November 2012 School levies and issues

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With Early voting comming October 2, 2012, we thought it important to list all the school issues that will appear on ballots in Ohio. It should be noted that while there are 20 more school issues on the ballot this November, compared to November 2011, the ratio of renewals to new requests is almost identical at ~60% being requests for new money.

Type New Renew Total
Bond 9 9
Bond/Levy 14 14
Bond/Tax 1 1
Levy 85 67 152
Tax 7 8 15
Tax/Levy 4 4
Total 120 75 195

Here is the complete list of school related issues, as reported by the Ohio Secretary of State

County District Type N/R
ALLEN Apollo Career Center JVSD Bond/Levy New
ALLEN Elida LSD Tax New
ALLEN Lima CSD Levy New
ALLEN Shawnee LSD Levy Renew
ALLEN Spencerville LSD Tax Renew
ASHLAND Ashland County-West Holmes JVSD Levy Renew
ASHLAND Ashland County-West Holmes JVSD Levy Renew
ASHLAND Ashland CSD Bond/Levy New
ASHLAND Hillsdale LSD Tax/Levy New
ASHTABULA Ashtabula Area CSD Levy New
ASHTABULA Grand Valley LSD Levy New
ASHTABULA Jefferson Area LSD Levy Renew
ASHTABULA Jefferson Area LSD Levy Renew
ATHENS Athens CSD Levy Renew
ATHENS Trimble LSD Levy New
BELMONT Bellaire LSD Levy New
BROWN Western Brown LSD Levy New
BUTLER Monroe LSD Levy New
CARROLL Brown LSD Bond/Levy New
CHAMPAIGN Urbana CSD Levy New
CLARK Clark-Shawnee LSD Levy Renew
CLARK Greenon LSD Bond/Tax New
CLARK Northeastern LSD Tax New
CLARK Tecumseh LSD Levy New
CLERMONT Batavia LSD #1 Bond/Levy New
CLERMONT Batavia LSD #2 Bond/Levy New
CLERMONT Milford EVSD Levy New
CLERMONT West Clermont LSD Levy New
CLINTON Blanchester LSD Levy Renew
CLINTON East Clinton LSD Tax New
COSHOCTON Coshocton CSD Levy Renew
CRAWFORD Galion CSD Levy New
CUYAHOGA Bay Village CSD Bond New
CUYAHOGA Brooklyn CSD Levy Renew
CUYAHOGA Cleveland Municipal SD Levy New
CUYAHOGA Euclid CSD Levy New
CUYAHOGA Fairview Park CSD Levy Renew
CUYAHOGA Maple Heights CSD Levy Renew
CUYAHOGA North Royalton CSD Bond New
CUYAHOGA Richmond Heights LSD Levy New
CUYAHOGA Rocky River CSD Levy New
CUYAHOGA South Euclid-Lyndhurst CSD Levy New
CUYAHOGA Strongsville CSD Bond New
ERIE Edison LSD Levy New
ERIE Sandusky CSD Levy New
FAIRFIELD Walnut Township LSD Tax New
FRANKLIN Dublin CSD Bond/Levy New
FRANKLIN New Albany-Plain LSD Bond/Levy New
FRANKLIN Upper Arlington CSD Levy New
FRANKLIN Worthington CSD Bond New
