"Two Visions, One Choice" highlights the differences between the two presidential candidates on such important issues as class size, school funding and making college affordable.

Watch It:

Burden on Local Taxpayers Grows as Republicans Begin to Look at School Funding Nearly Two Years Later
 
COLUMBUS- As the Ohio House Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education prepares to meet tonight at Lima High School, 1 Spartan Way in Lima at 6pm, State Rep. Matt Lundy (D- Elyria) highlighted the need to put our kids and communities first as they face financial crisis.
 
Ohio school districts are projecting huge deficits because of $1.4 billion in cuts to education in the state's operating budget, which passed along party lines.  Schools in Allen County were cut a total of more than $11 million for fiscal years 2012-13 when compared to 2011, including $2.39 million from Lima City Schools and nearly $2 million from Shawnee Local School. Districts across the state are left to struggle with the best way to prepare children for the future with larger class sizes, fewer music and art programs, costly extra-curricular activities and limited or no busing.
 
"Rather than addressing the brewing financial crisis facing communities like Lima, where the city schools face a projected deficit of $1.24 million dollars for fiscal year 2013 and more than $3 million for fiscal year 2014, Republicans have decimated school funding.  Schools across the state struggle to cope with unfunded mandates, large class sizes and few teachers in the classroom," said Rep. Lundy.
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Burden on Local Taxpayers Grows as Republicans Begin to Look at School Funding Nearly Two Years Later
 
COLUMBUS- As the Ohio House Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education prepares to meet tonight at the Warren County ESC, in Lebanon at 6:00pm, State Rep. Matt Lundy (D- Elyria) highlighted the need to put our kids and communities first as they face financial crisis.
 
Ohio school districts are projecting huge deficits because of $1.4 billion in cuts to education in the state's operating budget, which passed along party lines.  Schools in Warren County were cut a total of nearly $27 million for fiscal years 2012-13 when compared to 2011, including more than $4 million from Lebanon City Schools and $9 million from Mason City School. Districts across the state are left to struggle with the best way to prepare children for the future with larger class sizes, fewer music and art programs, costly extra-curricular activities and limited or no busing.
 
"Rather than addressing the brewing financial crisis facing communities like Lebanon, where the city schools face a projected deficit of nearly $2 million dollars for fiscal year 2013 and more than $3 million for fiscal year 2014, Republicans have decimated school funding.  Schools across the state struggle to cope with unfunded mandates, large class sizes and few teachers in the classroom," said Rep. Lundy.

COLUMBUS- Ohio House Democratic Leader Armond Budish (D- Beachwood) released the following statement concerning the passage of Sub. Senate Bill 316, the education mid-biennial review.  SB 316 includes a third grade reading requirement based on a Florida piece of legislation.

"I love the idea of making sure our third graders can read.  But the third grade reading guarantee in this bill does not provide adequate funding.  It's an unfunded mandate that could actually harm children.  This bill sets standards that, without additional help, many kids will not be able to meet. Kids could be held back and labeled a failure. The bill fails to give the schools the resources they need for extra teachers or tutors, a longer school day, all day kindergarten, or special reading programs to help kids meet these standards.
 
"Putting $13 million into a program requiring hundreds of millions of added dollars, especially after cutting many hundreds of millions of dollars from education in the current state budget, is wholly inadequate."

COLUMBUS - Ohio House Democratic Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) released the following statement upon passage by the Ohio House of legislation to improve Cleveland's schools.

"The passage of the new Cleveland schools plan today hopefully will result in dramatic benefits for Cleveland's kids. This plan respects the work of the teachers and the public employees, promotes professional development, and preserves collective bargaining rights. I want to thank Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, David Quolke and the Cleveland Teachers Union, and so many others who came together and worked through some very difficult issues to find solutions to improve education in Cleveland. This bill is of the people of Cleveland, by the people of Cleveland, and for the people of Cleveland.

"I am also pleased that we were able to pass a bill that creates badly needed accountability for charter schools. This plan strikes a delicate balance maximizing flexibility for the CMSD, while at the same time recognizing the critical role our teachers play in our children's success."

As the Legislature reaches the final days before its summer recess, A group of parents, community organization and coalitions came together today to discuss the importance of having a school funding formula that works for all children.

Parents for Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati, Prepare the Future, and Strive will held a press event at ProgressOhio to discuss their school funding criteria.

This event follows the House Finance Committee three hearings on school funding and the anticipated school funding discussions that will occur this summer and fall.

After the press event, the group moved to the State House to discuss their concerns with State Legislators.

"What we're trying to do is show there is a partnership of parents, community leaders, teachers and administrators coming together under a unified voice saying this formula doesn't work," said Rolonda Smith, executive director of PPS. "After being deemed unconstitutional for so long and seeing the detriment in our classrooms, enough is enough."

Ohio's school funding system was deemed unconstitutional in 1997 because it relies too heavily on property taxes. But to date, no administration has managed to fix it.

Brown is Working to Improve Graduation Rates, Modify Achievement Measurements, and Increase Autonomy for Local Schools and Districts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that Ohio has received a waiver for key provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law that would increase flexibility for local schools and improve the quality of instruction for Ohio students. In February, Ohio submitted an application to the Obama Administration that would exempt the state from certain NCLB mandates in exchange for the implementation of proposed education reforms.

"This waiver will allow teachers and administrators to focus on providing quality education for our students, rather than just checking the boxes," Brown said. "We must all work together to prepare Ohio's youth for college and career."

Ohio is one of 18 states that will receive flexibility from NCLB because of the state's plan to raise standards and improve accountability. The waiver announced today will:

• Set performance targets based on whether students graduate from high school prepared for the workplace and higher education;
• Design locally-tailored interventions to help students achieve rather than the one-size-fits-all remedies prescribed under NCLB;
• Emphasize student growth and progress using multiple measures instead of relying solely on test scores; and
• Increase flexibility in how they spend federal funds to benefit students.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -  As legislators deliberate on Mid-Biennium Budget Review legislation, the President of the Ohio Education Association called on members of the Ohio General Assembly to restore funds for public schools as an investment in Ohio's economic future.

"Ohio now has higher state revenues and the capacity to restore some of the $2.9 billion in cuts passed in 2011, but we have seen no meaningful move to repair that funding gap. Tragically, the proposed budget adjustments do not connect to the funding problems in Ohio schools today, and they include unfunded mandates that may make things worse," said OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks.

"Educators, parents and students are heading for graduation ceremonies, college and summer vacations. But in many cases they do not know what will be left at their schools when they return this fall. We need to act now to invest in early childhood education, science, math, the arts, physical education and music - programs that are disappearing all over Ohio in a relentless round of cuts," said Frost-Brooks. "It's time to hold all of us accountable for student success - students, teachers, parents and elected leaders, and we have a plan developed specifically to help."

On Friday, Ohio's largest teachers' union, the Ohio Education Association, voted to expand its membership rolls to a new arena -- charter schools.

The Ohio Education Association has never been a fan of charter schools. OEA Vice President Bill Leibensperger says the union doesn't support charter schools as they currently operate in Ohio.

But the union has been losing members, about 6,000 in the past five years. That's about 5 percent of its total current membership.

And Leibensperger says charter school teachers represent tens of thousands of potential new members. Plus, he says, by bringing charter school teachers into the union, it may be possible to morph charters into the kind of schools the union can get behind.

"We don't support the way charter schools operate in the state of Ohio," he says. "We believe that by organizing and giving them a voice, that learning conditions will improve."

Leibensperger says the move to organize charter schools was a "teaching and learning" decision, not a "numbers" one.

Read More

Columbus -State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) issued the following statement today after the introduction of new legislation for the Cleveland School plan (SB 335):

Breaks for big businesses shortchange students and defund the American Dream

WASHINGTON--As the deadline approaches for Americans to file their taxes, a significant portion of profitable corporations may not pay a dime. The reason? Corporate tax loopholes.

Through a new campaign, the National Education Association is exposing the true cost of corporate tax loopholes...a shrinking middle class and the erosion of critical services, including public education. Part of the effort includes a one-minute animated short called The Hole and an online petition for the public to show support for closing corporate tax loopholes.

Watch It:

"Students and working families are feeling the adverse effects of a carefully crafted, perfect storm," said Dennis Van Roekel, president of NEA. "At home, families are struggling to hold on to what they have. At school, students are confronted with cuts to the critical resources they need to succeed. Big businesses are sitting on record profits, and are taxed at historically low rates.

It is time we put people ahead of profits.

(Columbus) -Today State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) joined State Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering), State Representative Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland) and State Representative Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) in the introduction of legislation that would enact Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson's plan to transform the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

"We have a moral obligation to confront the challenges plaguing our school district and to resolve to do what is in its students' best interest," said Senator Turner. "Doing nothing is unacceptable, and this plan is a bold step towards creating the conditions for success for our children, our city, and our future."

Senate Bill 325 builds off of Mayor Jackson's original proposal, but reflects many of the compromises reached though negotiations between the mayor, the district, and the Cleveland Teachers Union. These include provisions that would preserve teacher tenure, increase the transparency of the newly-created Transformation Alliance, and allow for teacher hiring to be done at the building level instead by the central office. The contentious "fresh start" language remains, but only until the details of its replacement can be agreed upon.

Columbus -State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland), State Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering), State Representative Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland) and State Representative Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) issued the following joint statement today regarding legislation for the Cleveland Schools plan:

"Last week we announced our intention to introduce legislation in support of Mayor Jackson's plan to turn around Cleveland's schools.  At the time, we made clear that the plan as submitted to us was not perfect, and asked all parties to buckle down and work out solutions.  To this end, we convened a series of meetings last Friday between the Cleveland Teachers Union, Mayor Jackson, and the Cleveland school district that were attended by a number of our legislative colleagues.  These gatherings were followed by a very constructive session on Monday during which many differences were resolved.

"We are deeply encouraged by the progress made by the mayor in resolving concerns raised by the union and the inclusion of those solutions in the second draft of his legislation.  Taking this significant progress into consideration, we have decided to delay introduction of the bill until Wednesday to provide the opportunity for discussion on those issues that remain.  The outcome of these negotiations will have a significant impact on the lives of tens of thousands of children in Cleveland, and it is our hope that all parties come to the table prepared to work in the best interest of the city's students.

"Beyond building a better educational system, the mayor's plan has presented us with a unique opportunity to model for our young people how those with divergent views can work together to build up our communities.  We call on those involved to maintain their composure, respect the process of negotiation, and work in good faith to produce a result that will better educate our children.

"It is imperative that all sides commit to crafting solutions through collaboration, while avoiding the road blocks and rhetoric that could so easily derail constructive dialogue.  We have the opportunity to both reach an agreement that puts learning first and can achieve outcomes for students, and create fundamentally new relationships among professionals committed to the task.

"In the coming days, we expect the mayor, the union, and the district to reach an agreement and to resolve outstanding issues.  If an understanding cannot be reached, we will introduce the legislation we have and negotiate the remaining issues through the legislative process.  The language we have is a starting point--all bills are subject to change--but we have to start somewhere.  There is no time to waste.
 
"Failure is not an option.  The well-being of Cleveland's children is foremost in our minds and we remain committed to working with all parties to find common ground, whether it is at the negotiating table or in a Statehouse hearing room."

WASHINGTON - In February, President Obama put forward a balanced budget proposal that reduces the deficit by over $4 trillion by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share while making the investments we need to create jobs and strengthen the middle class.

Today, the House of Representatives passed the Ryan Republican budget proposal which offers a very different vision for the future for Ohio's middle class families. It fails the test of balance, fairness, and shared responsibility, showering the wealthiest few Americans with an average tax cut of at least $150,000, while preserving taxpayer giveaways to oil companies and breaks for Wall Street hedge fund managers ‒ all paid for by undermining Medicare and the very things we need to grow our economy and the middle class.

The Ryan Republican budget would end Medicare as we know it, turning the guarantee of retirement security into a voucher that will shift higher and higher costs to seniors over time.

The Ryan Republican budget draws on the same wrong-headed theory that led to the worst recession of our lifetimes and contributed to the erosion of middle-class security over the last decade.  And the President believes we cannot return to a failed theory that didn't lead to the growth of jobs, incomes, or the economy.

Think Tank Both Praises and Criticizes Reform Plan

Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank headquartered in Columbus, today released an analysis of the education reform plan recently put forward by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. 

Governor Kasich has indicated the plan might serve as a model for his own education reform effort, which presumably will include the new school funding formula he promised but so far has failed to deliver.

Working Together Key to Improving Schools, Ensuring Student Success

COLUMBUS-- A diverse coalition of educators, parents, clergy and elected officials are calling on Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to collaborate with teachers and parents on lasting education reforms that will help all children succeed.

The coalition, led by the Ohio Federation of Teachers, will talk about how collaboration among teachers, administrators and the community improves public schools at a news conference at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 7, 2012, in the Ohio Statehouse House Hearing Room 114.

"Anyone who is serious about improving the lives of children must understand the importance of working together toward real solutions our kids need," OFT President Melissa Cropper said. "When collaboration trumps conflict, kids win. The voices of teachers and parents are absolutely essential to real school reform."

Must read editorial from David Quolke, President of the Cleveland Teachers Union in yesterdays Plain Dealer:

Cleveland teachers should be on the same reform team: David Quolke

As reported by our friends at Innovation Ohio:

The Ohio Department of Education today released its first rankings of schools and school districts according to Performance Index (PI) scores -- an increasingly important measure of school performance.

While the Columbus Dispatch was quick to report that the top 3 spots among all districts were held by charter schools, they seem to have failed to scroll down. If they had, they'd have noticed that of 936 districts and charter schools ranked by the Department, the 113 lowest-ranked were charter schools.

Once again, as IO has pointed out before, the disparity between successful and unsuccessful charter schools in Ohio is profound and troubling. The disparity between the best and worst charter schools is significantly greater than that between the best and worst public schools. What policymakers in Ohio should address is this gross disparity between charters so that the great ones can flourish and the worst are do not continue to receive taxpayer funds.

Florida laid-off teacher urges Congress to put students ahead of politics

WASHINGTON--The National Education Association today launched a second, limited television ad campaign urging Congress to pass The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act. If passed, the proposal will help put first responders, teachers and support staff back to work.

"The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act is the right plan for the American people," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "Congress can choose to put students ahead of political gridlock by supporting a bill that puts educators back in classrooms and off of the unemployment lines."

Teachers, education support professionals, parents and others in local communities are rallying behind President Barack Obama's bold proposal to get the economy moving in the right direction. The proposal would put approximately 400,000 educators back to work and help keep class sizes more manageable.

The new 30-second ad, which is micro-targeted in media markets in Alaska, Massachusetts, Nevada, and West Virginia, follows a similar 30-second ad buy that aired in media markets in Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas and the District of Columbia.

