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Education News for 06-05-2013

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State Education News

  • Senate, House school funding plans incomparable (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • Ohio senators on Tuesday released more details about their proposed budget for school funding…Read more...

  • Ohio could get millions in early-education funds (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Ohio would receive $103 million in federal funding during the first year of President Barack Obama’s plan to provide preschool for every 4-year-old child in the country…Read more...

  • Lawmakers applaud plan to fix Columbus schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A Senate committee vetting a bill meant to help fix financial and ethical problems within Columbus City Schools praised local leaders yesterday who testified in support of the legislation…Read more...

  • Ohio lawmakers push voucher expansion (Dayton Daily News)

    • Ohio GOP senators proposed several changes to state education funding in the latest round of revisions to the state two-year budget bill…Read more...

Local Education News

  • City schools still target of deception lawsuit (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The civil lawsuit that accuses the Columbus school district of deceiving the public about schools’ true academic standing appears to be moving forward…Read more...

  • Fairfield County school districts that shared superintendent going their own ways (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Two rural school districts in Fairfield County that currently share a superintendent are hiring separate leaders…Read more...

  • Gee’s sudden departure confounds interim superintendent plans for Columbus schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Columbus Board of Education was hours away yesterday from hiring Ohio State University Provost Joseph Alutto to a one-year contract as an interim superintendent that would have cost the district…Read more...

  • TPS revised audit projects fewer possible savings than draft report (Toledo Blade)

    • A revised performance audit of Toledo Public Schools recommends changes that could save the district $91 million over five years, $10 million less in savings than a draft version projected…Read more...

  • 4 speak at Supt. Hathorn's hearing (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Just four people spoke at a public hearing on a request by Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn to retire and then be rehired by the school district…Read more...

  • Niles schools need funding help from state (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Frank Danso, interim superintendent of Niles schools, hopes a funding bill that passed the Ohio House will help his financially strained district overcome its deficit, but two area legislators are unsure…Read more...

Editorial

    

  • Paying for education (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • Richard Ross, Ohio’s superintendent of schools, once described school-funding debates in Ohio as the education version of Groundhog Day…Read more...

Education News for 05-31-2013

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State Education News

  • Ohio's school spending could shoot up (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • Ohio public school funding would grow by 11 percent over the next two years versus 2012- 2013 spending levels, the largest percent increase in education spending in at least a decade, under the proposal Senate Republicans…Read more...

  • School aid would be boosted under Ohio Senate proposal (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Ohio Senate leaders this afternoon proposed boosting basic state aid to districts from $6.3 billion this school year to more than $7 billion…Read more...

  • Ohio Senate ups education funding in budget (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Most Franklin County school districts would see state funding increases averaging nearly 9 percent per year under Senate-proposed changes to the new two-year budget…Read more...

  • Schools challenge families to scale back on tech use (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Her daughter yearned for the television, her son for his iPod. Both parents felt disconnected without phones and computers. But for one week they left electronics untouched.Well, at least the kids did…Read more...

  • ODOT grants will help kids get to school more safely (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Ohio Department of Transportation has approved $7.2 million in projects to improve safety for students getting to and from school…Read more...

  • Senate funding plan aims to assist Ohio education system (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • A substitute version of Ohio’s school funding plan proposed by the Senate would increase aid for state education $717.4 million over the next 10 years…Read more...

  • Bill with similarities to "Cleveland Plan" could soon pass for Columbus schools (Ohio Public Radio)

    • It’s been a rough school year for Columbus City Schools. The district is under investigation by the State Auditor’s office and the FBI for tampering with student attendance data and grades. And the struggling district has a history of less-than-stellar…Read more...

  • Senators say their school funding plan is constitutional (Ohio Public Radio)

    • Ohio Senators are calling their new budget plan “a work in progress” but they are touting it as a major improvement in funding for Ohio’s public schools…Read more...