FRANKLIN Worthington CSD Levy New
GEAUGA Cardinal LSD Levy Renew
GEAUGA Chardon LSD Levy New
GEAUGA Ledgemont LSD Levy New
GEAUGA Newbury LSD Levy New
GEAUGA West Geauga LSD Levy New
GREENE Beavercreek CSD Levy New
GREENE Cedar Cliff LSD Levy Renew
GREENE Fairborn CSD Levy New
GREENE Xenia Community CSD Levy New
GREENE Yellow Springs EVSD Levy New
GUERNSEY Cambridge CSD Levy Renew
HAMILTON Cincinnati CSD Levy Renew
HAMILTON Finneytown LSD Bond New
HAMILTON Mt. Healthy CSD Levy New
HAMILTON Northwest LSD Levy New
HAMILTON Reading Community CSD Levy Renew
HARRISON Conotton Valley Union LSD Levy New
HENRY Napoleon Area CSD Levy New
HOLMES West Holmes LSD Levy Renew
HURON Monroeville LSD (Huron*, Erie) Bond New
HURON Norwalk CSD Levy New
HURON Willard CSD Levy Renew
JEFFERSON Buckeye LSD Levy New
JEFFERSON Edison LSD Levy New
JEFFERSON Indian Creek LSD Bond/Levy New
JEFFERSON Jefferson County JVSD Levy New
KNOX Centerburg LSD Levy Renew
KNOX East Knox LSD Tax/Levy New
KNOX Mount Vernon CSD Levy New
LAKE Kirtland CSD Levy New
LAKE Painesville CSD Levy New
LAKE Riverside LSD Levy New
LAKE Willoughby-Eastlake CSD Levy Renew
LICKING Johnstown-Monroe LSD Tax Renew
LICKING Licking Heights LSD Levy New
LICKING North Fork LSD Tax Renew
LOGAN Indian Lake LSD Levy New
LOGAN West Liberty-Salem SD Bond/Levy New
LORAIN Amherst EVSD Levy New
LORAIN Avon Lake CSD Levy New
LORAIN Avon LSD Bond New
LORAIN Clearview LSD Levy New
LORAIN Columbia LSD Levy Renew
LORAIN Columbia LSD Levy Renew
LORAIN Elyria CSD Levy New
LORAIN Lorain County JVSD Levy Renew
LORAIN Lorain CSD Levy New
LORAIN Midview LSD Tax/Levy New
LORAIN North Ridgeville CSD Levy New
LORAIN Oberlin CSD Levy Renew
LORAIN Oberlin CSD Tax Renew
LORAIN Wellington EVSD Bond/Levy New
LUCAS Anthony Wayne LSD Levy Renew
LUCAS Ottawa Hills LSD Levy New
LUCAS Toledo CSD Levy New
MADISON Madison-Plains LSD Levy Renew
MAHONING Boardman LSD Levy New
MAHONING Jackson-Milton LSD Levy New
MAHONING Jackson-Milton LSD Levy Renew
MAHONING Poland LSD Levy New
MAHONING South Range LSD Levy Renew
MAHONING Springfield LSD Bond/Levy New
MAHONING Youngstown CSD Levy Renew
MARION River Valley LSD Levy Renew
MARION Tri-Rivers JVSD Levy New
MEDINA Black River LSD Levy New
MEDINA Black River LSD Levy New
MEDINA Cloverleaf LSD Levy New
MEDINA Medina CSD Levy New
MERCER Celina CSD Bond/Levy New
MIAMI Miami East LSD Levy Renew
MIAMI Milton-Union EVSD Levy Renew
