Education News for 04-08-2013

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State Education News

  • School districts seeking levies tell voters state aid uncertain (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Groveport Madison school district is appealing to voters, telling them that an emergency levy in May that raises $5.5 million a year will help solve long-term financial needs…Read more…

  • Gov. John Kasich's education budget about to be amended by the Ohio House (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • After hearing testimony from dozens of education groups and complaints from school officials back in their districts, members of the Ohio House are about to make major changes in Gov. John Kasich's proposed education budget.…Read more…

  • Value-added rankings compare students' academic growth in Northeast Ohio schools (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • For the first time, 832 Ohio school districts and charter schools have been ranked on their value-added scores, providing one more lens for viewing academic progress across the state.…Read more…

Local Education News

  • Third straight day of contract negotiations between Strongsville teachers, district end with no deal (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Negotiations to end the ongoing teachers strike ended April 5 after 9 hours with no deal again, for the third straight day, and will reconvene Monday morning at 9 a.m.…Read more…

    


  • Academic distress commission takes over Lorain city school (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • Newly appointed state superintendent Richard Ross will officially form Lorain’s Academic Distress Commission Monday afternoon.…Read more…

    


  • Trying to contact the school board? Good luck (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • An Enquirer analysis shows these elected officials keep basic contact info private.…Read more…

    


  • Medina school board's bonuses and perks for Superintendent Randy Stepp anger residents (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Randy Stepp was a success story in the Medina school district. The former high school principal was regarded highly enough to be promoted to superintendent of the more than 7,000-student district…Read more…

    


  • School bans student from class because of haircut (Springfield News-Sun)

    • A kindergartner with a new, spiked Mohawk haircut was sent home from a local elementary school this week for violating the district’s dress code.…Read more…

    


  • TPS union leaders blast report (Toledo Blade)

    • The presidents of two Toledo Public Schools employee unions blasted a performance audit of the district, saying a first draft released Wednesday was riddled with errors and used inaccurate data.…Read more…

  • Citizens meet with officials to discuss plans for new elementary schools (Canton Repository)

    • MASSILLON — City school district officials invited local residents to weigh in on the possibility of building one or more elementary schools in the district…Read more…

    


  • Akron students excel in tough transition to college while in high school (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • They’re not the average exceptional students. And that’s not an oxymoron.…Read more…

    


  • 2 magnet schools given reprieve (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Two Westerville magnet schools that had been set to close after this school year will stay open for at least one more year.…Read more…

    


  • Panel likely to advise pre-K for all (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The mayor-appointed panel that has been debating ways to improve Columbus schools is likely to recommend offering all Columbus children affordable pre-kindergarten…Read more…

    


  • Fairborn school district at crossroads (Dayton Daily News)

    • Fairborn City School officials said they will have to borrow money from the state in the fall regardless of whether voters pass a proposed 11.7-mill emergency levy in May.…Read more…

    


  • Superintendent: Keep 8th graders at middle school (Dayton Daily News)

    • As Vandalia-Butler School District officials deal with the June closing of an elementary school, outgoing superintendent Christy Donnelly advised the Board of Education to go with an option that keeps eighth graders out of Butler High School.…Read more…

  • Agencies develop educational summer camps (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • A new series of summer camps will allow students the chance to design aquatic robots and build their own electric guitars. Junior high and high school students in Butler and Warren counties can now enroll in…Read more…

  • Putnam County placing radios in all school buildings (Lima News)

    • Beginning early next month Putnam County schools will have new communication radios in each building… The radios are part of MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System), a statewide system that allows communication between different departments.…Read more…

  • City, schools in Lima seek safe route grant (Lima News)

    • City Council will vote Monday on applying for a Safe Routes to School grant application with the Ohio Department of Transportation.…Read more…

    


  • Free college credits at virtual high school (Middletown Journal)

    • A new partnership is offering local high school students the chance at free college courses.…Read more…

    


  • Carrollton schools seek 'short-term' levy (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

    • With the oil and natural-gas exploration occurring in Carroll County, the economic impact appears promising for the not-too-distant future.…Read more…

    


  • Four districts seek May levies (Springfield News-Sun)

    • Four local school districts will ask voters to approve operating issues on the May 7 ballot, including two requesting a total of $6 million in new tax money.…Read more…

    


  • Richmond Heights students working with art, theater students in Canada (Willoughby News Herald)

    • Students at Richmond Heights High School are working with art and theater students in Canada without leaving the comfort of their classroom. The partnership between the two schools serves to expose students to other corners of the world through art…Read more…

