterling said he plans to approach union negotiations with a "fair, reasonable and right attitude, and restore faith lost through Senate Bill 5". Dennis has also said "My goal is to try to get (local government funds) reinstated to pre-Gov. Kasich amounts," he said. "It needs to come back.".

His position draws a direct contrast to his Republican primary opponent Jeff McClain who voted for SB5 and cutting local budgets.

Tomorrow we will conclude our look at union members who are running for the State House of Representatives, then, on Monday, turn our attention to members running for the State Senate.