MIAMI Newton LSD Tax Renew
MONROE Switzerland of Ohio LSD Levy New
MONTGOMERY Centerville CSD Levy New
MONTGOMERY Huber Heights CSD Levy New
MONTGOMERY Jefferson Township LSD Bond/Levy New
MONTGOMERY Miamisburg CSD Levy Renew
MONTGOMERY New Lebanon LSD Levy Renew
MONTGOMERY New Lebanon LSD Levy Renew
MONTGOMERY Northmont CSD Levy Renew
MONTGOMERY Valley View LSD Levy New
MONTGOMERY Vandalia-Butler CSD Levy New
MONTGOMERY West Carrollton CSD Levy New
MORROW Cardington-Lincoln LSD Tax New
MUSKINGUM West Muskingum LSD Levy New
OTTAWA Port Clinton CSD Levy Renew
PERRY New Lexington CSD Levy Renew
PORTAGE Aurora CSD Levy New
PORTAGE Crestwood LSD Levy New
PORTAGE Field LSD Levy New
PORTAGE Rootstown LSD Levy Renew
PORTAGE Waterloo LSD Levy New
PREBLE Tri-County North LSD Levy Renew
PUTNAM Ottawa-Glandorf LSD Levy Renew
PUTNAM Pandora-Gilboa LSD Tax Renew
RICHLAND Mansfield CSD Levy Renew
RICHLAND Shelby CSD Levy New
ROSS Zane Trace LSD Levy Renew
SANDUSKY Bellevue City Levy Renew
SANDUSKY Bellevue CSD Levy Renew
SANDUSKY Clyde-Green Springs EVSD Levy Renew
SANDUSKY Fremont CSD Tax Renew
SANDUSKY Woodmore LSD Levy Renew
SCIOTO Green LSD Levy Renew
SENECA Bettsville LSD Tax Renew
SENECA Mohawk LSD Levy New
SENECA Tiffin CSD Levy Renew
SHELBY Fairlawn LSD Levy Renew
STARK Canton LSD Bond New
STARK Louisville CSD Levy New
STARK Marlington LSD Levy Renew
STARK Massillon CSD Levy New
STARK Minerva LSD Levy Renew
STARK Tuslaw LSD Levy Renew
SUMMIT Akron CSD Levy New
SUMMIT Barberton CSD Levy New
SUMMIT Coventry LSD Levy Renew
SUMMIT Hudson CSD Levy Renew
SUMMIT Nordonia Hills CSD Levy New
SUMMIT Norton CSD Levy New
SUMMIT Stow-Munroe Falls CSD Levy Renew
SUMMIT Tallmadge CSD Bond New
SUMMIT Twinsburg CSD Levy New
SUMMIT Woodridge LSD Levy New
TRUMBULL Brookfield LSD Tax New
TRUMBULL Champion LSD Levy New
TRUMBULL Howland LSD Levy Renew
TRUMBULL Joseph Badger LSD Levy Renew
TRUMBULL Mathews LSD Levy New
TUSCARAWAS Buckeye JVSD Levy Renew
TUSCARAWAS Dover CSD Levy Renew
TUSCARAWAS Dover CSD Levy Renew
TUSCARAWAS New Philadelphia CSD Levy Renew
TUSCARAWAS Strasburg-Franklin LSD Levy Renew
TUSCARAWAS Tuscarawas Valley LSD Levy Renew
UNION Marysville EVSD Levy New
VAN WERT Vantage Career Center JVSD Levy Renew
WARREN Carlisle LSD Levy New
WASHINGTON Warren LSD Bond/Levy New
WAYNE Orrville CSD Tax/Levy New
WAYNE Triway LSD Levy Renew
WOOD Bowling Green CSD Tax New
WOOD Perrysburg EVSD Levy New