Watch It:

White House Releases Report Outlining the Current Challenges to our Education System and the Impact of the American Jobs Act

Today, the White House released a report, Teacher Jobs at Risk, outlining how the Administration's efforts - including the American Jobs Act - will keep teachers in the classroom, strengthen our schools and improve the local economy in communities across the country. The American Jobs Act will support nearly 400,000 education jobs, preventing layoffs of educators and allowing thousands more to be hired or rehired. In addition, the President's plan will modernize at least 35,000 public school buildings and community college campuses while putting construction workers back to work.

"Here in America, we are laying off teachers in droves.  It makes no sense, and it has to stop.  This bill will prevent up to 280,000 teachers from losing their jobs - and support almost 40,000 jobs right here in Texas," said President Obama.  "Congress should pass this jobs bill so we can put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong."

America's education system has always been one of our greatest sources of strength and global economic competitiveness, as well as the engine of incredible progress in science, technology, and the arts. We cannot expect to train our children for the high-skilled jobs of today, or for the opportunities of the future, without investments in a world-class education system.

Columbus - State Senator Tom Sawyer (D-Akron) recently introduced Senate Bill 219, which would repeal the provision of current law exempting a community school from the requirement to permanently close for poor academic performance.

"I am open to the idea of effective drop out prevention programs; and I recognize the challenges that many students face, especially those that may have once dropped out of school," said Senator Sawyer. "Although I understand that these students may need special treatment, ignoring chronic failure of charter school programs does not serve these kids well and only turns a blind eye to the program's underperformance."

Senator Sawyer's legislation is an effort to close remaining loopholes that charter schools have from the closure provisions. More than 25 percent of charter schools in Ohio are exempt from closure under the dropout recovery waiver regardless of performance.

Help make the future bright for Ohio's children. At the 2011 Children's Regional Briefings, you will:

- Learn about the outcomes for kids in the 2012-13 State Biennium Budget.
- Get information about the role of Educational Service Centers in Ohio.
- Receive an update of federal issues impacting children.
- Have an opportunity to provide feedback on impact of budget cuts in their local communities.
- Learn how to be a more effective advocate for children, including information on registering voters.
- Receive an overview of what's in the Affordable Care Act (Health Care Reform) for kids and Ohio's implementation plan moving forward.

SPECIAL GUEST: John McCarthy, Director, Office of Ohio Health Plans, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

Traditional public school districts continue to provide a vastly better education for students, according to report card data released today by the Ohio Department of Education. Efforts to strengthen accountability for the state's privately operated, publicly funded charter schools in the last few years have led to slightly improved performance by charter schools. While the change does not demonstrate a dramatic trend, the even slight advances due to increased accountability indicate that greater oversight benefits students, noted the Coalition for Public Education.

State report card data shows steady general improvement in traditional public school districts' ratings with slight improvements in charter schools.

"We are encouraged by the impact that accountability provisions have had on improving the performance of charters since stronger standards were implemented over the last few years. Even given the slight improvements by some charters, traditional public school districts remain the clearly superior option for children," said Barbara Shaner, chair of the Coalition for Public Education.

The Coalition is a statewide alliance of education, parent and civic organizations interested in improving public education for Ohio's children and increasing accountability to taxpayers.

Update: Apparently embarrassed after having this video of Governor John Kasich Thanking the Union Busting Koch Brother's front group Americans For Prosperity that they tried to keep secret exposed to the public the AFP has removed the video.  We'll be posting the back-up we made later today!

Update II: Thanks to Rachel Maddow for picking up this story

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In an "unlisted video" which Gov. Kasich recorded using state resources, he tells the Koch Industries astroturf group Americans For Prosperity "... in the four months that I've been Governor, we've accomplished a lot in Ohio... in all of these efforts the strong support of Americans for Prosperity has made a really big difference. ...it's so important that Ohio's fighters for freedom, the grassroots leaders of Americans for Prosperity, continue to lend their support to the effort to get Ohio back on track."

Americans for Prosperity is Part of the Koch Industries Right-Wing Machine:

Koch's founder, Fred Koch, also helped found the John Birch Society, an ultraconservative organization that believed the U.S. government was controlled by a traitorous cabal of communist sympathizers. Koch Industries' charitable arm, the Koch Family Foundations, has provided over $120 million in the past 20 years to the Cato Institute (founded by Charles Koch), Citizens for a Sound Economy (founded by David Koch, now known as Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks), the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, the Mercatus Center, North Carolina's John Locke Foundation, and dozens of other right-wing, anti-regulatory, and global warming-denial organizations. [Media Transparency]

Koch-Run Americans For Prosperity Has Bircher, Racist Roots:

From Jane Mayer's New Yorker story on the Kochs, billionaire bankrollers of Americans For Prosperity, elements of the Tea Party, and the CATO Institute:

In 1958, Fred Koch became one of the original members of the John Birch Society, the arch-conservative group known, in part, for a highly skeptical view of governance and for spreading fears of a Communist takeover. Members considered President Dwight D. Eisenhower to be a Communist agent. In a self-published broadside, Koch claimed that "the Communists have infiltrated both the Democrat and Republican Parties." He wrote admiringly of Benito Mussolini's suppression of Communists in Italy, and disparagingly of the American civil-rights movement. "The colored man looms large in the Communist plan to take over America," he warned. Welfare was a secret plot to attract rural blacks to cities, where they would foment "a vicious race war." In a 1963 speech that prefigures the Tea Party's talk of a secret socialist plot, Koch predicted that Communists would "infiltrate the highest offices of government in the U.S. until the President is a Communist, unknown to the rest of us."

Columbus - The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus today unveiled an education funding proposal that ensures urban and rural school districts are not shortchanged.  The Student Success Index is one of the 242 budget amendments that Senate Democrats submitted to the Senate Finance Committee.

"Unlike a plan put forth by Senate Republicans, our proposal doesn't leave anybody out," said Senate Minority Leader Capri S. Cafaro (D-Hubbard).  "We are ensuring that all students, regardless of their circumstances, are receiving more resources for their education."

Senate Republicans inserted an additional $115 million into the state budget which overwhelmingly benefits wealthy school districts.  This "Robin Hood in reverse" proposal ignores Ohio's most challenged districts.

The Student Success Index distributes the same $115 million funding increase on a fairer and broader basis by utilizing three widely recognized measurement tools: District Report Cards, the Education Challenge Factor and State Performance Index scores.  The measurements reward success while also acknowledging the challenges that all districts face.

Like the House passed version of the budget, the Student Success Index ensures that no school district will see more than a 20 percent decrease in state funding from FY 2011 spending levels.  In fact, every school district in Ohio will see additional funding beyond the House plan.

This week in the war on workers

Fresh off a cheating scandal and an appearance at a DeVos-funded event with Scott Walker and Tom Corbett, former DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee was John Kasich's special guest for a screening of charter school propaganda piece Waiting for Superman.

Note the governors she's making appearances with: Wisconsin's Scott Walker, Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett, Ohio's John Kasich. And to round out her partnerships with the worst of the worst, she's working with Florida's Rick Scott, Nevada's Brian Sandoval, and...well, consult your list of worst governors. They're probably big Rhee supporters.

This isn't incidental. It's about privatizing public education, reducing transparency and accountability in education, and driving down working conditions for teachers and support staff. That has an enormous impact right now on our middle class and an exponentially bigger one in the future as the kids trying to learn under this system grow up.

Hat Tip: Daily Kos

Let's say you're the CEO of McDonald's. You know kids love to eat your food, but their pesky teachers keep telling them it's not healthy. Don't worry! You have options.

Scholastic (the company that publishes tons of children's books) has a program where companies like McDonald's, the American Coal Foundation, and SunnyD can pay to have teachers teach kids about their products to create "brand awareness" and "consumer loyalty."

It's called Scholastic InSchool Marketing -- and it has nothing to do with education.

Here's how the program works: A corporation gives Scholastic a pile of money. In turn, Scholastic creates a curriculum designed to further "client interests," cleverly masked as actual learning opportunities for students. (For example, Scholastic sometimes says these materials will help improve students' scores on standardized tests.)

According to Scholastic, this program reaches more than 66,000 classrooms.

Schools grant Scholastic unique commercial access to children because of its stellar reputation as an educational publisher.  But marketing directly to children in schools is a privilege, not a right.  Scholastic is abusing that privilege by flooding classrooms across the country with ads for products and brands that have little educational value and compete with books for children's attention and families' limited resources.

Some terrific groups (including the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Rethinking Schools) are fighting hard to end Scholastic InSchool Marketing. This week, they had a big win when Scholastic agreed to stop selling its "United States of Energy" curriculum (paid for by the American Coal Foundation) which teaches 4th graders about the benefits of coal while hiding all the risks to public health.
Momentum is on their side.

Now it's time to stop this practice for good. 

Sign the petition today to tell Scholastic to end its insidious InSchool Marketing division.

BREAKING NEWS:  SHADOWS COLUMN LEADS TO FEDERAL PROBE OF CHARTERS:  Newsnet5.com in Cleveland is reporting that a Turkish Islamist organization first reported on by Shadows on High, September 15, 2010 is now the subject of a federal probe of Ohio taxpayer money moving to Turkey. PO will report more as details become available.

SHADOWS ON HIGH: With Charters, the Greedy get Greedier

"No group should use political influence to run public policy in the state of Ohio," Gov. John Kasich recently told the Columbus Dispatch.

For Shadows readers, the sad intersection of Ohio's brand of profiteering politics and the availability of school funds has long been exposed as a toxic mix.

Back in the mid-1990s, when even Senate GOP members were balking at Ohio's first foray into voucher schools, then-Governor George V. Voinoivich made a rare appearance at his party's own club room on the north side of the Senate Building's 2^nd floor. 

Shortly after vouchers were passed, largely at the behest of Akron financier David Brennan. During the next General Assembly session, charter schools emerged. For Brennan, the crusade was based on claims of failing schools and the need to give desperate parents a "choice."  But, the opponents of the legislation were able to see the truth:  this legislation was about money, it was about allowing outside businesses to become rich from funds that should have gone into Ohio's classrooms. 

There can be little surprise that Voinovich's son George F. Voinovich went on to work with Brennan's law firm or that senior Voinovich operative Tom Needles now is a lobbyist with charter schools for clients.

Brennan was helped along by the intellectuals of the Buckeye Institute and Fordham Institute. They provided valuable cover for free-market "education" plans, and eventually these institutions proliferated in Ohio more than in any other state in the union.

It was not enough though for David Brennan and fellow businessmen like Bill Lager, who is to Ohio charter schools what the University of Phoenix is to colleges and universities. This year, emboldened by the right-wing tea-party make-up of the Ohio House, they stripped away all pretenses and in the process got too greedy, even for Fordham.

Gone were oversight rules to require educational performance, along with any semblance of accountability and transparency with state tax dollars. A provision giving all assets purchased with state money to, you guessed it - the for-profit holding companies owned by folks like Brennan and Lager. And therein lies the dowry for the GOP's unholy marriage between the profiteers and ideologues.

When Gov. Kasich vowed to fight the influence of individual groups, his target wasn't the charters but Ohio's for-profit nursing homes. They think they should win every legislative battle, Kasich said. Their supporters contribute millions to political candidates and causes, he said. The money Ohio spends on nursing homes is "through the roof.''

Substitute "for-profit charter schools" for "for-profit nursing homes" and Kasich is eerily silent. Never mind that charter schools already have won virtually every legislative battle, their supporters give millions to political candidates and causes - and most are paid to deliver poor results.

The difference between Kasich's  outcry over nursing homes but quiet encouragement of charter schools was the topic of the latest report by Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank that believes Ohio's limited tax dollars should be spent wisely and reserved for programs that help move Ohio forward.

The study showed most charter schools waste money and set Ohio back.

The report focused mainly on electronic schools - known as "e-schools.'' These entities market themselves as on-line alternatives for students who want an education without walking through a school house door.

On May 6, 2011, the Ohio Education Association (OEA), representing 128,000 teachers, education support professionals and higher education faculty, kicked-off  its two day Spring Representative Assembly at Veterans Memorial in Columbus.

OEA members voiced their strong opposition to the proposed state budget, passed in an amended version Thursday through the Ohio House. "Legislators are still attempting to insert provisions of SB 5 into the state budget and silence the voices of the voters," said OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks.  The OEA president called the budget more of the same - billions in funding reductions for Ohio public schools, colleges and universities, with only slight modifications from the Kasich administration's original budget proposal, which left Ohio public schools with $3.1 billion less in state and federal funding.

"This budget will close neighborhood schools and expand state resources for charter schools run by private companies, as well as private school voucher programs that only serve a few students," said Frost-Brooks. "How can we do this at a time when we are cutting back overall state aid to nearly every public school district in Ohio? Surely we can find a different path that gives all Ohio students the opportunity to succeed, not drastic cuts that limit their future."

OEA members rallied behind the effort to repeal Senate Bill 5 by citizen veto referendum vote in November, citing not only its effects on OEA members, but also the effort by SB 5 to take key teaching and learning conditions out of the realm of collective bargaining. "Most Ohioans agree with us," said Frost-Brooks. "Our polls show more than 50% favor repealing Senate Bill 5, and less than 40% would let the law stand."

Today, May 3, "is a special day to give teachers the appreciation that they deserve everyday. Won't you join in thanking a teacher using your status message on your Facebook page.

Posting a simple "thank you" and the name of a teacher who has inspired you is just one small way to appreciate such important individuals, but it isn't limited to only Facebook.  If you are a regular on Twitter, give a shout-out to your favorite teacher by using the hashtag #thankateacher, or feel free to thank teachers wherever you frequent online. 

Some of us may be more comfortable picking up the phone or writing a quick note to a truly influential teacher, yet no matter your method of communication, we can all reach out and provide a heartfelt "thank you."

After all, if you can read this blog post, you have a teacher to thank.

Equality Ohio has been working with a broad coalition of organizations from around the state including ProgressOhio to advocate for the a Comprehensive Safe Schools Act. 

This Act is an anti-bullying law that would strengthen current state law and provide needed protections to all school children in Ohio, and in particular protect children from bullying or harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Ohio's current anti-bullying legislation is deficient in three key areas:

• It does not list or enumerate groups that are disproportionately affected by bullying.  Study after study has proven that enumerated policies are significantly more effective than non-enumerated policies at preventing bullying and harassment.  Without enumeration, bullying based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression remains prevalent in schools.

• It does not require school districts to include harassment by electronic means (cyber-bullying), and it fails to specify the school's jurisdiction over cyber-bullying, which often occurs off school grounds.

• It fails to require school districts to provide anti-bullying training to staff and volunteers.  In order for policies to be effective, school employees and volunteers must be trained on their legal responsibilities to prevent and respond to bullying.