  • Youngstown Foundation helps city school students (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • City high school students have the opportunity to get help paying for college through a new $3 million Youngstown Foundation program.…Read more…

    


Editorial

  • Food needs more thought (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Getting America’s kids to eat more healthfully should be high on the public agenda, given the toll increasing childhood obesity is taking on the nation and its future.…Read more…

    


  • Funding the future (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • Follow Statehouse discussions on John Kasich’s two-year budget proposals, and it is clear the prospects remain dim for an adequate and equitable system of financing elementary and secondary education in Ohio.…Read more…

Education News for 04-05-2013

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Local Education News

  • Ohio superintendent of public instruction presents banners to 3 schools (Coshocton Tribune)

    • Richard Ross, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction, visited a couple classrooms during a stop in the county to present three schools with special Schools of Promise banners…Read more…

  • Avon Lake City School officials receive $1,500,000 tax revenue advance (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • Avon Lake City School officials are relieved after being granted a $1.5 million tax revenue advance from the Lorain County Auditor’s Office yesterday after a late tax payment by NRG Energy Inc.…Read more…

  • Board overturns decision to close Akron Digital Academy (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • A recent vote to close Akron Digital Academy, an online charter school sponsored by Akron Public Schools, was overturned Thursday…Read more…

    


  • Charter school under scrutiny (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • So many financial and student records are missing from the now shuttered International College Preparatory Academy in Bond Hill that Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost says he questions how nearly $1 million in federal funds was spent…Read more…

  • Toledo Public Schools narrows interim superintendent search to 2 finalists (Toledo Blade)

    • The Toledo Board of Education pared further Thursday its candidate list for interim superintendent of Toledo Public Schools…Read more…

    


  • Canal Winchester plans April 15 vote on open enrollment (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Canal Winchester could become the third Franklin County school system to open its doors to students living outside the district.…Read more…

    


  • Taking advantage of a change in state law, Fostoria school administrators are seeking voter (Findlay Courier)

    • Taking advantage of a change in state law, Fostoria school administrators are seeking voter approval of an 8.15-mill continuing levy on May 7.…Read more…

    


  • Three school tax issues on Seneca County ballots in May (Findlay Courier)

    • Bettsville School District is seeking renewal of a 1 percent, five-year income tax for operating expenses in the May 7 primary.…Read more…

    


  • Clear Fork puts off drug test vote (Mansfield News Journal)

    • A vote to approve the first reading of the potential new Clear Fork Schools drug testing policy was postponed during a lengthy board meeting Thursday night.…Read more…

    


  • Takin’ It to the Schools part of Alcohol Awareness Month (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

    • As part of Alcohol Awareness Month, Takin’ It to the Schools, a school-based alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention program…Read more…

    


  • $27M Niles high school set to open next week (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • The new $27 million Niles McKinley High School will officially open to students Tuesday morning.…Read more…

    


Education News for 04-04-2013

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Local Education News

  • Toledo Public Schools audit identifies $100M in savings over 5 years (Toledo Blade)

    • A private consulting firm that conducted a performance audit of Toledo Public Schools recommends moves the firm says would save the district about $100 million over five years…Read more…

  • State Auditor: Noncompliance Findings For Columbus City Schools (WBNS)

    • State Auditor Dave Yost released documents overnight detailing findings from an annual audit of the Columbus City School district.…Read more…

    


  • Strongsville Strike: Negotiation meeting ends with no deal (WOIO)

    • A federal mediator met with both sides in the ongoing Strongsville teachers strike Wednesday morning. But after 14 hours of negotiating, no deal was made.…Read more…

    


  • Assaulting bus drivers, passing school buses could bring stiffer penalties in Cleveland (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • City Council's Public Safety Committee approved two ordinances this morning that would stiffen the penalty for passing school buses and add assaults on a public transit worker to the list of misconduct on a public bus or train.…Read more…

  • Left behind? (Marietta Times)

    • Some local school officials are concerned about having the hardware and capacity to administer new computer-based state tests set to debut in 2014-15.…Read more…

    


  • Monroe approves superintendent contract (Middletown Journal)

    • The Monroe school board in late March approved a two-year contract for Dr. Phil Cagwin as superintendent, confirmed district treasurer Holly Cahall.…Read more…

    


  • Schools face up to $1.3M cuts (Springfield News-Sun)