  • State Senate plan for 2-year budget not as good for TPS (Toledo Blade)

    • Senate Republicans on Thursday said they will pump $717 million more into basic aid for K- 12 schools during the next two years in the budget they plan to approve next week…Read more...

  • School funding plan in the works could increase dollars for some districts (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Senate Republicans unveiled a new school-funding formula Thursday that likely will change as it moves through committee deliberations and passage in the Senate…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Clear Fork to improve school routes (Mansfield News Journal)

    • The Ohio Department of Transportation said Thursday it will dole out $7.2 million for 58 different Safe Routes to School projects in Ohio communities…Read more...

  • Brecksville-Broadview Heights educators hoping to expand EdCamp (Sun Newspapers)

    • A pair of Brecksville-Broadview Heights educators once again are teaming to host a free conference about education…Read more...

Education News for 5-29-2013

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State Education News

  • Columbus school-levy bill advances in legislature (Columbus Dispatch)

    • After hearing testimony from two Columbus school-board members and others, the Ohio House Education Committee voted 16-3 yesterday to send a bill to the full House that would require a school district property-tax issue…Read more...

  • Gender split proves positive in Hamilton schools (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • The lunch period at any school can sometimes be a chaotic scene of boys and girls vying for each other’s attention…Read more...

  • Lorain Superintendent Tucker outlines comprehensive academic recovery plan (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • On the same day Superintendent Tom Tucker outlined his comprehensive academic recovery plan for Lorain City Schools, its treasurer presented a gloomy financial forecast…Read more...

  • Greenon follows trend on all-day kindergarten (Springfield News-Sun)

    • Kindergartners entering Greenon schools next year will get more time to learn as the district moves to all-day classes, following a state and national trend…Read more...

  • School Nurses Want Law To Help Them Save Students From Deadly Allergic Reactions (WBNS)

    • As the school year comes to an end, state lawmakers will be getting a bill backed by school nurses within the next few weeks. Nurses want to save the lives of students who have allergic reactions to food for the first time while at school…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Columbus board mum on hiring provost (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Columbus Board of Education met privately at noon yesterday to discuss hiring Ohio State University Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto to become acting superintendent…Read more...

  • Hancock School board to rescind some layoffs (Steubenville Herald-Star)

    • Three months after announcing teacher and other staff layoffs, the Hancock County Board of Education is poised to call some of those people back…Read more...

  • Struthers considers drug tests for athletes (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • The Struthers City School District may begin drug testing its student athletes in grades seven through 12 as soon as the 2013-14 academic year…Read more...

Education News for 05-28-2013

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State Education News

  • Coventry schools lead state in financial stress, but may have righted the ship (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • For nearly as long as Ohio has been rating school districts based on their financial health, Coventry schools has been in fiscal watch — the second-lowest level possible…Read more...

  • Bulletproof backpacks used to protect some school children (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Guns weren't the only thing people raced to buy after 20 students and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School…Read more...

  • Columbus school board president clarifies stand on auditor (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Columbus Board of Education President Carol Perkins said this week that the district’s internal auditor’s post “is not going to be done away with,” but she issued a statement later saying that her words had been misinterpreted…Read more...

  • 3 referred to state in city schools data probe (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Columbus school district has reported three former employees with ties to its data scandal to a state office that investigates educator wrongdoing…Read more...

  • Area schools to get $1.8M to meet new state requirements (Dayton Daily News)

    • Several districts and schools across the Miami Valley will get a $1.8 million boost to meet the state’s new early literacy and reading requirements, including two districts in Clark and all districts in Champaign counties…Read more...

  • State denies request for more information on attendance investigation (Dayton Daily News)

    • The Ohio Department of Education has denied the newspaper’s request to see Northridge Local Schools’ official written response to allegations that it scrubbed student attendance data…Read more...

  • Non-traditional high school graduates grows (Dayton Daily News)

    • The majority of Ohio public high school seniors still graduate from traditional schools but a growing number of them are graduating from non-traditional high schools…Read more...