Recently, bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to address these shortcomings.  Click here to see a summary.

Get ready to see a lot more of this

Unless Ohio's two-year budget undergoes major changes, public schools will face cuts in programs and larger class size - and property owners will face more tax levies.

Those predictions came today from Columbus attorney Nick Pitter, who led four successful efforts to have Ohio's method of paying for public schools declared unconstitutional.

Pittner took part in a budget briefing today hosted by Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank based in Columbus.

IO posted an outline that explains how the funding system works and lists proposed changes included in  the two-year spending plan making its way through the state legislature.

The changes include:

• Local school districts would receive $3.1 billion less in the next two years from the state, including federal monies.

• Funding for charter schools and vouchers would be increased.  The budget calls for lifting the cap on charter schools and doubling the number of vouchers used to enroll students in religious and other private schools.

• Education for gifted children in the classroom would be eliminated. County boards, known as Education Service Centers, would receive about $8 million to assist with gifted programs.

Although state budget writers insist that schools can operate more efficiently, Pittner said years of lean budgets have taken their toll on schools.

"If there ever was fat in the system, it's safe to say it is long gone,'' he said.

Joining Gov. Kasich at the Athletic Club of Columbus tonight for a showing of the controversial documentary Waiting for Superman will be Michelle Rhee, who resigned last fall as the chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools and was featured just this week in USA Today as an executive who glossed over the apparent wide-spread cheating scandal her policies brought about.

From USA Today:

In just two years, Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus went from a school deemed in need of improvement to a place that the District of Columbia Public Schools called one of its "shining stars."

Standardized test scores improved dramatically. In 2006, only 10% of Noyes' students scored "proficient" or "advanced" in math on the standardized tests required by the federal No Child Left Behind law. Two years later, 58% achieved that level. The school showed similar gains in reading [...]

A USA TODAY investigation, based on documents and data secured under D.C.'s Freedom of Information Act, found that for the past three school years most of Noyes' classrooms had extraordinarily high numbers of erasures on standardized tests. The consistent pattern was that wrong answers were erased and changed to right ones [...]

In 2007-08, six classrooms out of the eight taking tests at Noyes were flagged by McGraw-Hill because of high wrong-to-right erasure rates. The pattern was repeated in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years, when 80% of Noyes classrooms were flagged by McGraw-Hill.

On the 2009 reading test, for example, seventh-graders in one Noyes classroom averaged 12.7 wrong-to-right erasures per student on answer sheets; the average for seventh-graders in all D.C. schools on that test was less than 1. The odds are better for winning the Powerball grand prize than having that many erasures by chance, according to statisticians consulted by USA TODAY.

Rhee hid from the investigation, even while Chancellor of the schools (Rhee was told of this in 2008, according to USAT, refused to look into the problem, then authorized a pro forma investigation by an outside consulting company which cleared every school). When it finally came out, she merely insulted longtime enemies rather than address the concerns:

"It isn't surprising," Rhee said in a statement Monday, "that the enemies of school reform once again are trying to argue that the Earth is flat and that there is no way test scores could have improved ... unless someone cheated."

USA TODAY's investigation into test scores "is an insult to the dedicated teachers and schoolchildren who worked hard to improve their academic achievement levels," Rhee said.

Rhee, who said Monday night that the investigation "absolutely lacked credibility," had declined to speak with USA TODAY despite numerous attempts before an article ran online and in Monday's newspaper. Her comments were made during the taping of PBS' Tavis Smiley show to air on Tuesday night.

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Related:

Brennan's Bonanza: Kasich Expands Vouchers For Failing Charter Schools As Record $5.2M Fine Imposed On Charter Group Goes Unpaid

COLUMBUS-- In Columbus and throughout Ohio, OEA members and other public employees denounced the Ohio House's amended version of Senate Bill 5 (SB 5) as bad legislation made even worse. In addition to approving SB 5 in House committee action today, legislators released thousands of pages of new State Budget language, including 10%-plus cuts to both public schools and state colleges.

"Combined with this state budget proposal, SB 5 will lead to an ongoing crisis in schools and public services for every Ohio community. We believe the people of Ohio will reject SB 5 through a citizens' referendum," said OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks. "We do not believe the people of Ohio elected leaders with a mandate to cut school funding, take away collective bargaining rights and privatize public schools, but that is the sum effect of legislation now moving so quickly through the Ohio General Assembly."

"Nothing is more essential than creating jobs and providing high-quality educational opportunities for children. But our legislators are ignoring and short-changing these essential functions of state and local government and schools," Frost-Brooks said.

Amendments in the House version of SB 5 are designed to restrict union funding, curb political freedoms of members and impose a one-size-fits-all approach to school districts on performance pay measures.

"These amendments really shine the light on what this bill is all about, which is silencing the voice of people who collectively bargain on behalf of their members and, in our case, on behalf of the children we work with," OEA Vice President Bill Leibensperger said.

SB 5 is expected to go to a House floor vote today.  A Senate floor vote to concur with House changes to the bill is expected on today or Thursday.  If the Senate concurs with House changes to SB 5, the bill would go to the Governor for his signature.

Ohio House Democratic Representatives Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) and Matt Lundy (D-Elyria) today expressed their disappointment with the Kasich administration on the lack of a budget bill, clear school district by school district funding formulas and other K-12 funding information that is still not available. As members of the House Budget Sub-Committee on Primary and Secondary Education, they continue to question administration officials testifying before Finance Committee, but have yet to receive any concise, substantial information.

"As legislators reviewing the education budget, we have a very important task before us," said State. Rep. Phillips. "It is nearly impossible to do our job without a budget bill and a clear breakdown of district funding. We are facing unprecedented cuts to primary and secondary education, but rather than crunching the numbers, we are being forced to deal in hypotheticals and meaningless rhetoric. Flexibility and creativity are great, but mean nothing to school districts as they begin to deal with drastic cuts in state aid."

Wednesday, Kasich administration official Robert Sommers, Director of the Office of 21st Century Education, testified before the full Finance Committee and suggested that districts could reduce their cuts by opting into the state health insurance pool. However, when further questioned about it, he couldn't confirm whether districts would be allowed to do so. He also argued that class size has nothing to do with student achievement and mentioned 50-to-1 student to teacher ratios as a possibility.

"My school districts deserve certainty and need to know as soon as possible what their funding scenarios look like," said Rep. Lundy. "I continue to ask tough questions that don't get answered, plus I have no bill to consult for information. From day one the Kasich administration has struggled with openness and transparency. This is just another case of 'trust us', which simply isn't good enough for the taxpayers of Ohio. Further, the Governor believes a student to teacher ratio of 50-to-1 is a formula for success.  I believe it is a formula for failure and unfortunately, it is our children who will suffer.  Maybe if we spent more time focusing on public education and less time on expanding charter schools, we could find a more workable approach to help our children succeed."

Today the Ohio Office of Budget and Management released Gov. John Kasich's recommendations for state foundation aid for school districts for fiscal years 2012 and 2013.

The overall budget plan slashes funding to K-12 education by a total of $3.1 billion over the next two years compared to fiscal year 2011.  The plan also cuts overall funds for higher education by 10.5 percent for fiscal year 2012.

K-12 funding reductions not included in the recommendations released today include reducing tangible personal property tax revenue for schools by $635 million and cutting special education by $400 million over the biennium. It also fails to make up for the $400 million per year in federal stimulus funding that Ohio received in 2011.

"This budget paints an incomplete picture," says Ohio Education Association President Patricia Frost-Brooks.  "Sleight-of-hand tricks will not cover up the bottom line, which is that Ohio's public schools will be receiving much less in total state funding than in 2011.  In tough economic times and facing a tough budget challenge, we have to focus on the essentials, and that especially includes providing high-quality educational opportunities for students trying to prepare for jobs and careers.

"With $3.1 billion less, local communities will experience larger class sizes, reduced course choices and less individual attention for students in nearly every district in Ohio. We do not believe the people of Ohio elected leaders to cut school funding and short-change learning opportunities for their children."

The Ohio Education Association represents 128,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio's public schools, colleges and universities.

Documents show closed Toledo school re-opened with new name, same staff

The Leona Group, a Phoenix-based for-profit charter school management company, has evaded Ohio law by opening a new school to replace a school closed by the state at the end of the 2009-10 school year for poor academic performance.

Paul Laurence Dunbar Academy, a K-8 school located at 3248 Warsaw St. in Toledo and operated by the Leona Group, appeared on the state's closure list and was required to close by June 2010. But by July 2, 2010, the Leona Group had taken steps to open a new school, Northpointe Academy, at the same address with the same phone number and much of the same staff. Leona operates nine schools in Ohio, according to its web site. (www.leonagroup.com)

"Until Ohio overhauls charter school law and creates an effective oversight system, this kind of abuse will not be resolved," said Piet van Lier, Policy Matters researcher. A September Policy Matters report documented other evidence that charter management companies in Ohio are operating with little oversight.

"At their best, charter schools can provide options for students seeking a good education and serve as a proving ground for innovative education models," said van Lier. "This example, of weak oversight and inappropriate behavior by a for-profit management firm, shows how some charters fail miserably to meet that standard."

Accompanying this press release are two PDF files containing staff lists for Dunbar and Northpointe,  both downloaded from the Leona Group web site. The Dunbar staff list was downloaded in July 2010; the Northpointe list was downloaded in February 2011. These staff lists show that Andre Fox served as Dunbar principal and continues to serve in that capacity at Northpointe, according to the staff lists; all but four of the teaching staff listed for Northpointe also appeared on the Dunbar list from last year.

As of February 1, 2011, Northpointe Academy enrolled more than 270 students and had collected more than $2 million in state money for the 2010-11 school year, according to state records. The Toledo-based Ohio Council of Community Schools was Dunbar's sponsor and serves as Northpointe's sponsor as well. In Ohio, charter school sponsors are responsible for authorizing new schools and monitoring them once they are open.

Beginning in 2008, Ohio law required charter schools to meet certain academic standards on their state report cards or face closure. While this law was a positive step toward improving accountability for Ohio's charter schools, the case of Dunbar/Northpointe shows that oversight of these publicly funded, privately operated schools remains inadequate.

Public Funds to Privately Operated Charters Hiked 120 Percent to $2.2M;
With 44.5% of Charters Failing Last Year, Budget Means $1M Giveaway

Your Neighborhood School Gets Sliced by More Than 16 Percent Over 2 Years

Statement by Ohio Federation of Teachers President Sue Taylor:

"The future of this state is in great jeopardy when those who should be focused on helping all Ohioans by creating jobs and improving education are instead enraptured with rewarding political loyalty.
 
Governor Kasich's plan to increase public dollars to failing charter schools is reckless and irresponsible. He plans to increase charter funding by 120 percent ($2.2M), while he slashes money for your neighborhood school by more than 16 percent over the biennium.
 
Last year, 44.5 percent of charter schools earned failed ratings in state report cards; 44.5 percent of the inflated $2.2M earmark is $979,000. Why increase funding to failed charters? This plan rewards people whose campaign contributions helped elect Kasich and Taylor - while dismantling public schools and harming children and their families.
 
Governor Kasich intends to continue this trend of political rewards by creating charter universities.
 
Doubling the number of vouchers so that more public dollars will pay for private school tuition is wrong.
 
The vast majority of Ohio's school-age children attend public schools. Increasing funding for vouchers and charters leaves public school students with fewer resources for their education.
 
Governor Kasich's comments about an outcome-based approach is hollow when it comes to funding charter schools and vouchers. Expanding charter schools increases Kasich campaign contributor profits at the expense of children
 
Governor Kasich's duty is to support all citizens of this state. However, his budget plan simply outlines how he will return political favors. At a time when we must continue our forward momentum toward a recovering state economy Governor Kasich plans to revert Ohio back to failed policies of the past.
 
Ohio families need investments to be made that will create jobs and restart the local economy, improve your neighborhood school, and strengthen communities.

What we knew all along about Martha Harris' removal from the State BOE came to pass today.

Empowered by a new presence on the state school board, backers of Gov. John Kasich today forced out Ohio's state superintendent of education.

A tearful Deborah Delisle resigned this morning.

Board member Danny Green talked about "the 800-pound gorilla in the room ... it's charter schools versus public schools, it's Republicans versus Democrats. That's not what this board is about. This board is about all the children of Ohio."

When after Republicans in the Senate apparently withheld knowledge of a paperwork snafu involving Martha Harris until after the election last November the door was opened for Kasich to remove Harris and replace her with an assured vote for new Board President Debe Terhar who Kasich appointed to the Board just 2 months ago.

Terhar, 58, is a former Montessori school teacher and mother of four. She is president of the Hamilton County Republican Women's Club and a member of Tea Party organizations in Hamilton and Warren counties.  She's Pro-Charter Schools all the way.

The big winner? 

David Brennan of White Hat Management and profiteer of Ohio's failing charter schools.

From ProgressOhio PAC before the last election:

Photo: Patrick G. Ryan/NEA

From Our Friends at The National Education Association:

Facing a full Congressional hearing panel, in front of a packed house, Ohio teacher Courtney Johnson took a seat Tuesday and methodically laid out how attacks on workers' rights and cuts to education will affect her students.

"Ever-deepening cuts to our public schools send the dual messages to our kids that, one, it is not a priority that they get educated; and two, that we have given up on finding better solutions to our problems," Johnson told the 23 members of Congress. "Many of us are not willing to send those messages, and I know that we are not alone. Just watch the news and you will see Americans are not ready to give up on our kids."

Clad in red as part of the national Wear Red for Public Ed on Tuesday movement, Johnson spoke eloquently and passionately about how teachers' working conditions are students' learning conditions. The English teacher at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School in Columbus, Ohio, is a member of the Ohio Education Association.

She spoke at a hearing called by the House Democratic Outreach and Steering Committee, which focused on the recent surge of attacks on workers' rights across the country. Johnson joined three expert panelists and four other public employees from Ohio and Wisconsin, all testifying about how legislation such as Ohio Senate Bill 5 and attacks on collective bargaining will hurt the economy and public education in the long run. 

Read The Full Story at Education Votes

Thousands of Ohio working families converged on the Statehouse in Columbus on Tuesday, March 1 for a "Rally to Save Ohio's Middle Class" which started at 10:30 a.m. and continues all day.

The massive rally, organized by the middle class Ohioans from all across the state, comes in response to the recently-proposed Senate Bill 5, a blatant assault on middle-class working families--one in a series of attacks on the middle class across the country.

As we walked through the crowd we saw lots of support for Ohio's teachers.

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Columbus, OH - Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson held a press conference today in Columbus in support of Martha Harris, the woman removed from the Ohio Board of Education by Governor Kasich midway through her term. Harris participated in the press conference and was joined by members of teachers unions, faith leaders, and legislators.