    • Federal sequestration budget cuts could cost Clark and Champaign County schools up to $1.3 million for tutors and other staff members that help disadvantaged students, at the same time that districts are facing new state reading requirements.…Read more…

  • Preschool project hinging on quality (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • “A chair for every child in a quality preschool.” That’s the mission of Preschool Promise, an ambitious plan to expand preschool access to 1,000 more children from low- and middle- income families annually in Greater Cincinnati……Read more…

  • Mock school shooting gives true experience in Boardman (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Two Boardman High School students lay helpless, one in a first-floor hallway bleeding from her arm, one on the stairs missing half of his leg.…Read more…

    


  • Activists complain of inaction by Youngstown school board (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • A group of activists and city school parents, frustrated with what they see as a lack of response to its concerns from the school board, is launching its own action plan to improve the quality of education.…Read more…

Ohio Teacher Evaluation System: Dishonest, Unrealistic, and Not Fully Supported by Academic Research

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A great article that appeared on Dailykos a few days ago

I've spent the past three days at an OTES (Ohio Teacher Evaluation System) training. This system is being phased in over the next two years, and will serve as the vehicle by which all teachers in Ohio are evaluated. The workshop culminates with a post-assessment, taken some time after the classes end, resulting in licensure and the ability to evaluate instructional staff. OTES is described by ODE as a system that will
provide educators with a richer and more detailed view of their performance, with a focus on specific strengths and opportunities for improvement.

I talked to a number of administrators and teachers who had already taken the training before attending. Without exception, they were all struck by the rigidity of the rubric. I agree, but there's more here. Any system that wields so much power must be realistic, honest, and rooted in the consensus of academic research. The OTES rubric fails this basic test.

Words Matter
Check out the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession (starting on page 16) approved in October of 2005. Now look at the OTES rubric. The first thing you will notice is that the OTES rubric has four levels, and that the Ohio Standards only have three. I think it's fair to say that the Ohio Standards did not include the lowest level. (The document says as much.) The top three levels of the OTES Rubric align with the three levels of the Ohio Standards. The snag? The terminology used in the OTES rubric. Proficient has been replaced by Developing, Accomplished by Proficient, and Distinguished by Accomplished. Each level has been relegated!

One might argue that this doesn't matter. But, it does. Teacher evaluations are public record. School performance, or at least the percentage of teachers that fall into each category, will be published. Newspapers will ask for names of teachers and their ratings. And, as we will see as I unpack the rubric in greater detail, the very best teachers are likely to fall into the Proficient category. What's the one relationship between public education and the word Proficient already burned into the minds of parents? The minimal level of performance required to pass the Ohio Graduation Test. Dishonest.

[readon2 url="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/15/1161894/-Ohio-Teacher-Evaluation-System-Dishonest-Unrealistic-and-Not-Fully-Supported-by-Academic-Researc"]Continue reading...[/readon2]

School levies on the May 2013 Ballot

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The following 141 school issues will appear on May 7th ballots.