Education News for 10-02-2012

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State Education News

  • Attorneys say T.J. Lane insane at time of Chardon High School shooting (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Lawyers representing the teenager accused of killing three students and wounding three others at Chardon High School earlier this year…Read more...

  • Judge says teacher did not deserve to lose license (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A Columbus special-needs preschool teacher should not have permanently lost her teaching license after her attempt to restrain a 4-year-old student…Read more...

  • Districts take innovative approach to teaching algebra (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • Struggling with algebra in high school often forces many college freshmen to take remedial math classes…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Edgewood rolls out tablet program (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • Edgewood High School’s senior class received their Acer tablets…Read more...

  • First-of-its-kind school to open here (Springfield News-Sun)

    • An agreement signed Monday will create the state’s first academy to train local students for high-paying…Read more...

  • Oregon forums to explore shifting of grades (Toledo Blade)

    • The Oregon school district will hold a series of community forums this month to discuss the possibility of reconfiguring grades…Read more...

  • School lunch goes high-tech with point-of-sale cards (Willoughby News Herald)

    • For many students, that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach after realizing lunch money has been lost or forgotten is part of the past…Read more...

  • Riverside School District will bring back teachers (Willoughby News Herald)

    • The Riverside School District has laid out exactly what it intends to bring back if voters approve a 3.9-mill levy next month…Read more...

  • Will Issue 107 levy help class sizes? (WKYC)

    • The Cleveland Schools are struggling with large class sizes, but there could be hope with the passage…Read more...

  • Schools see drop in real-estate distributions (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Howland Local Schools saw a $780,000 drop in its most recent half-year real-estate distributions, Howland schools Treasurer…Read more...

Vote Yes on Issue 2 - Had Enough Early Vote Tour

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The Issue 2 campaign is about to kick off a Vote Yes on Issue 2 - Had Enough Early Vote Tour. You can see their list of stops, and get involved, here.

This comes on the heels of the Toledo Blade endorsing a YES on Issue 2

Issue 2 on this fall’s statewide ballot enables voters to start to reclaim Ohio’s election machinery from the partisan politicians and their special-interest allies who now control it. The reform proposal merits a strong YES vote.

The ballot proposal would amend the Ohio Constitution to change the way district boundaries are revised for the state’s U.S. House delegation and the General Assembly after every federal census. Such redistricting largely determines the level of party competition within Ohio, a battleground state in national elections.

That process now is dictated by the Republican Party, which dominates the legislature and state Apportionment Board — and thus, the drawing of political maps. Republicans have rigged the maps in their favor, giving themselves the edge to win as many as 12 of Ohio’s 16 U.S. House seats and to keep control of both legislative houses for another decade.

Read the entire endorsement here.

The Big e-school rip off

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The evidence is becoming clearer and clearer. E-School charters are a tax payer rip-off that delivers awful results.

At Join the Future we have focused most of our attention on the poor quality Ohio's e-schools have delivered. Providing the highest quality education is, after all, the most important aspect to schools. In article after article, we have highlighted the packed virtual classrooms, and the poor graduation rates they produce.

But now comes news that not only do they produce awful results in terms of educational quality, they are also a huge pay payer rip off. First for some context as to the scope of e-schools in Ohio

Enrollment in online schools in Ohio has passed 30,000, more than 12 times the number in 2000 when the first "virtual" school opened in the state.

Only Arizona had more students enrolled full time in online schools in 2010-11, according to an annual report by the Evergreen Education Group.
[...]
Although scattered around the state, the online students combined would make up the third-largest district in Ohio — about the size of the Cincinnati schools. The online schools are charters, independently operated but publicly funded.
[...]
Ohio's online schools have become a big business. The state paid online charter schools $209 million in 2010-11 to educate students, or an average of $6,337 per student.

Results are mixed at both for-profit and district-run schools. Online students have lower graduation rates than those at traditional schools. They attend college at a lower rate. At the same time, other measures have shown online students learning as much as, or more than, students in many districts.

It's a growth business. And reporting from StateImpact Ohio and the Plain Dealer indicate why

Robert Mengerink didn’t know how much an online school really costs to operate — until he started one.

When he learned this summer that the agency he heads, the Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County, could offer a basic online program for less than half of what the state pays online schools per student, he was taken aback.
[...]
The cost? About $2,980 per student for a full course load all year.

That's more than 50% cheaper than the for-profit charter operations such as ECOT, and it's not an isolated example.

TRECA Digital Academy, another publicly operated provider of online K-12 education, says it can do it for about $3,600 per student.

That potential savings highlights questions that critics of online schools have been asking for years: What really happens to that taxpayer-provided money? Is most of it going to educate students? Or are schools pocketing a large profit while cutting corners for students?

That's a really good question. For a Governor and legislature that talks about reducing government spending so much, we are left wondering why they continue to allow such a laissez faire attitude to these terrible schools.

We recommend you read the full State Impact report, it really should open some eyes.

Education News for 10-01-2012

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State Education News

  • Schools no longer are no-cellphone zones (Columbus Dispatch)

    • More schools are embracing what was once considered a disruptive force in the classroom…Read more...