  • Changes coming to GED; New standards, switch to digital format (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • It’s been three years since 21-year-old Larita White started working toward her GED, but her progress may be undone if she doesn’t receive the diploma before January…Read more...

  • State OKs plans to fix school data errors (New Philadelphia Times-Reporter)

    • Ohio schools that reportedly had errors in certain enrollment data have gotten state approval of plans to fix the issues…Read more...

  • It looks like there will be more money for more preschool in state (Ohio Public Radio)

    • Some conservative Ohio lawmakers and some faith leaders who generally support conservative causes want to put millions of additional dollars into more preschool…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Kids learning to COPE with stress (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Nothing gets 14-year-old Lyle Watters’ stomach tied up in knots as much as when his mom and stepdad argue…Read more...

  • Columbus schools may tap OSU provost as fill-in chief (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Columbus school board president has asked Joseph Alutto, vice president and provost at Ohio State University, to lead Columbus City Schools until a permanent superintendent…Read more...

  • North Baltimore to evaluate digital device program (Findlay Courier)

    • Results of a pilot program that permitted North Baltimore students to use mobile electronic devices during school hours will be assessed by school officials this summer…Read more...

  • VB teachers, school begin contract talks (Findlay Courier)

    • Contract negotiations between Van Buren's teachers and administrators have begun and are proceeding well, Superintendent Tim Myers…Read more...

  • Board approves reading, math programs for 2013 (Toledo Blade)

    • At its regular meeting last week, the board of education approved the 2013 elementary intervention program, including its fees and instructors…Read more...

  • Board supports policy of student drug testing (Toledo Blade)

    • Fremont Ross High School students will undergo random drug testing next school year, following the school board’s support for a new drug testing policy…Read more...

  • District to provide iPads to students (Toledo Blade)

    • Seventh and eighth graders in Oregon schools will get a welcome amenity next year when classes start: a new iPad. The board of education last week approved a technology lease with Apple Inc. that will put an iPad…Read more...

Editorial

  • School board made good choice (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A public resolution by the Columbus Board of Education, expressing support for the recommendations of the Columbus Education Commission, is welcome…Read more...

  • Easy vote for lawmakers (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Ohio lawmakers have before them a simple piece of legislation that won’t cost a dime in state funds, has bipartisan sponsorship, enjoys the broadest possible community support and unites groups…Read more...

Education News for 05-21-2013

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State Education News

  • Legislature may ditch takeover proposal for Columbus schools (Columbus Dispatch)

    • As hearings start this week on a Columbus school-district reform bill, an earlier proposal allowing for a state takeover of the state’s largest district is likely to vanish…Read more...

Local Education News

  • North Canton school officials take steps to increase building security (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • The Board of Education has approved the purchase of digital radios and antennas as part of a district-wide safety and security initiative…Read more...

  • Akron board cuts Akron Digital Academy loose (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • The Akron school board effectively severed ties with Akron Digital Academy — after sponsoring the online charter school for more than a decade…Read more...

  • A look inside the future of education (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • In a new building just outside of Indianapolis’ downtown, Darren McCorkle sits at a desk in a sea of short-walled cubicles, taking an eighth-grade algebra lesson online…Read more...

  • Teachers negotiating (Findlay Courier)

    • Contract negotiations between Findlay's teacher union and the district administration are progressing smoothly, according to Superintendent Dean Wittwer…Read more...

  • Lorain City Schools' staff looks to change culture of low expectations (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • Lorain City Schools’ staff has developed a “widespread culture of low expectations” but hope is budding among employees under its new administration, a state assessment determined…Read more...

  • Lots of changes in Warren district (Marietta Times)

    • The Warren Local school district will look very different next year with a new superintendent, new high school and elementary administrators and the return of high school busing…Read more...