County Distrcit Type
Allen Apollo JVSD Combo
Allen Bluffton EVSD Inc Tax
Allen Elida LSD Levy
Allen Elida LSD Levy
Allen Lima CSD Levy
Ashland Hillsdale LSD Levy
Ashland Loudonville-Perrysville EVSD Levy
Ashland Loudonville-Perrysville EVSD Levy
Ashtabula Ashtabula CSD Levy
Ashtabula Jefferson LSD Levy
Athens Trimble LSD Levy
Auglaize St. Marys CSD Combo
Auglaize Waynesfield-Goshen LSD Levy
Belmont Bellaire LSD Levy
Belmont Bridgeport EVSD Levy
Belmont St. Clairsville-Richland CSD Levy
Carroll Brown LSD Combo
Carroll Carrollton EVSD Levy
Champaign Urbana CSD Levy
Clark Springfield CSD Bond
Clark Greenon LSD Combo
Clark Clark-Shawnee LSD Levy
Clark Tecumseh LSD Levy
Clermont Milford EVSD Levy
Columbiana Columbiana EVSD Bond
Columbiana Salem CSD Levy
Columbiana United LSD Levy
Crawford Galion CSD Levy
Cuyahoga Brooklyn CSD Combo
Cuyahoga Brecksville-Broadvw Hts CSD Levy
Cuyahoga Lakewood CSD Levy
Cuyahoga Westlake CSD Levy
Darke Mississinawa Valley LSD Levy
Delaware Delaware CSD Bond
Erie Edison LSD Levy
Erie Perkins LSD Levy
Erie Perkins LSD Levy
Fairfield Walnut Twp LSD Inc Tax
Franklin Groveport Madison LSD Levy
Fulton Swanton LSD Combo
Geauga Ledgemont LSD Levy
Greene Fairborn CSD Levy
Hamilton Forest Hills LSD Bond
Hamilton Oak Hills LSD Levy
Hancock Cory-Rawson LSD Inc Tax
Hardin Ada EVSD Inc Tax
Hardin Upper Scioto LSD Levy
Hardin Upper Scioto LSD Levy
Henry Napoleon Area CSD Inc Tax
Holmes West Holmes LSD Levy
Huron Monroeville LSD Levy
Huron Norwalk CSD Levy
Huron Willard CSD Levy
Jefferson Indian Creek LSD Bond
Jefferson Buckeye LSD Levy
Jefferson Jefferson Co JVSD Levy
Knox East Knox LSD Combo
Knox Mt. Vernon LSD Levy
Lake Kirtland LSD Levy
Lake Mentor EVSD Levy
Lake Mentor EVSD Levy
Lake Painesville CSD Levy
Lake Willoughby-Eastlake CSD Levy
Licking North Fork LSD Inc Tax
Licking Johnstown-Monroe LSD Levy
Licking Lakewood LSD Levy
Licking Licking Hts LSD Levy
Logan West Liberty Salem LSD Inc Tax
Logan Benjamin Logan LSD Levy
Lorain Amherst EVSD Levy
Lorain Amherst EVSD Levy
Lorain Avon Lake CSD Levy
Lorain Columbia LSD Levy
Lorain North Ridgeville CSD Levy
Lucas Oregon CSD Levy
Madison Madison-Plains LSD Levy
Mahoning Springfield LSD Combo
Mahoning Boardman LSD Levy
Mahoning Boardman LSD Levy
Mahoning Jackson-Milton LSD Levy
Mahoning Jackson-Milton LSD Levy
Mahoning Poland LSD Levy
Medina Black River LSD Levy
Medina Cloverleaf LSD Levy
Medina Medina CSD Levy
Mercer Celina CSD Inc Tax
Mercer Marion LSD Levy
Miami Covington EVSD Combo
Miami Milton-Union EVSD Levy
Miami Piqua CSD Levy
Miami Tipp City EVSD Levy
Monroe Switzerland of Ohio LSD Levy
Montgomery Jefferson Twp LSD Combo
Montgomery Brookville LSD Levy
Montgomery Brookville LSD Levy
Montgomery Centerville CSD Levy
Montgomery Huber Hts CSD Levy
Montgomery Valley View LSD Levy
Montgomery Vandalia-Butler CSD Levy
Morrow Cardington-Lincoln LSD Inc Tax
Muskingum East Muskingum LSD Levy
Muskingum West Muskingum LSD Levy
Noble Caldwell EVSD Levy
Portage Kent CSD Levy
Preble Twin Valley Community LSD Inc Tax
Richland Mansfield CSD Levy
Ross Chillicothe CSD Levy
Sandusky Gibsonburg EVSD Inc Tax
Sandusky Clyde-Green Springs EVSD Levy
Seneca Bettsville LSD Inc Tax
Seneca Fostoria CSD Levy
Shelby Fairlawn LSD Levy
Stark Canton LSD Bond
Stark Marlington LSD Combo
Stark Fairless LSD Levy
Stark Louisville CSD Levy
Stark North Canton CSD Levy
Summit Coventry LSD Combo
Summit Barberton CSD Levy
Summit Cuyahoga Falls CSD Levy
Summit Manchester LSD Levy
Summit Mogadore LSD Levy
Trumbull Brookfield LSD Levy
Trumbull Champion LSD Levy
Trumbull Girard CSD Levy
Trumbull Lakeview LSD Levy
Trumbull McDonald LSD Levy
Trumbull Maplewood LSD Levy
Trumbull Newton Falls EVSD Levy
Trumbull Niles CSD Levy
Trumbull Niles CSD Levy
Union Marysville EVSD Levy
Van Wert Van Wert CSD Inc Tax
Warren Carlisle LSD Levy
Wayne Orrville CSD Levy
Williams Millcreek West Unity LSD Levy
Wood Elmwood LSD Inc Tax
Wood Elmwood LSD Inc Tax
Wood Bowling Green CSD Levy
Wood North Baltimore LSD Levy
Wyandot Carey EVSD Combo

Note that the county listed is the primary county, some districts cross multiple county boundaries.