  • Superintendents' benefits are best in class (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • After Ohio cut nearly $2 billion from public-school budgets over the last two years, districts throughout the state cut hundreds of teaching jobs and froze teacher salaries…Read more...

  • Online schools get millions in public support (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Robert Mengerink didn't know how much an online school really costs to operate…Read more...

  • Boosters, PTOs must file reports (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Ohio attorney general’s office will be keeping a closer eye on school booster clubs and parent-teacher…Read more...

  • Auditors checking first 100 schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • At least 40 of the 100 schools the state auditor is investigating for student-data manipulation are from six large, urban school districts…Read more...

  • Many boards let school officers control access (Columbus Dispatch)

    • School-board members in the region say they need to know what’s going on in their districts…Read more...

    


  • Ohio to get $1.27M for disability education (Middletown Journal)

    • Ohio is one of 22 states the U.S. Department of Education said will receive a share of $24 million…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Federal Hocking, Rural Action partner to incorporate local foods (Athens Messenger)

    • As a line forms in the Federal Hocking Secondary School lunchroom…Read more...

  • Marlington students digging the oil field with technology class (Canton Repository)

    • Anyone who thinks video games are a waste of time should talk to Marlington High School senior Bronwen Price…Read more...

  • After-school option for CPS students (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • In a sunny storefront on Hamilton Avenue in the heart of bustling Northside, Libby Hunter greeted her guests…Read more...

  • Districts fail reading standard (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • Eight public school districts out of the more than 70 in the Miami Valley did not meet the state proficiency standard for third-grade reading on the 2011-12 Ohio Achievement Assessments, according to preliminary report card data…Read more...

  • Vermilion schools drug testing results kept secret (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • Vermilion Local Schools have done two rounds of random drug testing of students since approving the drug testing policy…Read more...

  • Grad rates remain steady (Marion Star)

    • While graduation rates have dropped throughout the state after a change in how it is calculated…Read more...

  • Claymont BOE approves pact for classified workers (New Philadelphia Times)

    • Claymont Board of Education approved a new two-year contract Friday with its classified employees, which will require them to pay significantly more for their health insurance…Read more...

  • Three retiring, and ask to be rehired (Portsmouth Daily Times)

    • Three people at the Clay Local School District have announced their retirement, and will ask to be re-hired…Read more...

  • New Sylvania school menus on way (Toledo Blade)

    • Cafeteria food for students in the Sylvania school district is about to get an overhaul…Read more...

Editorial

  • Levy battles (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A trend toward organized opposition to school tax-levy requests may seem like another sign of growing…Read more...

  • Losing ground (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The experts are trying to explain away dismal SAT reading scores of the nation’s most recent batch…Read more...

  • Data rigging clearly had huge effect (Columbus Dispatch)

    • When the school attendance-rigging scandal was revealed in June, many wondered how much better Columbus City Schools…Read more...

Where the polls stand - as voting begins

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With two days to go before the first debate, the national and statewide polling continues to show President Obama in a very strong position.

In the Electoral College, Real Clear Politics calculates that the President has expanded his lead to 265 votes to Mitt Romney's 191, an increase of 28 votes for the President over the last 2 weeks.

The NYT polling analyst, 538, also shows President Obama with an increased projected win in the electoral college

In Ohio, the Presidents polling average lead is now outside the margin of error at 5.6%.

This spate of positive polling in Ohio, has President Obama now projected to have a 86.1% chance of prevailing - a full 10% higher than last week

Of further concern to the Romney campaign will be that early voting in Ohio and elsewhere is either about to begin, or already underway. There are going to be fewer and fewer opportunities to change voters minds before their vote is locked in.

Talking Points Memo also notes that the weakening situation Mitt Romney is finding himself in, is having an effect down ticket too. Republicans were favored to take control of the Senate earlier in the year, that chance appears to be receding, as Democrats have now taken leads in a number of swing Senate races.