  • Boardman schools official warns of 5% cut in funding (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • The Boardman schools director of instruction said she expects a 5 percent cut in funding next year for the four federal programs for which the school district receives money…Read more...

Editorial

  • Dollars in the classroom (Akron Beacon Journal)

    • State Sen. Peggy Lehner wants to devote an additional $100 million to early childhood education in Ohio. The Kettering Republican cites the handsome return, $10 or more for every dollar spent…Read more...

  • Added scrutiny of charter schools in city and state is overdue, but finally coming (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • State and local education leaders are committing themselves to beefed-up monitoring of Ohio’s ballooning network of charter schools…Read more...

Education News for 05-20-2013

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State Education News

  • Glitches follow switch from paper to computer testing (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • Students aren’t the only ones nervous about state testing. Very public computer glitches plaguing online testing in several states in recent weeks are making educators and state leaders…Read more...

  • Charter tax plan raises questions (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A proposed state law singles out Columbus City Schools taxpayers to shoulder part of the tax burden for charter schools even though thousands of Franklin County’s charter-school students live in suburban school districts…Read more...

  • Reading help on the way for Columbus kindergartners (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Most children who came to kindergarten in Columbus schools without knowing the ABCs, which way to hold a book or other important early-reading skills remained behind when they reached third grade…Read more...

  • Former state education official pleads guilty to possessing child porn (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A fired state education official has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession of child pornography…Read more...

  • Lorain Academic Distress Commission meets (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • The Lorain Academic Distress Commission will see a draft of the district’s academic improvement plan Monday, along with data on how the schools operate…Read more...

Local Education News

    

  • Local revenue increases without ballot requests becoming more common for schools (Chillicothe Gazette)

    • For two decades, Licking Valley Local Schools have not gone to the ballot to ask for more money — but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t taken more from local taxpayers…Read more...

  • CHCA continues to broaden international student program (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • Many foreign students study abroad in high school for a year or two as exchange students. At Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, most stay for its entirety…Read more...

  • Sheriff won’t support school levies unless districts look at armed personnel (Dayton Daily News)

    • Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones declared this week that he “won’t support a school levy again that doesn’t address school safety with armed personnel…Read more...

  • Beavercreek schools face money crisis in 2015 (Dayton Daily News)

    • Without any changes, the Beavercreek City School District would start the 2015 fiscal year with $5.2 million in the bank, not enough to open the schools for 2015/16 school year…Read more...

  • Gadgets growing on local schools: Even youngest of pupils getting involved (Lima News)

    • Temple Christian sixth-grader Anna Acklin spent this year using a school-issued iPad in class and at home. She considered herself lucky, until learning kindergartners at her school will get iPad Minis…Read more...

  • Here's who wasn't picked; Lorain Academic Distress Commission candidates uncovered (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • The names of seven candidates for the local appointments to Lorain’s Academic Distress Commission have been uncovered through an investigation by the Morning Journal…Read more...

  • Lorain County school leaders oppose expansion of voucher program (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • Lorain County’s school superintendents, as well as administrators from Sandusky City Schools, are speaking out against a proposed expansion to a state voucher program…Read more...

  • Despite hurdles local ballot issues face, system unlikely to change (Mansfield News Journal)

    • For six consecutive times, West Muskingum Local Schools had gone to the voters seeking additional financial support only to be rejected…Read more...

  • Stepp files lawsuit against Medina Board of Education (Sun Newspapers)

    • Medina City School District superintendent Randy Stepp has made good on a threat to take the district to court, filing a lawsuit against the board of education and other district officials in federal court…Read more...

  • Eager for education (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • The 2013 graduates of the Youngstown Early College didn’t talk as much about all the good times they had in high school as about their journeys, and how tough it was staying the course…Read more...

Editorial

  • A promise to our kids (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A bill pending in the Ohio House that would tweak some provisions of Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee would make the program more workable for schools without undermining its intent…Read more...