Teachers stay strong in Strongsville

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The teachers strike in Strongsville, Ohio is now entering its 5th week. Since the Strongsville Board of Education made their last offer, the Strongsville Education Association has made 3 counter offers that have been met with silence. The board's resistance to talk has been so extreme that a court had to order them to release public records. With this as a backdrop, we decided to travel up to Strongsville.

When we arrived we were met with the sight of hundreds of determined educators walking the picket line

After talking to them and listening to their side of the strike, it was clear to us that even after being out on strike for over a month, they were determined to secure a fair contract. It was also clear that the Strongsville board of education is being guided by special interests with an agenda and not the interests of the students and the community. This became even more apparent later in the day.

As the teachers marched up an down the sidewalk of the very busy road, they were receiving a tremendous amount of support from passersby,both in cars and on foot (a number of parents were walking the picket lines with the teachers).

Around 1pm, in the wind and cold, teachers and their supporters march to a common area to gather around a gazebo. Sen. Sherrod Brown was scheduled to address them.

At least 1,000 people turned out for a rally on Strongsville’s square attended by members of other unions.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Avon Democrat, called on Frazee to kick-start the stalled negotiations.

“Most importantly, students are not well-served when both sides are not sitting at the bargaining table,“ Brown said.

“Strongsville students deserve a settlement – now. But a settlement can’t be reached if the two parties aren’t talking. That’s why I joined teachers today – who told me how they want to be back in the classroom – and why I will keep in contact with the school board,” Brown said.

After Sen. Brown spoke, SEA President Linscott addressed her members and the crowd. She laid out the clear reasons why the strike has happened and why it continues. But more importantly she offered the board yet another opportunity to resolve the strike fairly.
In 2009 SEA and the Strongsville board agreed to binding interest arbitration should it be needed.
Again, in 2010 SEA and the Strongsville board agreed to binding interest arbitration. In both cases that course of action wasn't needed as agreements were made.
Yesterday, SEA once again offered to end the strike immediately if the board agreed to binding interest arbitration. The proposal can be read in full below.

Strongsville E.A Binding Arbitration offer

Unlike in 2009 and 2010, the Strongsville board rejected this offer before the end of the day, once again demonstrating bad faith and a motive other than ending the month long strike. If their goal is to try and break the SEA, and it appears that that is their goal, they are going to fail. The hundreds of teachers we met, saw and talked ot yesterday were determined and resolved to continue their strike until a fair labor contract is agreed to.

The Federal mediator has called both parties back to the negotiating table today. Pressure on the Board is mounting as conditions inside Strongsville schools is deteriorating

Dozens of parents and students fed up with the Strongsville teachers strike took their pleas for the school board to negotiate and find common ground with the teachers union to City Council’s April 1 meeting.

Six Strongsville High School students recounted concerning conditions inside the school – overfilled classrooms, substitutes who did not know the material they were teaching and were not told where the regular teacher left off and an abundance of movies and study halls peppering the eight-period school day have become the norm, they said.
[...]
Pam Mullen, who has three children in the district, says her two youngest children at Muraski Elementary School are on IEPs for speech and reading.

“For over a week they did not receive the help they needed,” Mullen said. “My daughter tried her best to keep up, but it was too much. It led to melt downs and stomach aches.”

Mullen said she received a letter from the district saying no speech therapists had been hired yet, and she could not afford to hire one herself.

“This past month has been frustrating for my family,” she said.

Moser said some of her classmates who are on IEPs were left to fend for themselves at a time that was crucial for not just them, but the school district – Ohio Graduation Tests, which took place March 11-15, during the second week of the strike.

“Strongsville City Schools was thriving before this,” Moser said. “Now there’s no learning, no love and hallways are filled with dread.”

Junior Mathangi Sridharan painted the picture for those students who are in AP classes, high-level courses the district has struggled to fill.

Sridharan said students have been going over the material that will be covered in tests given next month by themselves – she and two other students have even taught some classes.
[...]
Other students spoke about the void of honors classes and extracurricular activities, including concerts and plays the students had spent months preparing for, but a common theme came up between parents and students, alike – the strike is on the brink of doing irreparable harm to the community.

The board has now had 4 opportunities offered to it by the striking teachers and has remained silent, refusing to negotiate in good faith. Let's hope they see sense and reason, and find a way to end this strike in a way that is fair to everyone, students, teachers and the community at large.

You can stay up to date on the strongsville strike at the SEA Facebook page, and on Twitter.