Rev. Jackson called the act arbitrary and an abuse of justice and went on to question the morality of Harris's removal. Jackson said, "This is an example of what will happen without collective bargaining and the due process it provides". 

Harris has since filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Kasich saying that she was removed from the board without due process. She displayed the proclamation of her appointment to the board which declared her term as beginning on January 7, 2009 to December 31, 2012. She noted that she had never been notified on any wrong doing and only learned of her removal through the media. Harris went on to say,

"I want a chance to be heard. I worked hard and I'm proud of the role I played on the board to produce productive citizens".

Ohio State Senators should be focused on getting hundreds of thousands of jobless Ohioans back to work.

Unfortunately, they would rather play partisan political games to satisfy campaign allies and hurt working families then focus on the real reasons for our economic crisis in order to get people back to work in good jobs.  

This misguided approach is no more apparent than with State Senator Shannon Jones' bill, SB 5, to repeal collective bargaining rights for public service workers including primary and secondary shool teachers as well as some college professors across the state.

You can act on behalf of teachers and public workers in Ohio.

Head to the Ohio Education Association's legislative action center now to write to your state representatives.

You can join the protest by becoming a fan of the Stand Up for Ohio Facebook page.

Want to help but don't live in Ohio?

Sign The NEA's national petition to support educator and worker rights!

Add Tennessee to the list of states primed for a fight over public sector worker rights.

The Senate Education Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to abolish collective bargaining between teachers unions and school boards across the state.

The vote was 6-3, with all Republicans on the panel voting for the bill and all Democrats against.

Sponsor Sen. Jack Johnson said passage of the bill -- SB113 -- will remove 'an albatross from around the neck of our school boards across the state' and remove a roadblock to education reform.

Five states currently dont have bargaining rights for teachers & they rank 44, 47, 48, 49 & 50 in ACT/SAT scores.

The President speaks from the Intel campus in Oregon about educating our kids for the jobs of tomorrow so we can make sure America wins the future.

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed suit Thursday against a Cleveland school that he said sold students worthless diplomas.

DeWine accused the Community of Faith Christian School and its owner, Pastor Jeffrey Sanders, of charging people $250 to $550 for classes that the school claimed would let them earn diplomas they could use to get into college.

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against Cleveland-based Community of Faith Christian School alleging multiple violations of Ohio consumer law, including misrepresenting the degrees it offered to students.

"The company sold degree programs through its business location and online and made false promises that students could use the degrees to gain entrance to community colleges," Attorney General DeWine said. "Although the Attorney General's Office made multiple attempts to resolve the issues out of court, the company refused to cooperate."

Since April 2008, the Ohio Attorney General's Office has received 30 consumer complaints against Community of Faith and owner Jeffrey Sanders. Community of Faith, located at 365 Eddy Road in Cleveland, includes a church and a school.

In their complaints, consumers alleged that they paid $230 to $550 for the school's degree program, but that the diplomas sold by Sanders and/or Community of Faith ultimately could not be used as represented. Specifically, they said they were told the degrees would be accepted by local community colleges, when in fact they were not.

The attorney general's lawsuit charges Community of Faith with multiple violations of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, including misrepresenting its services, entering into transactions knowing the consumer could not benefit and knowingly making misleading statements.

To view the lawsuit, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/CommunityofFaithComplaint.

The Ohio Education Association (OEA) is gravely concerned that the Ohio Senate is not making Ohio's children a priority. In a tough economy and facing a major budget deficit, Ohio must focus on the essentials, and nothing is more essential than giving our children a quality education that prepares them for good jobs.

Sen. Shannon Jones' legislation, Senate Bill 5 (SB 5), proposes to drastically curtail collective bargaining rights, ban public employee strikes, end collectively bargained salary schedules for public employees. SB 5 targets all state workers and all Ohio higher education employees, including OEA members at Columbus State, Youngstown State and other public colleges and community colleges, as well as OEA's State Council of Professional Educators (SCOPE) bargaining unit whose members educate incarcerated adults and youths.

OEA believes collective bargaining helps educators pursue the classroom conditions, tools and support that contribute to the kind of high quality 21st century education essential to preparing students for jobs and successful careers.

Collective bargaining is a problem solving tool that shapes working conditions and improves learning conditions. Since 1983, Ohio's collective bargaining law has created a framework that has made strikes rare and short in duration.  OEA affiliates negotiate effectively to avoid strikes and disruption for student learning.

Senate Bill 5 serves to weaken Ohio's entire middle class. Rather than creating jobs in Ohio, this legislation will hurt local communities stifling job growth.

The Ohio Education Association represents 130,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio's public schools, colleges and universities.

Martha Harris waits for an opportunity to speak at the Ohio Board of Education held today in Columbus

Martha Harris, a member of the Ohio Board of Education appointed to a 4-year term in January 2009, today filed a lawsuit  against Gov. John Kasich to stop him from illegally removing her from the Board midway through her term. Harris attended today's monthly Board of Education meeting despite hearing news reports that Kasich had named a replacement who was to be sworn in today.

"I'm confused about the news articles. I received a confirmation call from the Ohio Department of Education last week and got my board packet in the mail. So I am here today to attend the meeting on behalf of Ohio citizens as I was sworn to do two years ago," Harris said. She has received no contact from Kasich or his staff.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland, where both Harris and Kasich's supposed replacement Angela Thi Bennett both reside, seeks a temporary injunction to halt any change in Harris' position on the board until the court can determine the rights of the parties. The lawsuit claims the governor cannot unilaterally replace her with a new board member; Harris' term expires December 2012.

Kasich, the Ohio Senate, State Board of Education and Bennett are named as defendants.

It names the Senate because, according to news reports, Kasich claims the Senate did not confirm Harris' appointment. Despite that and claims the Senate cannot now produce her paperwork, Harris has documentation of all paperwork she was required to provide.

"I am deeply passionate and devoted to improving education for Ohio children. I have made hundreds of decisions over the last 2 years in the form of votes in the best interests of children, parents and taxpayers," Harris said.

"It is intriguing to me that leaders in the state Senate over the last two years had no question about my paperwork or status as a member of the Ohio Board of Education," Harris said. "If there was any question, the Senate should have raised it 2 years ago. Why now?"

President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers Sue Taylor said the antics to remove Harris and replace her with a Kasich drone is the worst example of "partisan bullying."

"Governor Kasich has never spoken to Martha Harris, nor has anyone on his staff," Taylor said. "All Governor Kasich knows about Martha is that she spent her entire career putting her heart and soul into educating special needs children. This is clearly politically motivated."

Harris spent 35 years teaching special education and at-risk students in Cleveland schools before retiring in 2008. She was appointed to the state Board of Education in January 2009 to serve a 4-year term that ends in December 2012.

Ohio House of Representatives Education Committee members called a press conference today to raise concerns about House Bill 30, which would dismantle the Evidence Based Education Model passed in the last general assembly. Their point: Rolling back these reforms will not only degrade the quality of education for the children of Ohio, but will also hurt Ohio's economic recovery.  

Businesses are drawn to Ohio because of our educated workforce.  In this tough economy, we need to be doing everything we can to bring build upon our strengths, not dismantling them.  Further, if our workforce is less educated and less employable, then more people will receive assistance, growing the budget and increasing our deficit.   

This is not a big vs. small Government Issue.  This is a question of making targeted investments to grow the economy now or paying more in the future by lowering job creation and increasing the need for public assistance.

At a time when its seems every 2nd line from a legislator is "creating good paying jobs", rolling back the proven reforms that make Ohio appealing to employers may be penny wise and please a small subset of activists, but is pound (and dollar) foolish.

Legislation prompted by court case involving Kelley Williams-Bolar

Columbus- State Senator Tom Sawyer (D-Akron) announced today that he is drafting legislation to call for a thorough review of Ohio's open enrollment policy in response to the case of Kelly Williams-Bolar.  The Akron mother recently spent ten days in jail after being convicted on felony charges of tampering with records in order to send her children to the Copley-Fairlawn school district.

"The Kelly Williams-Bolar case has raised troubling questions about Ohio's open enrollment policy which has been going on for 22 years with little examination," said Senator Sawyer.  "This is why I plan on introducing legislation soon to call for a comprehensive study of the economic, educational and social effect of open enrollment in our state, and then to modify the program as needed, or end it altogether."

The General Assembly established Ohio's open enrollment policy in 1989 to allow a student in one district to enroll in another.  The current policy allows open enrollment among non-adjacent school districts on a voluntary basis.  Some school districts--predominately suburban districts--do not participate in open enrollment.  Consequently, a family's open enrollment options are often limited by geography, leaving some with no choice at all.

Senator Sawyer serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Education Committee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the White House opened applications to the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. Students from public high schools across the country are invited to demonstrate how their school prepares them for college and a career by going to www.whitehouse.gov/commencement and submitting an application. The winning school will host President Obama as their 2011 commencement speaker.

"I'm looking for the school that's doing the best job of preparing students for college and careers," said President Obama. "The winning school will understand that their number one priority is making sure that our kids are learning what they need to succeed in this 21^st century economy."

"Success happens in schools across the country every day," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "The Commencement Challenge is an extraordinary opportunity for students to share their school's story and be rewarded for their commitment to preparing for college and careers."

Students from public high schools across the country are invited to demonstrate how their school prepares them for college and career by submitting an application. The winning school will host President Obama as their 2011 commencement speaker.

The AP is reporting that federal officials have confirmed that Ohio will receive the $400 million federal education grant it won through the national "Race to the Top" competition.

Ohio State Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle received an award letter Friday from the U.S. Department of Education granting $400 million in Race to the Top funds to the Ohio Department of Education.

"This official notification will allow the Ohio Department of Education to release funds to participating districts and schools," Delisle said.

"This award is a major step in moving Ohio's Race to the Top strategy forward. We are thankful for the opportunity to have Ohio schools embark on ambitious and innovative reforms that will ensure we are preparing our students to be highly successful in an interconnected global society."

The Race to the Top grant which was awarded in August of last year emphasizes the following reform areas:

• Designing and implementing rigorous standards and high-quality assessments, by encouraging states to work jointly toward a system of common academic standards that builds toward college and career readiness, and that includes improved assessments designed to measure critical knowledge and higher-order thinking skills.
• Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in America's classrooms, by expanding effective support to teachers and principals; reforming and improving teacher preparation; revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness; and working to ensure that our most talented teachers are placed in the schools and subjects where they are needed the most.
• Supporting data systems that inform decisions and improve instruction, by fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system, assessing and using data to drive instruction, and making data more accessible to key stakeholders.
• Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools, by asking states to prioritize and transform persistently low-performing schools.
• Demonstrating and sustaining education reform, by promoting collaborations between business leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps, and by expanding support for high-performing public charter schools, reinvigorating math and science education, and promoting other conditions favorable to innovation and reform.

The White House garden is part of the Let's Move! Initiative which seeks to end childhood obesity within a generation through improved nutrition and increased physical activity.  In the spring of 2009, the First Lady and students from the DC area broke ground for the garden and since then nearly 1,600 pounds of food has been harvested. The produce is used in the White House but is also donated to local area food banks. The White House Garden has inspired communities across the country to plant similar gardens at schools, in abandoned lots, and in community spaces. 

Connecting chefs, gardens, and schools has been a critical component of the Let's Move! initiative.  Through the Chef's Move to Schools program and the Healthier US Schools Challenge hundreds of schools and communities are improving the health of America's children. What are you waiting for? Plant a garden at your school or in your community and have a harvest yourself.

Read More at The White House Blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, President Obama hosted the White House Science Fair celebrating the winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions.

The White House Science Fair fulfills a commitment the President made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign in November 2009 to move American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. 

 "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too," the President said in November.

The White House Science Fair kicks off a week that culminates with the USA Science and Engineering Festival on the National Mall and in 50 satellite locations, poised to engage more than a million people nationwide.

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Now that the new school year is comfortably underway, it's a good time to talk teachers. Teachers who made a difference, that is.

Every morning, we pack those lunches, and pack the kids off to school, hoping that they'll learn some things about the world, and some things about themselves. And one day, maybe, they'll connect with a very special teacher who will unlock a curious mind and inspire confidence.

This week, we want to hear your stories about teachers who made a difference in your life. Maybe it was that French instructor who helped you break through a language barrier. Or a piano teacher who saw the talent you never thought you had.

Participate and tell your story about teachers who made a difference in your life at NPR.

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today applauded Ohio's inclusion in the federal "Race to the Top" program.  The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, awards Recovery Act funds to schools that measurably improve their quality of education. 

"By including Ohio in the Race to the Top program, the U.S. Department of Education is providing a mark of confidence to the hardworking teachers, school administrators, and parents who work day in and day out to make Ohio schools some of the best in the country," said Brown. "These critical Recovery Act funds will not only improve our education system for today's students, but lay the groundwork to provide a world-class education to future Ohioans. I applaud Governor Strickland and his administration-in addition to Superintendent Deb Delisle and the State Board of Education-for putting together a strong application for the program and working tirelessly to improve our state's schools."

More than 530 Ohio school districts signed on to the state's application for funding.  In January, Brown wrote to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan urging that Ohio's application be given strong consideration.

"Ohio has commenced its new biennium with a comprehensive education reform plan," Brown wrote. "Funding provided through the Race to the Top program would accelerate the state's existing agenda to strategically address gaps in delivering a highly effective learning experience to all students."  The same month, Ohio's education system was rated the fifth-best in the nation by Education Week, the state's highest rating yet from the publication.

The full text of Sen. Brown's letter can be found here.

"I want to thank Secretary Duncan and the Obama administration for this opportunity to implement what I believe is a visionary education plan for Ohio's children. Our students deserve every opportunity to succeed in and beyond the classroom, and I believe the creative and forward-thinking initiatives outlined in our winning application provide just that," Strickland said. "Ohio has shown its commitment to encouraging innovation by passing successful economic development initiatives like Ohio Third Frontier, and this award builds on our job creation strategy by helping prepare the next generation of Ohio entrepreneurs and innovators."

"I give my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our education and community partners who supported this application, and our dedicated team of education leaders who worked tirelessly on behalf of Ohio's children," Strickland said.

The Round 2 Race to the Top application was submitted by the Ohio Department of Education in June. In total, more than 538 Local Education Agencies, representing more than 60 percent, or about 1 million, of Ohio's school children, agreed to participate directly in Ohio's Race to the Top activities. Ohio was selected as a finalist in late July and a team from Ohio made a presentation and answered questions from U.S. Department of Education reviewers earlier this month.

