Ohio school districts facing cuts in Kasich plan

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More than half of Ohio school districts would see their state funding reduced under Gov. John Kasich’s new two-year budget, which also seeks to increase oversight of charter schools.

Kasich wants to pour another $700 million in state foundation funding into K-12 education over the next two years. But that funding is partially offset by a loss of $235 million in state reimbursements to schools for lost tangible personal-property taxes — a tax on business property and inventory that the state has eliminated.

Kasich wants to rework the school-funding formula to better incorporate a district’s ability to raise local revenue.

“We are really trying to say we are trying to help those who can’t help themselves,” Kasich said. “For those that can help themselves, we need you to step up and help.”

(Read more at the Dispatch)

Tri-Valley Super Blasts PARCC and ODE

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Here's a copy of a letter the Superintendent of Tri-Valley schools is sending to parents

We have started to receive some calls regarding the school district’s position on whether or not parents should consider opting out their children from PARCC testing. I know that many schools around the state have been dealing with this issue for a while, and it appears to have now reached Tri-Valley.

While I am not (and never have been) an advocate of the PARCC Testing, Ohio got into this testing debacle with little to no input from local school officials. Therefore, I feel no responsibility to stick my neck out for the Department of Education by defending their decisions. What’s happening now... in my opinion, is that parents have figured out what is being forced upon their children, and the proverbial rubber... is beginning to meet the road. However, it is not our goal to discourage nor undermine the laws of our governing body.

Therefore, our position as a school district is that we do not discourage nor encourage a parent’s decision to opt out their child. We must respect parental rights at all costs. This is the very reason I advocate for local control. Our own Tri-Valley Board of Education is in a much better position to make sound decisions for the families of our school district, than are the bureaucrats in Columbus and Washington. I say that with no disrespect toward our own legislators, whom have worked diligently behind the scenes to address the over-testing issue. The unfortunate reality is that the parents who have contacted the school district up to this point, are the parents of high achieving students who undoubtedly would do well on these assessments. We will effectively be rating school districts and individual teachers based on test scores that do not include many of their highest achieving students.

I heard a speaker make the following statement recently, and I think it is a perfect way to illustrate the issues with PARCC testing and over-testing in general:

“When you have a low birth weight baby, you don’t solve the problem by weighing the baby more often” I am quite confident that reason will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, we will respect the rights of our parents to make the best decisions for their children while simultaneously following the laws and policies of the Ohio Department of Education.

Sincerely,
Mark K. Neal
Superintendent
Tri-Valley Local School District

Things are getting heated in the real world.

Technology Test Trouble Plaguing Ohio

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We're getting reports from multiple sources of technology related problems with tests. Here's just one screen shot sent to us by a educator administering a MAP test

Rather than more tax cuts benefiting the few, the Governor needs to invest in school technology

Gov. John Kasich wants to add teeth to charter school oversight rules and let charters seek local tax levies

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Gov. John Kasich's budget proposal Monday would offer charter schools in Ohio two new potential funding sources -- a $25 million facilities fund and the ability to seek local tax levies from voters -- while putting a greater focus on charter school sponsors, or authorizers, as a way to improve school quality.
[...]
-- Charter schools sponsored by an "exemplary" sponsor can seek a property tax levy from voters to pay for operations.

This change is similar to a major piece in the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools, the 2012 state law that allows the district here to share a property tax with charter schools that it sponsors or otherwise signs a partnership agreement with.

Since voters in Cleveland passed a 15-mill levy that fall, the district has split one mill of that levy -- a little over $8 million total -- with 14 charter schools in the city.

Voters in Columbus rejected a similar proposal in 2013.

As in Cleveland, charters cannot put a levy on the ballot by themselves. Charters will have to go to the local school board and make a case for the district to put the tax on the ballot.

Charter schools could ask for a tax as a single school, or as a group of schools.

"The proposal would give the community the choice to partner with charter schools and help those schools that are positively contributing to the public education of the students in their communities," Ross said. "Voters should have the opportunity to provide local funds to support the education of students who attend charter schools."

(Read more at Cleveland.com)

Charter bill is just "tweaking" and "window dressing" that ducks real issues with charter schools, says key Democrat in Ohio House

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The new House Bill 2 is just window dressing and a distraction while the core issues with charter schools in Ohio aren't touched, State Rep. Teresa Fedor said today.

Fedor, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee, said the bill isn't the major charter school reform bill it's being trumpeted as. Instead, she said, House Republicans are avoiding taking on tough issues because many receive significant campaign donations from charter management companies, like White Hat Management of Akron.

"We need to put their feet to the fire," she said, using a play on the word entrepreneur. "These educaneurs are feeding Republicans million of dollars into their campaigns to keep their heads in the sand."

(Read more at Cleveland.com)