Statewide Stories of the Day

Kasich asks agencies not to seek more funds (Dispatch)

Those looking for a sign that state agencies will soon see relief from the punishing economic downturn won’t find much to like in Gov. John Kasich’s latest budget move. But those who have observed Kasich’s desire to hold the line on spending should not be surprised that he has asked state agencies to start the next budget process with plans to spend no more than what they are getting in fiscal year 2013, which starts on July 1. Read more...

U.S. Department of Education data shows career-training graduates struggle to repay loans (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND — Students who completed career-training programs at almost 100 institutions across the country, including one in Northeast Ohio, have so much difficulty repaying their student loans that the schools could be banned from offering federal financial aid, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education. The federal agency has put those schools on notice for failing to meet any of the three benchmarks set by its Gainful Employment regulations. Read more...

Elida schools to seek earned-income tax (Lima News)

ELIDA — Elida school officials said they listened to voters who say they want an alternative to property taxes. Now they hope those voters come through for them. The school board unanimously voted Tuesday to put a five-year, 0.75 percent earned-income tax on the November ballot. It will raise $2.06 million a year for operations and keep the district out of deficit spending, where it is headed in two years. Superintendent Don Diglia said officials talked to a lot of people before deciding to go with an income tax. Read more...

The Ohio Coalition for Quality Education (Miamisburg) had an exclusive video discussion on education issues with two of Ohio's leading policymakers. You can view this video here…

Local Issues

Panel: Delay Columbus schools tax vote until 2013 (Dispatch)

A citizens committee urged the Columbus school board not to go to voters in November for a tax increase, but rather wait until next year. The panel voted 8-2 yesterday morning to delay putting new millage on the ballot until either the spring or fall of 2013. While Superintendent Gene Harris offered the committee two options that would have placed an issue on this November’s ballot, the panel shot down those proposals. Each option would have totaled 7.5 mills, adding about $230 in new tax for each $100,000 in appraised property value. Read more...

Wickliffe Schools looking into privatized bus service (News-Herald)

Tuesday's Wickliffe School Board meeting featured comments from both sides about the possibility of the district switching to privatized school bus services. Matthew Molek, vice president of Ohio Association of Public Schools Employees local 196, which includes district bus drivers, asked the board to hold off on considering privatizing bussing, at least until the union's current contract runs up. "Right now we are right in the middle of our contract," Molek said. "My comment is: Honor the contract until next year, and we'll look at it then." Read more...

Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District contracts expire June 30 (Sun News)

June 30 is the last day of the current contract for nearly 450 teachers and support staff in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District. And that is a concern for both the unions and their supporters. Those concerns were voiced June 25 when the employees and supporters crammed into the Board of Education building for the regular monthly school board meeting. According to a release from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Education Association and the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Organization of Support Staff. Read more...

Residents urge board to reconsider options (Vindicator)

Austintown - Public displeasure continued to be voiced Tuesday over the current busing situation for Catholic students living in the township. A handful of residents, including township Trustee Jim Davis, addressed the Austintown school board during Tuesday’s regular meeting, urging the members to change their minds about cutting busing to Catholic schools outside of the township. The proposal, announced in May, offers public-transit vouchers to private-school students instead of using district vehicles. Read more...

Board gives thumbs-up for TPS' top officials (Blade)

The Toledo Board of Education gave its top two administrators a vote of confidence Tuesday in midyear evaluations. The board expressed support for both Superintendent Jerome Pecko and Treasurer Matt Cleland after conducting evaluations last week in closed meetings. The evaluation results read publicly Tuesday did not include any rating of performance or specific areas identified by the board as weaknesses or strengths in either man's performance. Read more...

Board of Education extends Eric S. Gordon's contract as CEO for 3 Years (WOIO 19 CBS)

CLEVELAND - Tuesday night, the Cleveland Board of Education voted to extend Eric S. Gordon's contract as Chief Executive Officer through June 2015. Gordon previously served CMSD as its Chief Academic Officer from 2007 to 2011. After a national search produced three finalists from outside the district in its search for a CEO last year, the Board by-passed the top candidates for CEO and awarded a one-year contract to Gordon in June, 2011. Read more...

Editorial

What to do with Ohio's extra cash (Plain Dealer)

On Saturday, Ohio closes the books on this fiscal year -- the first of two in the Ohio biennial budget -- and opens another check register. Thanks to an uptick in the local economy as well as good management by Gov. John Kasich and the General Assembly, Ohio is, and will stay, in the black. Probably next week, Budget Director Tim Keen will announce final 2011-12 numbers, but some trends already are clear. For the 11 months ending May 31, tax collections were $1.3 billion (7.8 percent) greater than the year-earlier period while spending fell by $130 million (0.5 percent). Read more...

More money not sure fix for schools (Tribune Chronicle)

Ohio has received high marks from researchers looking into how public education funding is handled. But tell that to officials and taxpayers in financially beleaguered school districts. They understand that good grades in a national study are one thing, but the reality of not being able to balance a district's budget is something else. Just three states - Ohio, New Jersey and Utah - received ''A'' grades for education financing in a study by Rutgers University and the Education Law Center. Read more...