President Signs Bill Into Law

“We are very pleased to hear Ohio is, again, a Race to the Top finalist, and we are very proud of the work accomplished by numerous individuals and organizations who helped craft Ohio’s Round 2 application. Our application was carefully constructed, based on the feedback from the federal reviewers that we received during the first round of the competition, and with the help of more than 100 participants in a series of meetings hosted by KidsOhio and the Ohio Grantmakers Forum.

“The Ohio Department of Education has already begun preparing for the presentation to the U.S. Department of Education. One of Ohio’s strengths in this process is our commitment to education and to a system of education that ensures every Ohio child will receive a high quality education.  We are grateful for the hard work of our team at the Ohio Department of Education, as well as the State Board of Education and the Ohio General Assembly, for demonstrating that Ohio’s support for its students is not only our mutual responsibility but also our highest priority.

“Through the more than 530 school districts and community schools that agreed to be part of our Race to the Top efforts by signing a memorandum of understanding, more than half of Ohio’s students will be participants in our efforts should Ohio receive funding. The participating districts and community schools have demonstrated their commitment to Ohio’s education system and our students, believing that we can improve educational opportunities, even in tough financial times.  Of those students participating, the award will impact 81.5 percent of African-American students, 73 percent of Hispanic students, and 66.3 percent of economically disadvantaged students statewide.

“We will continue to work together to ensure all students graduate from high school well prepared for higher education and Ohio’s 21st century economy.”

Imagine Schools, Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit charter school management company, with 71 schools nationwide and 11 in Ohio, has a record of poor academic performance that disqualifies it from opening new schools here.

Since the 2005-06 school year, Imagine Schools, Inc’s 11 Ohio schools have received at least $115.7 million in state and federal funds. Imagine Schools, Inc., receives as much as 98 percent of its schools’ funding to act as superintendent, central office, principal, workforce and landlord. Ohio charters are granted only to non-profit organizations, but fully a third of the state’s more than 300 non-profit charter schools are run by for-profit management companies, many of them out-of-state operators like Imagine Schools, Inc.

“Policy Matters Ohio found that Imagine, Inc. has a poor record of performance in Ohio and a business model that includes elaborate school real estate transactions, high management and operations fees, overlapping business relationships with their main authorizer, low spending on classroom instruction, and tight control of school finances and board relationships,” said Piet van Lier, study author and a senior researcher at Policy Matters.

The report found:

Did you know that nearly 8,000 Ohio students attend charter schools that could face state-mandated closure next year?

As many as 26 of Ohio's 300 charter schools could face mandatory closure, according to a "watch list" released last week by Education Voters of Ohio and the Forum for Education and Democracy.

Under state law, charter elementary and high schools must be closed if they are designated in "Academic Emergency" in three out of four consecutive years. Charter middle schools are judged both by their state academic performance designation and by the academic growth of their students. The new "watch list" identifies charter schools that might be forced to shut down in summer 2011, depending on the annual ratings that will be released this August.

Click here for more information on the "watch list" of low-performing charter schools.

Every parent, teacher, and community leader in Ohio should be very concerned that so many of our kids are in underperforming schools that are at risk of being closed.

Ohio's charter schools have had their share of problems. While there are examples of high-quality schools, over 60 charters have closed in the last five years.

This kind of instability in Ohio's still-growing charter sector makes it difficult for traditional public school districts to adequately plan for facilities, staffing and resource needs for their students; charter school closures in 2011 could send an additional 2,180 students knocking on Cuyahoga County schools' doors. Will Cleveland have the space and the teachers to serve these children?

Ohio needs to learn more about charter schools, what works, what doesn't, and what our kids need to succeed. The recent "watch list" is a warning for all parents and teachers, but it is only the first step toward an education system that meets the needs of all our kids.

The American Federation of Teachers Pink Hearts Not Pink Slips campaign is in full swing. You may have seen or heard about the hundreds of pink hearts displayed in Cleveland earlier this month in protest of the massive layoffs that will cause devastating effects on our students there. Similar layoffs are planned or threatened across Ohio and by the end of this school year, it is estimated that as many as 300,000 teachers, school support staff and higher education faculty will receive pink slips throughout the country.

This will result in drastic increases in class sizes and less individualized instruction; it will erode classroom discipline and school safety, and eliminate essential programs like art, music, AP classes and summer school. This is quite simply very bad for students.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

You do it every day in your classroom, in your neighborhood, in your community. Do it again here in just a few clicks of your computer mouse and keyboard.

We need your help in getting You, your families and friends, as well as other supportive groups in your community to sign an online petition TODAY. This will help demonstrate support for including education jobs in the federal emergency funding bill. The goal is 300,000 signatures--one for every educator who may receive a pink slip by the end of this school year.

It will take just a moment to make this difference in the lives of your students, Ohio's children, our communities. Can we count on you to do this now?

Assets that were purchased with taxpayer money are being turned over to for-profit educational management companies all while White Hat Founder David Brennan a "powerful political player in the state,"  has  contributed kicked back more than $1.5 million to Republican candidates since 2000.

They get public money they should be forced to answer to the public. 

Charter school operator on hot seat

The state's biggest charter school operator last week refused to testify at a state legislative hearing into whether Ohio's laws give too much power to for-profit charter school companies.

It is being sued by 10 of its charter schools in Cleveland and Akron, who say the company spends too little on education, keeps too much in profit and is too secretive about it all. The governing boards of the 10 schools also claim that protections in Ohio law for charter school managers are unconstitutional and render the governing boards "virtually impotent."

The suit asks a court to:

-Void the schools' contracts with White Hat.

-Prevent White Hat from removing anything from the schools.

-Declare the state law granting White Hat Management its operating authority unconstitutional.

State Rep. Stephen Dyer, (D-Green) chairman of the primary and secondary education subcommittee, said lawmakers may need to revise Ohio's laws. He was disappointed that White Hat, which lobbied for the laws, declined to testify about them.

He estimated the company has received more than $400 million in state funds over the years.

Ohio teen Anamika Veeramani won the Scripps National Spelling Bee Friday night with the word stromuhr, an instrument for measuring the flow of viscous substances.

"I'm really, really happy. This is one of the best moments of my life," the 14-year-old said after the annual spell-off.

Anamika, of North Royalton, tied for fifth place last year. Her victory makes Ohio the state to produce the most spelling bee winners with 9.

The 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee began Thursday with 273 spellers ranging in age from 8 to 15.

Asked if she studied the winning word, Veeramani said, “Yeah; I had studied that word.” Stromuhr, is an instrument to measure the amount and speed of blood flow through an artery. Veeramani also admitted that she had made some “intelligent guesses” on words that she doesn’t know.

The spelling champion also revealed that she wants to write her own books in high school, study in Harvard and become a cardiovascular surgeon. She also gave credit to support coming from her family, teachers and schools.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With state and local budget shortfalls threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of educators in Ohio and across the country, the Obama Administration is pressing Congress to approve emergency funding to keep them on the job.

“It is crucial that we keep our teachers in the classroom,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.  “Our teachers are vital to our students’ success, our economy’s success, and our nation’s success.  We must act now to prevent teachers from being laid off and ensure that America’s students have the knowledge and skills to succeed in the 21st century.”

The economic downturn has placed massive strain on state and local budgets.  As education makes up one of the largest single items in state budgets, schools, classrooms, and teacher jobs have been targeted for significant cuts.  Such a massive loss of jobs will impact students through reductions in core class time, overcrowded classrooms, shortened school calendars, cuts to afterschool programming, fewer early childhood opportunities, and reduced access to college counselors and school nurses. 

In response, the Obama Administration is pressing Congress to approve $23 billion in emergency support to preserve education jobs across the country.  This funding will keep teachers in the classroom at all levels, including post-secondary, while helping to sustain meaningful and necessary reforms underway in public education.  The President also is urging Congress to approve $1 billion to preserve early childhood education jobs to ensure that young children do not lose services critical to their learning and well-being.

According to provisional estimates by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, this funding will support the jobs of approximately 300,000 educators, including approximately 11,370 in Ohio.

“As state lawmakers and school districts across the country are finalizing their budgets for the coming year, we must act quickly and responsibly to offer the assistance they need – to keep our teachers teaching, keep our students learning, and keep our economy growing.  Investing in education now will help tens of millions of students become more productive citizens and positively affect America’s long-term fiscal health,” Secretary Duncan said.

According to the Secretary of Education, up to 300,000 teachers could lose their jobs this summer. Without action, our kids will bear the burden of the economic crisis brought about by the failed policies of George W. Bush.

Our kids need your help. Thousands of Ohio teachers are facing layoffs, and students from all across the state could be forced into larger classes with less personal attention, fewer course choices and even cuts to instruction time.

Call 1-866-608-6355. We'll connect you to your representatives in Congress. Ask them to stand up for Ohio's students, teachers and schools and support the Keep Our Educators Working Act.

The Keep Our Educators Working Act will provide desperately needed money to Ohio school districts, save or create thousands of teaching jobs in Ohio and ensure our public schools, one of the most important factors in a sustained economic recovery, remain strong and able to provide a top-notch education for our kids.

Just last week Akron announced 84 teachers will be laid off. Toledo has considered shutting down all elementary school art, music and gym classes due to budget problems. Don't stand by and watch this happen.

Your voice can have a big impact in making sure our schools remain strong and our students have the best chance for academic success. Take two minutes and call 1-866-608-6355. Ask them to support the Keep Our Educators Working Act. Join the tens of thousands participating in this national call-in day to support our kids and their teachers.

NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY TO SPEAK UP FOR EDUCATION & KIDS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 is the start of the National Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign. It begins with a
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY
1-866-608-6355

Take Action:

• On Wednesday, May 26th, call 1-866-608-6355 to contact your representative in Congress.
• You will hear talking points and will be connected to the United States Capitol Switchboard – ask for your House Member. To find out who your House Member is, either ask the operator or click here.
• Tell your Representative to protect the future of our children by supporting funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill.
• With 300,000 education layoffs expected, our students are the ones who will suffer – in overcrowded classrooms, with less time in school, and without the teachers and school staff needed to give them individual attention and help.
• Share this call-in day information with your friends, Ask them to call Congress today and inform their friends about this crucial legislation

Today Ohio Youth Voices students from the Columbus area announced the changes for the newly revised 2010 Ohio Youth Agenda.

"We are determined to see that all candidates for state representative, senate, and governor respond to the items on our newly revised agenda," said Abigail Fabyan, one of the student leaders in revising the 2010 Ohio Youth Agenda.

"Copies of the revised Ohio Youth Agenda will be sent to the candidates running for office now that the primaries are finished. In the fall we expect to hold candidate forums in order to strategize with politicians for ways to fulfill items on our agenda. After the election takes place, Ohio Youth Voices will prioritize items and communicate with lawmakers so that our items will be included in the state's biennium budget," Fabyan continued.

During the 2008 electoral season Ohio Youth Voices held 9 Youth Agenda candidate forums across Ohio.

"When some of our students went to the Statehouse to lobby for House Bill 318, we realized that we have can impact legislation. Last fall lawmakers were debating whether or not to initiate a freeze on the income tax break we had some impact. Now we've included in the 2010 Ohio Youth Agenda an item to continue the tax freeze, and using funds from the new casinos in order to reduce class size," Fabyan added.

"Students all across the state were involved in revising the Ohio Youth Agenda," explained Michael Petrarca III. Some of the items from the 2008 Ohio Youth Agenda were added to state law including changing the Ohio Graduation Test, teaching about financial skills, and phasing in a person to help with mental and social issues. In addition, most of the students who created the 2008 Ohio Youth Agenda have now graduated so we needed these revisions.

"Ohio Youth Voices has a new group of students now involved. Students from Cleveland, East Cleveland, Federal Hocking, Columbus, Cincinnati. Lorain, Warrensville Heights, Shaker Heights, and New Lexington took the lead in making these changes."

"We added a new section about making sure elementary students achieve reading comprehension, plans for a course to prepare for the ACT Test, and many new items to improve teaching including a course in child psychology to deal with disruptive students, advocating more hands on learning and less lectures, and using up to date technology for teaching and for students," Fabyan explained.

"We also support returning the state budget line item for Early College high schools and the graduation program for ninth grade males at high schools with low graduation rates," Fabyan added.

"Once we send our 2010 Ohio Youth Agenda to all candidates we will create plans to reach out to students across the state to join with us in communicating our Ohio Youth Agenda,” Petrarca concluded.

Ohio Youth Voices is a nonprofit and non-partisan group of high school students who advocate for educational opportunity for all students through their Ohio Youth Agenda. Since 2007 thousands of Ohio high school students have participated in voter registration, school visits between urban and rural schools, statehouse rallies, person to person meetings with lawmakers and the Governor's staff, and petitions. Ohio Youth Voices is funded by the Cleveland, Gund, and Knowledge Works Foundations.

Rep. Brian G. Williams: Congress Must Pass Education Jobs Bill
Ohio could receive more than $850 million
save or create thousands of jobs

COLUMBUS - Amid published reports that one-third of David Brennan's White Hat Management Charter Schools have filed a lawsuit over the handling of Ohio Department of Education funds, ProgressOhio today called on the Ohio Inspector General and the Ohio Attorney General's office to investigate misuse of state funds.

"For a decade now, Ohio politicians have turned a blind eye toward the management of For-Profit Charter schools while news reports have indicated funds have not been flowing to the classroom," said Brian Rothenberg, Executive Director of ProgressOhio.org.

The lawsuit filed yesterday against White Hat accuses one of the GOP's leading donors, Akron's David Brennan of wielding "unchecked and unconstitutional control over its client charter schools and their funding."

The lawsuit according to published reports wants to seek a declaration that the 2006 law providing such control by White Hat is unconstitutional and says that it was approved because of the "considerable clout" of David Brennan.

"Use of state education dollars is meant for educating children in the classroom," said Rothenberg. "For some time now there has been increasing concern that taxpayer money is being siphoned out of the classroom for the benefit of politically connected for-profit Charter School owners. These accusations are serious and require the Ohio Attorney General and Inspector General to separately investigate White Hat's use of state funds."

A 2006 newspaper report by the Columbus Dispatch revealed that White Hat was making nearly $1 million for each charter school it operated. Published reports say that Ohio taxpayers spent $646 million in taxpayer money on the financing of charter schools in Ohio.

Senate Bill 210 and House Bill 373 are jointly sponsored by Senator Kearney, Senator Kevin Coughlin, Representative Lynn Watchman and Representative John Carney. The bill contains school-based initiatives that will increase physical activity, raise the bar for physical education and improve the nutritional value of foods offered during the school day.

“Childhood obesity can lead to life long problems ranging from heart disease and diabetes to depression,” Kearney cautioned. “If we don’t address these health problems at a young age it will only become more damaging and harder to treat as the child grows.”

Kearney will be joined by supporters from the Ohio Business Roundtable, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Ohio State Medical Association, Childhood Food Solutions and the Center for Closing the Health Gap.

"My goal is to get families moving. We need to think about exercise and good food choices,” Kearney noted. “Moderate physical activity can change a child’s life and give good health habits for life. It’s time we start treating obesity as the serious health problem that it is."

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement that Tennessee and Delaware were selected to receive funding during Phase I of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RttT) grant.

Statement from the Governor and Superintendent:

“Ohio put forth bold initiatives and high expectations in our Race to the Top application. While it was an honor for Ohio to be selected as one of 16 finalists for Phase I of Race to the Top, we are disappointed that we were not selected to receive funding at this time. We congratulate Tennessee and Delaware, the first round winners, on the work they are doing to advance education in their states.

“We thank the numerous individuals who helped compile our application and the dozens of groups that supported our efforts by providing input during the creation of our application. Even though we were not selected for Phase I funding, we will begin work immediately on reviewing the comments from the U.S. Department of Education and redesigning our application for Phase II of Race to the Top.

“Our students deserve our best efforts to transform education and to build on the tremendous progress that we are making in Ohio.”

In January, Ohio was one of 41 states to submit applications to the U.S. Department of Education for Phase I of RttT funding. Ohio’s application requested $409 million to implement reforms around four specific areas prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education: standards and assessments; data systems to support instruction; great teachers and leaders; and turning around the lowest-achieving schools.

With today’s announcement of states selected for Phase I funding, Ohio is now eligible to begin work on applying for Phase II RttT funding. Applications for Phase II are due to the U.S. Department of Education by June 1.

Districts and community schools that did not submit a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during Phase I of RttT will have an opportunity to do so during Phase II. Currently, the details of the Phase II MOU are being developed. As more information becomes available, all eligible school districts and community schools will be notified.

Michelle Obama has landed another magazine cover – not for fashion, but for her Let’s Move! initiative.  The First Lady wrote the cover story for next week’s Newsweek.  The March 22nd magazine cover shows the First Lady with an apple and title “Feed Your Children Well: My Fight Against Childhood Obesity.”  

Her article touches on familiar themes from her recent speeches on the topic – centering on idea that adults, not kids, need to take charge of this problem.

For years, we've known about the epidemic of childhood obesity in America. We've heard the statistics—how one third of all kids in this country are either overweight or obese. We've seen the effects on how our kids feel, and how they feel about themselves. And we know the risks to their health and to our economy—the billions of dollars we spend each year treating obesity-related conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

But we also know that it wasn't always like this. Back when many of us were growing up, we led lives that kept most of us at a pretty healthy weight. We walked to school every day, ran around at recess and gym and for hours before dinner, and ate home-cooked meals that always seemed to have a vegetable on the plate.

And let's be honest with ourselves: our kids didn't do this to themselves. Our kids don't decide what's served in the school cafeteria or whether there's time for gym class or recess. Our kids don't choose to make food products with tons of sugar and sodium in supersize portions, and then have those products marketed to them everywhere they turn. And no matter how much they beg for fast food and candy, our kids shouldn't be the ones calling the shots at dinnertime. We're in charge. We make these decisions.

That's actually the good news—that we can decide to solve this problem. That's why we started Let's Move, a nationwide campaign with a single goal: to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation, so that children born today can reach adulthood at a healthy weight.

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that on Monday, his administration will send to Congress the blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act that will overhaul No Child Left Behind. 

The plan will set the ambitious goal of ensuring that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and a career, and it will provide states, districts and schools with the flexibility and resources to reach that goal.

Watch It:

Transcript of the President's remarks below:

Today the Department of Education announced that 15 states and the District of Columbia will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition.

Race to the Top is the Department's $4.35 billion effort to dramatically re-shape America's educational system to better engage and prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace.

States competing for Race to the Top funds were asked to document past education reform successes, as well as outline plans to: extend reforms using college and career-ready standards and assessments; build a workforce of highly effective educators; create educational data systems to support student achievement; and turn around their lowest-performing schools.

The phase 1 finalists are:

• Colorado
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee

"These states are an example for the country of what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children," Secretary Arne Duncan said.

Ohio requested $409 million over four years. Only half of the state school districts opted to participate in the program, in part because the grant guidelines require policy changes.

“We’re obviously happy we’ll get an opportunity to go to Washington to make our pitch,” said Ohio Department of Education spokesman Scott Blake.

At the beginning of the school year, the President encouraged students to take responsibility for their education, study hard and graduate from high school. That’s why the President and I are proud to announce the Race to the Top High School Commencement challenge. The challenge encourages schools to show how they are making great strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness. In your application, tell us why your school is special and why it should be a model for other schools around the country.

Following the application deadline, six finalists will be selected by the White House and Department of Education. These schools will then be featured on the White House website and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the three schools they think best meet the President’s goal. The President will select a national winner from these three finalists and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010.

Watch It:

Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, March 15th at 11:59 pm EST. Learn more about the challenge at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement. You can also check out the facebook page at Facebook.com/racetothetop.

Another Big Win For Governor Strickland And Ohio's Sweeping Educational Reforms

WASHINGTON – Students from Cleveland, Ohio’s Lakewood High School will be among 120 high school students from across the country to attend and participate in a music workshop at the White House hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. 

The workshop is entitled “Music that Inspired the Movement,” and it will take place on Wednesday, February 10th from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. ET. It will be led by several performers from the 2010 White House Music Series concert “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” which will also take place on Wednesday.

As developed by the Grammy Museum, the students participating in the workshop will learn about the continuing relevance of music from the Civil Rights Movement to today’s generation and its original impact in the 1960s. This event will be streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

The administration's proposed 2011 budget released today, includes the largest funding increase in the history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a $3 billion increase to $28 billion plus an additional $1 billion if Congress agrees to some major changes in the law.

The budget also provides an additional $1.35 billion for the president's Race to the Top challenge, a federal grant program in which 40 states are competing for $4 billion in education money included in last year's stimulus bill. Obama hailed the results of this effort in his State of the Union speech.

In concert with the budget release the New York Times reported Monday the administration is seeking a sweeping overhaul of the No Child Left Behind law that will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing.

A big chunk of that boost will be an increase of $1.35 billion for Obama's signature "Race to the Top" grant program, aimed at sparking innovation in schools across the country, the officials said.

An additional $1 billion will be targeted at overhauling the No Child Left Behind Act, former President George W. Bush's signature program, which has come under criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

The budget plan will "improve outcomes for students at every point along the educational pipeline," and will include attempts to squeeze out some savings, one of the senior administration officials said.

"While the budget will reflect tough choices and the consolidation of many existing K-12 education programs, a 6.2 percent increase for the Department of Education will show a significant effort to help fund the administration's new reform efforts," the senior official said.

The aggressive increase for education could help deflect criticism from liberals over Obama's broader call for a three-year freeze in non-security discretionary spending, which would include popular domestic programs.

Though the goal is freezing non-security discretionary spending at $447 billion this year, some federal agencies might see budget increases, balanced by cuts at other agencies.

WASHINGTON- Today the President will honor educators from across the country for awards received for excellence in mathematics and science teaching and mentoring in his second “Educate to Innovate” Campaign event for excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education in the East Room of the White House.

The President will also announce key new partnerships in his campaign to help reach the Administration’s goal of moving American students to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. The event will be webcast at www.WhiteHouse.gov/live at 1:30 p.m. EST.

The audience will be comprised of more than 100 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

“The quality of math and science teachers is the most important single factor influencing whether students will succeed or fail in science, technology, engineering and math,” President Obama said. “Passionate educators with issue expertise can make all the difference, enabling hands-on learning that truly engages students—including girls and underrepresented minorities—and preparing them to tackle the grand challenges of the 21st century such as increasing energy independence, improving people’s health, protecting the environment, and strengthening national security.”

The individuals being recognized for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) from Ohio are:

• Sharon Hall, Maineville, OH

• Sally Pellegrin, Cleveland, OH

If the Ohio Senate fails to act on House Bill 318 by December 31, Ohio's constitution will require Governor Ted Strickland’s staff to begin cutting state aid to local school districts by $50 million per month, the largest education cutback in state history. Learn more and take action!

To see the impact on your local school district, please click here.   

In early October, the Governor proposed what we believe is the best solution for closing this budget gap immediately. This proposal, House Bill 318, passed the Ohio House on October 21, 2009. The bill would freeze income tax rates at 2008 levels for tax years 2009 and 2010 in order to restore $851 million in support for primary and secondary education.

On Thursday, November 19, 2009, the Senate Republicans, who do not support the House-passed version of HB 318, unveiled their plan for balancing the shortfall.  The bill includes extensive changes to education-related provisions included in House Bill 1, the operation of state government and other provisions. 

Recently, the Senate canceled several House Bill 318 hearings as a compromise between legislative leaders has yet to be reached.  On December 10, Governor Ted Strickland’s staff informed the statewide education associations that unless House Bill (HB) 318 or its equivalent is passed by December 31, 2009, public education funding in Ohio will be drastically reduced.

Ohio’s Constitution requires the Governor to balance the state budget.  In order to comply with this, Governor Strickland will be forced to direct the reduction of approximately $50 million of state foundation aid each month for the next 18 months beginning January, 2010. This reduction in state aid drops Ohio below 2006 school funding levels, resulting in the loss of federal stimulus funds.

Taken together, the reduction in state and federal aid to Ohio school districts will total $2.3 billion, or a reduction in funding for schools of nearly $95 million per month. This would amount to the largest reduction in aid to public education in Ohio’s history.

ProgressOhio implores members and friends to call, write and meet with their state senators immediately.  We must prevent the single largest cut to school funding in the history of the state.

To learn more and take action, please click here.

State Representative Jennifer Garrison (D-Marietta) and State Senator Tom Sawyer (D-Akron) today introduced legislation that will bolster Ohio schools and promote student success. The companion bills in the House and Senate position Ohio to access a share of the $4 billion “Race to the Top” fund initiated by the federal government.

“The comprehensive education reforms we passed in this year’s state budget were the first step toward world-class education in Ohio,” Rep. Garrison said. “By competing for more resources through ‘Race to the Top,’ we will open the door to even more ways we can encourage successful schools and successful students – thus positioning our students and our state for leadership in the 21st-century economy.”

“Our bill will help aid Ohio in achieving 9 of the 10 ‘Race to the Top’ requirements. The longitudinal data system in particular places Ohio in a better position for this funding, as the program has emphasized preference for states with such a data system in place,” Senator Sawyer added. “Ohio already has an A; we want to make it an A+.”

Watch It:

The “Race to the Top” grant program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The program aims to encourage and reward states that are creating conditions for education innovation and achieving significant improvement in student outcomes. Outcomes are measured by criteria such as substantial gains in student achievement, improved high school graduation rates, and better student preparation for success in college and careers.

Ohio Legislation Aims to Curb Unwanted Teen Pregnancies

COLUMBUS, Ohio - While new legislation at the Ohio Statehouse is intended to prevent teenage pregnancies, some say it will benefit the state's children as well. The "Ohio Prevention First Act" requires that insurance companies cover prescription birth control if they cover other prescriptions. It would also improve women's access to emergency contraception and ensure that students receive comprehensive, accurate sex education.

Crystal Ward Allen is executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio. In her experience in the field of child welfare, she sees a cycle of correlations between unintended pregnancies, unprepared parents, and greater obstacles for children.

"About one-third of all the child welfare cases had children born to teens. Children born to teens are more likely to be reported to the child abuse system. Those kids are more likely to end up in foster care; and foster youth are more likely to be teen parents."

Ward Allen thinks the legislation would help to break that cycle by preventing unintended pregnancies. She also believes teens should hear a clear and coordinated message about sex from adults, whether it's their parents, mentors, teachers, coaches or faith based-institutions. The reality, she says, is that some kids are having sex, which makes it essential to teach them about how to develop healthy relationships and protect their bodies.

Full Article

Ohio was recently ranked 48th in the nation for accessibility to reproductive health services by the Coalition for Family Health. Opponents of the legislation claim it will drive up the cost of health insurance and force some pharmacists to provide emergency contraception despite their personal moral or religious objections.

See Also: 

COALITION FOR FAMILY HEALTH ENDORSES INTRODUCTION OF OHIO PREVENTION FIRST ACT

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Supports Re-introduction of Ohio Prevention First Act

You remember the lunch ladies, don't you?

Today, these women and men are called school food service workers, and with more children in poverty than ever before, they serve as the advocates for better and more nutritious school meals.

But in a few weeks, a piece of legislation called the Child Nutrition Act, which funds our school meals, is set to expire.

Now is the time to get the word out. Today, SEIU is releasing a new video that explains the Child Nutrition Act and why it's important - in a retro style that you might remember from your own days at school.

Watch It:

Even though the Act was first passed in 1946, many of the same problems still remain today.

• Many school food service workers still don't have sick days, even as schools begin to prepare for the swine flu.

• There aren't enough fresh and local foods for school food service workers to prepare a nutritious school lunch with. Canned foods remain the norm.

• Due to inadequate access and eligibility, many children aren't ready to learn in the morning or afternoon...because they simply haven't eaten.

With the Child Nutrition Act expiring so soon, we need everyone - parents, teachers, educators, and nutrition advocates - to get behind a new, improved Child Nutrition Act.

Watch the video, and then sign the letter to Congress:

http://action.seiu.org/lunchladies

Speaking at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., President Barack Obama tells students about his schooling while urging them to work hard and commit to their education.

Watch It:

The Dublin School District here in central Ohio has deigned to allow kids to watch tomorrow's speech IF they bring a permission slip from their parents, allowing them to leave the classroom and watch the telecast in a designated area!  

Here's a copy of the "permission slip" I have written:

"Despite the warnings of right-wing radio hosts, and fully cognizant that my daughter risks learning a lesson in civics, I, nonetheless, grant her permission to watch a televised address by the duly-elected leader of these United States, President Barack Obama, on the controversial subject of the importance of school."

HT: Daily Kos

Watch The President's Talk To Students Live Here at 12 noon

This Live Event has concluded.

We will post the video of the President's Talk To Students as soon as it is available.

ProgressOhio will carry the speech live

Full Text Of The President's Speech Below:

With each passing week, it becomes more apparent that the conservative media will take anything Obama does and twist it beyond comprehension.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to school principals last week describing Obama's speech as being about "the importance of education" and "persisting and succeeding in school." Duncan also offered "classroom activities" to "engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education."

How absolutely communisty of Obama! How dare he subject our children to such indoctrination. If our kids take his advice, they might, they might end up in college, and we all know how liberal our colleges and universities make our once-wholesome boys and girls.

The Right's Insane Reaction To Obama's Speech To Students

It's that time of the year again. Parents are busy preparing their children for the first day of school while children are busy holding on to every minute left in their precious summer vacation. But, out in the distance, an ominous threat is looming. That threat has a name ... gulp ... and it is ... whimper ... President Barack Hussein Obama.

Following news this week that Obama will speak directly to students next week in a special "back to school" address, media conservatives went absolutely apoplectic, calling Obama's forthcoming speech "indoctrination," as Fox News' Glenn Beck put it.

Beck's comments were only the tip of the iceberg in right-wing outrage. Others compared it to "brainwashing," communist China, and the Hitler Youth. Some (yes, Beck was of course among them) went as far as encouraging parents to keep their children home from school on the day of Obama's speech. Filling in for Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn said the president's speech was part of a "cult of personality" though not on the scale of Kim Jong Il or Saddam Hussein. Steyn also claimed that Obama's speech was based on the view that education exists to make kids "good subjects" of big government. Over on Lou Dobbs' radio program, guest host Chris Stigall pulled back the curtain on this smear ever so slightly when he said that he "didn't say the message was bad," just that he didn't want Obama to talk to his kid alone. Then there was Michael Savage, the third most listened to radio host in America, who put it this way: "Hitler had the Hitler Youth, and Obama would like to have the Obama Youth."

Of course, Fox News was hyping the outrage. On The Live Desk, Fox commentator Andrea Tantaros flexed her intellectual heft, saying of the president's speech: "They do this type of thing in North Korea and the former Soviet Union ... very cultish." Fox & Friends hosted a parent who plans to "keep kids home" from Obama's "indoctrination" speech, while the network's right-wing website TheFoxNation.com asked visitors "Will You Keep Your Kids Home the Day Obama Speaks to Schools?" I'm actually surprised the options for answers weren't "yes" and "absolutely."

Read More at Media Matters

See Also:

Wingnuts Say Obama Address To School Children Is Secret Plan To Recruit His "Hitler Youth Brigade"

Local School Gives In To WingNut Demands: Won't Allow Children Hear President's Positive Message

President Barack will deliver an address to students September 8 at 11 a.m. central time. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the President will challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning. You can find associated classroom activities at www.ed.gov. Here’s some more information on the event:

From Education Secretary Arne Duncan (click to read his full letter):

 “This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

So the Oresident will address our nation's school children "to challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning". 

The wingnuts say it's all a secret plan to recruit his "Hitler Youth Brigade".

Parents across the country are rebelling against plans by President Barack Obama to speak directly to their children through the classrooms of the nation's public schools without their presence, participation and approval.

The plans announced by Obama also have been cited as raising the specter of the Civilian National Security Force, to which he's referred several times since his election campaign began, but never fully explained.

"He's recruiting his civilian army. His 'Hitler' youth brigade," wrote one participant in a forum at Free Republic.

"I am not going to compare President Obama to Hitler. We'll leave that to others and you can form your own opinions about them and their analogies. … However, we can learn a lot from the spread of propaganda in Europe that led to Hitler's power. A key ingredient in that spread of propaganda was through the youth," wrote a blogger at the AmericanElephant.com blog, where the subject of the day was a national "Keep-Your-Child-at-Home-Day."

"Totalitarian regimes around the world have sought to spread their propaganda and entrench their power by brainwashing the children. I guess it's easier to indoctrinate a six-year-old instead of fighting a 26-year-old or being challenged by a 46-year-old in the voting booth," the blogger wrote.

See also:

Michele Malkin: Obama’s classroom campaign: No junior lobbyist left behind

Florida GOP: Keep Obama Out of Our Schools And Away From Our Kids!

State Fiscal Stabilization Funds:

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program is a new one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). These funds are distributed directly to states to:

·         Help stabilize state and local government budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in education and other essential public services.

·         Help ensure that local educational agencies (LEAs) and public institutions of higher education (IHEs) have the resources to avert cuts and retain educational personnel and staff.

·         Help support the modernization, renovation, and repair of school and college facilities.

·         Help advance early learning through post-secondary education reforms to benefit students and families.

As of today, $1,306,352,195 in State Fiscal Stabilization funds have been awarded to Ohio.

Title I, Part A– Supporting Low-Income Schools:

The ARRA provides $10 billion in additional Title I, Part A funds to state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) to support schools that have high concentrations of students from families that live in poverty in order to help improve teaching and learning for students most at risk of failing to meet state academic achievement standards.

As of today, $186,336,747 in Title I funds have been awarded to Ohio.

IDEA Grants, Parts B & C – Improving Special Education Programs:

The ARRA provides $12.2 billion in additional funding for Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Part B of the IDEA provides funds to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to help them ensure that children with disabilities, including children ages 3 through 5, have access to a free appropriate public education to meet each child's unique needs and prepare him or her for further education, employment, and independent living. Part C of the IDEA provides funds to each state lead agency designated by the Governor to implement statewide systems of coordinated, comprehensive, multidisciplinary interagency programs and make early intervention services available to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

As of today, $232,752,510 in IDEA funds have been awarded to Ohio.

Education Technology Grants:

The ARRA provides $650 million in additional funding for Education Technology Grants.  The primary goal of the Education Technology Grants program is to improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in schools. It is also designed to help ensure that every student is technologically literate by the end of eighth grade and to encourage the effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development.

As of today, $23,863,457 in Education Technology Grants have been awarded to Ohio.

Vocational Rehabilitation Funds:

The ARRA provides $540 million in additional funding for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants program. The VR State Grants program provides grants to states to help individuals with disabilities, especially those individuals with the most significant disabilities, prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment.

As of today, $10,794,901 in Vocational Rehabilitation Funds have been awarded to Ohio.

Independent Living Services Fund:

The ARRA provides $140 million in additional funding for the Independent Living (IL) programs. The IL programs support services to individuals with significant disabilities and older individuals who are blind to maximize their leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity, and to promote the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society.

As of today, $1,902,128 in Independent Living Services Funds have been awarded to Ohio.
 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Funds:

The ARRA provides $70 million under the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) in addressing the educational and related needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our society – homeless children and youth – during a time of economic crisis in the United States.

As of today, $1,913,813 in McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance funds have been awarded to Ohio.

Pell Grant Funds:

The ARRA provides $17.1 billion in additional funds for students across the country in need of Pell Grants. The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post-baccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Students may use their grants at any one of approximately 5,400 participating postsecondary institutions. The additional funding allowed the Department of Education to raise the maximum Pell award from $4,731 to $5,350.  

Pell Grants are awarded based on student applications, not by state. 

As of today, $284,731,536 in Pell Grants have been awarded to students attending schools in Ohio.

Work Study Funds:

The ARRA provides an additional $200 million to the Work-Study program, providing colleges and universities with additional funding to provide jobs to students to help with their college and living expenses.

Work Study funds are distributed to qualifying schools which select students based on financial need.

As of today, $7,967,829 in Work Study funds have been awarded to students attending schools in Ohio.

Real Results in Ohio:

Cincinnati has already used stimulus funds to create a more comprehensive program for struggling schools this summer.  In the mornings, teachers targeted reading and math lessons to students' individual needs and in the afternoons, community partners offered field trips, science projects, and other activities that gave kids more incentives to participate.  "Fifth Quarter" drew about 2,000 K-7 students -- up significantly from traditional summer school participation. 

Before his 11th birthday Damon Weaver had interviewed Oprah Winfrey, sat down with Colin Powell and made Joe Biden his “homeboy”.

But this week the student reporter from South Florida finally scored the big one: ten minutes of face time with President Obama.

Damon showed no last-minute nerves as Mr Obama greeted him with a casual: “You look good, man, in your suit.” Clutching his notes, he questioned the President on cuts in education spending, the role parents should play in their children’s learning and whether Mr Obama has ever been bullied.

Damon became an online sensation when his interviews for the in-house TV station at his Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary School went viral during the election. He even received the offer of a full scholarship to Georgia’s Albany State University, which he plans to take up once he is old enough to have entered and graduated from high school. 

At the end of his interview, Damon announced "President Obama is now my homeboy too."

Watch Damon's interview with The President:

Obama Administration Starts $4.35 Billion "Race to the Top" Competition,
Pledges a Total of $10 Billion for Reforms

President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that states leading the way on school reform will be eligible to compete for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top competitive grants to support education reform and innovation in classrooms. Between the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more than $10 billion in grant money will be available to states and districts that are driving reform.

"This competition will not be based on politics, ideology, or the preferences of a particular interest group. Instead, it will be based on a simple principle – whether a state is ready to do what works. We will use the best data available to determine whether a state can meet a few key benchmarks for reform – and states that outperform the rest will be rewarded with a grant. Not every state will win and not every school district will be happy with the results. But America’s children, America’s economy, and America itself will be better for it," President Obama said in a speech at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington.

The centerpiece of the Obama administration’s education reform efforts is the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund, a national competition which will highlight and replicate effective education reform strategies in four significant areas:

• Adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals;
• Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices; and
• Turning around our lowest-performing schools.

"The $4.35 billion Race to the Top program that we are unveiling today is a challenge to states and districts. We’re looking to drive reform, reward excellence and dramatically improve our nation’s schools," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said at the event. In addition to the Race to the Top Fund, over the coming months the Department plans to award more than $5.6 billion in additional grants through several other federal programs that support the Administration’s reform priorities, making available dollars that have been allocated by Congress under the FY 2009 budget and the ARRA. The Department of Education will be publishing draft regulations on each of the programs in coming weeks. In releasing the documents, Secretary Duncan is calling on state officials to intentionally prepare to use money from all of these programs in an integrated way to advance these essential areas of reforms.

The additional programs include the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund. Like Race to the Top, the Investing in Innovation Fund is part of the ARRA. It will support local efforts by school districts and partnerships with nonprofits to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for students.

With $297 million in the Teacher Incentive Fund, states and districts will create or expand effective performance pay and teacher advancement models to reward teachers and principals for increases in student achievement and boost the number of effective educators working with poor, minority, and disadvantaged students and teaching hard-to-staff subjects.

With $315 million from the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program, states will expand their data systems to track students’ achievement from preschool through college and link their achievement to teachers and principals. Applications for these funds are being posted today.

With $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement Grants, the Department will support states in efforts to reform struggling schools, and focus on implementing turnaround models in the lowest-performing schools. Secretary Duncan has set a goal of turning around the bottom 5 percent of schools in the next five years. In addition, $919 million in State Educational Technology Grants to help bring technology into the classroom will be made available. These funds are distributed to states by formula but states must deliver at least half of the money to districts on a competitive basis. States can make all of the money competitive.

Within Race to the Top, $350 million has also been set aside to help fund common assessments for states that adopt common international standards. Draft guidelines and criteria for the Race to the Top competition as well as the second round of grants from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund are being published today.

An application for the state data system grants also is being published today. In the coming weeks, the Department will release guidance on the Investing in Innovation Fund, the Teacher Incentive Fund, the Title I School Improvement Grants, and the State Educational Technology Grants.

The Department will finalize the regulations and start accepting applications for the Race to the Top competition this fall. The first round of grants will go out early next year. The second round of applications will likely be due in June 2010 and final awards will be made in September.

"States will have two chances to win," Duncan said. "They have plenty of time to learn from the first-round winners, change laws where necessary, build partnerships with all key stakeholders, and advance bold and creative reforms."

Watch It:

The future of Ohio's economy depends on the future of our schools and the future of our schools will be decided in the next two weeks, when Ohio passes its budget.

Governor Strickland is working with both parties to lay the groundwork for Ohio's long term economic growth.

He needs your help to pass his education plan.

Governor Strickland's education plan will give students the modernized skills they need to succeed in the jobs that will be available in the near future. By better preparing our students, the state will become more competitive when employers decide where to locate.

Three senators believe that our current system - which hasn't changed since the 1930's - is preparing Ohio's students for the jobs that will be available when they graduate. We need to modernize our education if we want to compete with other states in job creation.

Governor Strickland needs your help.

Please email these three senators and tell them that you support Governor Strickland's education plan to strengthen Ohio's schools and strengthen Ohio's economy.



Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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Lost in the talk about Ohio's schools are two facts:

1. Ohio's education system hasn't changed much in the past 75 years.
2. Our economy depends on the quality of our education system.

Governor Ted Strickland has a plan to reform our schools and lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth.

But we must act now.

Visit EducationForJobCreation.com.

Find out about Governor Strickland's plan and how you can help ensure a quality education for Ohio's children.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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On Thursday, June 11, an estimated 200 students, parents, teachers and other early learning advocates will attend a news conference urging the members of the Ohio General Assembly to restore funding to the Ohio Early Learning Initiative (ELI) as the conference committee begins to negotiate details of the states’ biennial budget. The event will take place at 11:00 a.m. on the steps of the south entrance of the Ohio Statehouse. 

The first five years of life are critical to a child’s development. Research shows when children are placed in a setting where they can receive those early education experiences they set on a path for future achievement. Otherwise they'll be left behind.

In 2006 the Ohio Early Learning Initiative (ELI) was established to provide full-day, full-year child care services and quality early childhood education experiences to low-income families. Unfortunately ELI and other public preschool programs for those at-risk children would be drastically reduced under the budget voted out of the House of Representatives. Join this group and urge the members of the Ohio Senate to restore funding to ELI - so that more children start school ready to learn and succeed.

The Dispatch reported today that Education Voters of Ohio, a group that backs Governor Ted Strickland’s  evidence-based school funding plan, has asked Republican Senator Jon Husted to provide evidence supporting the Senate Republicans’ alternative plan.

Last week, Republicans in the Ohio Senate scrapped the Governor’s evidence-based model, instead proposing a “per-pupil” funding plan that is very similar to Ohio’s current education funding system.

The proposal is included House Bill 1, the two-year state budget.

In a June 1 letter to Husted, Julian Rogers, Education Voters of Ohio’s executive director, requested “all the research the Senate used to develop the school funding plan in its version of House Bill 1."

"For example, what evidence suggests that a .25 per cent increase and .5 per cent increase in 2010-1011 will improve student success," he wrote.
"I would like a list of citations that suggest per-pupil funding does a better job than the evidence-based model in determining what an excellent education looks like," he added.

Governor Strickland introduced his evidence-based education proposal earlier this year. In response, Ohio House Republican Seth Morgan requested documentation. Strickland provided over 20,000 pages of documents, with references to dozens of reports. The governor’s plan came from those studies and from ideas offered by education groups and stakeholders over the previous 18 months.

Today, Education Voters of Ohio submitted a public records request to Senator Jon Husted asking for the evidence that the Senate used to craft the senate education plan.  The request follows comments published in the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, where Senator Husted is quoted as saying, “From our view of the research, evidence suggests that when the money follows the child, you have a more accountable system.”  The Senate plan rejects the Governor’s proposed evidenced based approach and instead substitutes with the per-pupil approach to school funding.

“As an organization committed to including the public in the debate over school funding and education reform, we are making a formal request for all the research the Senate used to develop the school funding plan in its version of HB 1,” wrote Julian Rogers, Education Voters of Ohio’s executive director.  The letter went on to say, “We would like to share this information with concerned citizens throughout the state so that they can be more informed advocates for public education within their respective communities.”

“We are at an important crossroads in Ohio’s history, where we have an opportunity to totally overhaul a school funding system that has been ruled by the Ohio Supreme Court on four occasions to be unconstitutional. The plan put forward by the Senate appears to be a continuation of an unconstitutional system to fund schools.  I am not clear how the Senate’s plan to simply increase funding to schools by .25% in 2009-2010 and .5% in 2010-2011 will improve student success.  If the Senate has research that shows that their plan will more likely lead to higher rates of student academic achievement, then we would like to see that research so that we can encourage a broader debate among the citizens of this state”, says Rogers.

Governor Strickland and the Ohio House have put forth much effort to include input from all citizens and in explaining their justification for supporting the evidenced based model. With over 50 hours of hearings in the House, over 300 witnesses testifying, 11 listening tours around the state from the Governor and thousands of pages of research that support an evidenced based model, this is not the time to move backwards.  The Senate should move quickly to make their research available to the public.

Education Voters of Ohio is a 501(c)4 organization that advocates for specific state policies that will have a positive impact on public education and engages in activities that inform the general public on how they can best serve as advocates for their local schools.

Cleveland (May 22, 2009) – Education Voters Institute of Ohio today expressed its support for the public education reforms outlined    in Substitute House Bill 1 – the biennial budget and Governor Ted Strickland’s education reform package.  The endorsement comes on the heels of the conclusion of a year-long, 17-city Listening Tour, where Education Voters held forums to raise awareness and seek input from citizens from all parts of the state on the Governor’s education reform plan as originally introduced.  Observations from the Listening Tour suggest that when the components of the education reform plan are clearly explained, citizens express approval of the plan and are encouraged that Ohio is looking to take bold steps to improve its public schools.

“As with any plan that calls for drastic changes in the status quo, you are not going to see one hundred percent support, but the vast majority of the participants in our Listening Tour across the state said that this plan represents a huge step forward in the right direction,” said Julian Rogers, executive director of Education Voters of Ohio.  Rogers went on to say, “This plan represents an opportunity to transform our system of public schools, so that all children, regardless of their zip code, are provided with a high quality education that is fairly funded.”

Education Voters believes that public education is the keystone to our democracy, economy, and social cohesion. Ohio’s economic competitiveness is linked to a pre-kindergarten to college public education system that prepares every child to be a creative, analytic and critical thinker.  The education reform plan outlined in Sub. HB1 supports this belief and advances many of Education Voters’ expressed goals to help Ohio:

·        Develop a pre-kindergarten to college system that maximizes the potential of every child to succeed in the workforce and be prepared for active citizenship;

• Develop resources to meet state standards by implementing a state school funding formula that is equitable, sustainable, and sufficient to ensure a quality 21st-century education for all children;
• Create universal access to pre-kindergarten and early childhood education so all children enter school prepared to learn;
• Establish a  K-12 public school system that is student-focused and promotes positive one on one relationships between parents, students, and teachers;
• Establish state-wide meaningful assessments that effectively evaluate the skills needed for college and 21st-century jobs, evaluate teacher effectiveness, guide instructional practices, and monitor student progress in meeting or exceeding state standards;
• Provide teacher professional development that provides the support, mentoring and career ladders to recruit, train, retain, and support excellent teachers;
• Structure leadership development that provides the support and mentoring to give school leaders the autonomy and responsibility to run excellent schools; and
• Secure adequate funding and access to affordable high quality post-secondary education.

“This legislation is now being debated in the Ohio Senate, and Education Voters of Ohio encourages the Senators and the citizens of Ohio to support the education reforms of the bill.  We applaud the hard work and dedication shown by Governor Strickland and the members of the Ohio House in their development of a visionary education reform plan that will set the stage for student success and Ohio’s economic prosperity,” said Rogers.

 Education Voters Institute of Ohio, an affiliate of Education Voters Institute in Washington, D.C. (with additional offices in New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania) uses innovative civic participation strategies to build public support and public demand for education policies that promote universal access to high quality education.  Education Voters envisions a nation in which every child has equitable opportunity for high quality education, and in which Americans call upon their local, state, and federal officials to support that vision.

Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) concluded her third annual ‘Bike to the Capitol’ tour on May 17, 2009.  Mayor Michael Coleman, Franklin County Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy and 24 other riders joined Senator Fedor as she wrapped up the 160-mile trip.

The Bike to the Capitol reinforced the need for bicycle-friendly communities and safer roads for those who use bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation.  Accordingly, she will introduce legislation calling for a 3-foot clearance between cars and bicycles.  “This bill will make Ohio more bicycle-friendly and promote a healthier lifestyle for Ohioans,” said Senator Fedor.

The tour took Senator Fedor from Toledo to Columbus over a 3-day period on a “Campaign for Healthy Kids and Communities” geared toward raising awareness about quality physical and health education standards in schools; alternative means of transportation; and bicycle-friendly communities.

With the intention of encouraging Ohioans to be more physically active and use alternative transportation, Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) kicked off her third annual 'Bike to the Capitol' tour  from Glendale-Feilbach Elementary School in South Toledo this morning at 9:30 a.m.

She will descend on her 155 mile expedition to Columbus, making several stops along the way in Bowling Green, Findlay, Upper Sandusky, and Marion.  She will arrive at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday, May 17 at approximately 3:30 p.m.  Senator Mark Wagoner (R-Ottawa Hills) will join Senator Fedor for portions of her trip as she continues her "Campaign for Healthy Kids and Communities."

Senator Fedor will listen to elected officials, citizens and interested parties as she advocates for the importance of physical education and health standards in our public education system.  She will also focus on alternative means of transportations and bicycle-friendly community initiatives.

"It is time for Ohio to improve the health and well-being of all our citizens. Ohioans, especially children, are facing many preventable health challenges because of inactivity.  Families that eat healthy and stay physically active live longer lives.  It is critical that we take action aimed at combating chronic diseases to positively impact our future.  Working together, Ohioans can make a difference to promote healthy living," said Senator Fedor.

"In an effort to develop healthy lifestyles for 1.8 million school children, our schools can model healthy eating and provide effective physical education programs.  I believe a world-class education system is attainable by harmonizing academic subjects with quality health and physical education standards.  On Friday, I will begin my ride from Toledo to Columbus to advocate for these causes and help drive conversations about the academic benefits of a quality comprehensive education as well as bicycle-friendly initiatives.  Please join me in moving forward toward a better, healthier future for Ohio."

To view Senator Fedor's route go to
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/bike-to-the-capitol-09.  

Please contact Senator Fedor's office at senatorfedor@maild.sen.state.oh.us or (614)466.5204.  Senator Fedor reserves the right to alter or pass over portions of her route due to inclement weather of safety concerns.

A poll released this week found that an overwhelming 88% of Ohioans think Ohio’s education spending should be more equitable.

Governor Ted Strickland’s plan will make our state’s unconstitutional school funding system more equitable for all of Ohio’s children. His plan addresses more than just funding – it is aimed at updating our entire education system for the 21st century.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. ProgressOhio met with Gov. Strickland this afternoon before his school reform rally with the Secretary of Education and he shared in his own words what Ohioans really need to know about education reform.

Watch it now.

For all the details and to RSVP, click here.

Thousands of people will be on hand for this rally.

Let us know that you'll be there too.

Join us in welcoming the new Secretary of Education and a new day for Ohio's schools.

Meet US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Governor Ted Strickland this Friday at a rally for education reform in Ohio.  

The event will take place on OSU campus at 11:45 AM on Friday May 8th.

For all the details and to RSVP, click here.

Thousands of people will be on hand for this rally.

Let us know that you'll be there too.

Join us in welcoming the new Secretary of Education and a new day for Ohio's schools.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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A former New York Police Department captain who worked his way up the ranks to captain while studying to get a university degree was named national teacher of the year on Tuesday at the White House.

In a ceremony in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama feted teachers across the nation, including his sister Maya Soetero-Ng and Second Lady Jill Biden, and presented the 2009 National Teacher award to Anthony Mullen, who teaches special education to ninth and twelfth graders at the ARCH School in Greenwich, Connecticut.

"During his time on the force, Tony saw a lot of young people who'd gotten themselves in trouble, and he knew he wanted to give kids like that a second chance," Obama said. "In his spare time, Tony mentors fellow teachers, he leads a program to provide academic support to students who've been expelled -- and he's the volunteer commissioner for a youth baseball league... giving so many young people the self-confidence and teamwork skills they need to succeed."

"Every single day in classrooms all across America, you are making a difference. You don't always get the recognition that you deserve," he added, speaking to the other teachers present for the ceremony. "In a global economy where the greatest job qualification isn't what you can do but what you know, our teachers are the key to our nation's success; to whether America will lead the world in the discoveries and the innovations and economic prosperity."

Mullen, who begins his work as full-time spokesman for education on June 1, thanked the President and said his and his fellow teachers' lives "will be forever changed for the better" because of the visit at the White House.

Watch It:

State Senator Nina Turner held a town hall meeting on education Thursday in Euclid. 

Senator Turner and Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents Eric Fingerhut spoke on the importance of post- secondary education in giving Ohioans the skills needed to compete in today's job market.

Senator Turner pointed out that this is a critical issue for workers who have been laid off and want to pursue another type of work. "Business people are looking for a highly educated workforce," she said. "This is how Ohio is going to keep its competitive edge, and this is how our nation will keep its competitive edge.... It is in all of our best interest to rear students who will be assets to their communities and not liabilities."

State Senator Nina Turner held an education town hall meeting in Euclid, Ohio called "Higher Education Today, Better Jobs Tomorrow". She was joined by Chancellor Eric Fingerhut of the Ohio Board of Regents.

Next Tuesday, two of the state's leading advocates for equity and quality in Ohio's public schools will officially announce their merger.

We would like to invite you, on behalf of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign and the Education Voters Institute of Ohio, to attend an informal reception to celebrate this announcement.

The event will take place Tuesday evening in Columbus at the Hyatt on Capital Square.

To find out all the details and RSVP, click here.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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@progressohio - Your Invited! Ed Voters Merger Reception this Tuesday in Columbus

I would like to extend an invitation to you to join me, State Superintendent Deborah Delisle, and Governor Strickland's chief education advisor John Stanford to discuss Ohio education reform as it is being debated in the 128th General Assembly.  This town hall meeting will be held at the following location:

Cleveland State University
Cole Center
3100 Chester Avenue
Monday, March 30th, 2009
5:30--7:30 PM
(Parking is available in the CSU lot off East 30th between Chester and Euclid.)

This meeting will address Governor Strickland's proposed 21st Century Evidence-Based School Reform model.  Several of his proposed education changes include the creation of a teacher residency program, replacement of the Ohio Graduation Test with the ACT Plus, and the creation of conversion levies to help stabilize school funding.  Also up for discussion will be Governor Strickland's proposal to use the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as the sole participant in the Early Adopter Initiative.  Through this program, the district will institute multiple administrative changes and, for that reason, will receive full funding according to the new model. 

Because these reforms are packaged in the biennial operating budget, it will move through the Senate Committee on Finance and Financial Institutions, of which I am a member.  It is necessary to hold this meeting so that I may effectively advocate on behalf of the residents of Senate District 21.  So, at this meeting I will provide the opportunity to teachers, principals, parents, students, and all concerned citizens to hear from Superintendent Delisle and Mr. Stanford and to ask questions and make recommendations regarding proposed reforms.

This event is open to all, but I ask that you RSVP to this meeting by calling my office at (614) 466-4857 by Wednesday, March 25th.  Because of the importance of this issue, I strongly encourage you to let friends, family, and colleagues know about this event if they are interested in the topic.  Let me thank you in advance for your consideration of and participation in this meeting.

Sincerely,

Shirley A. Smith
State Senator, 21st District

Expanded, Inclusive Education Voters Institute of Ohio Signals New Strength for Proponents of School Funding Equity

CLEVELAND (March 20, 2009)—Two of the state’s leading voices in the call for equity and quality in Ohio’s public schools have announced their merger. 

Education Voters Institute (EVI) of Ohio, headquartered in Cleveland and Ohio Fair Schools Campaign (OFSC), recent partners in the presentation of a successful, statewide listening tour that invited participants in twelve cities to share their ideas of how best to reform the state’s public schools and the method by which they are funded, have joined forces at a time that many see as a decisive juncture for public education in Ohio and across the nation.      The merged nonprofits will retain the Education Voters name.  In joining, they aim to widen their collective reach and increase their effectiveness in tackling issues that have long impeded reform in a state where the Supreme Court has repeatedly found the school funding system to be unconstitutional.  Julian Rogers, the executive director of Education Voters Institute of Ohio will continue to direct the new, larger organization.   

Speaking of the merger and its significance, Rogers acknowledged that while similar in mission and vision, the EVI and OFSC each bring unique, complementary identities to their union.  “Through the experience of last summer’s listening tour, I believe both organizations gained important respect for one another and for the seriousness with which each approaches questions that are at their core about fairness for kids.  OFSC’s diverse network of advocates across the state brings a vital, new dimension to EVI.  And I am excited about what our sustained partnership can and will accomplish for Ohio’s public schools in the critical months ahead.”

Representative Debbie Phillips, the founding executive director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign who was elected to the Ohio House in November 2008 echoed Rogers’ enthusiasm and his confidence in the merger’s potential. “I remain wholly committed to working with individuals and groups across Ohio to fix Ohio’s school funding system. This is a very exciting time to be engaged in this work, as the legislature partners with Governor Strickland to enact bold reforms that will ensure that every Ohio child has the resources they need to be successful in the 21st century. I am encouraged that the ‘new,’ Education Voters Institute will help citizens have an even stronger voice to make the needed changes and create a constitutional school funding system in Ohio.” 

Education Voters Institute of Ohio, an affiliate of Education Voters Institute in Washington, D.C. (with additional offices in New York and Philadelphia) uses innovative civic participation strategies to build public support and public demand for education policies that promote universal access to high quality education.  EVI envisions a nation in which every child has equitable opportunity for high quality education, and in which Americans call upon their local, state, and federal officials to support that vision.

Formed in Athens in 2002, the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, a coalition of community organizations; non-profits; faith networks; local congregations; parent organizations; and concerned citizens from rural, urban and suburban areas identified its mission  as organizing and advocating for high quality public education opportunities for all Ohio children wherever they live, whatever their race, and whatever their family background.

Toward the end of the event, the president said he wanted a question from a young person. A well-dressed third grader answered the call:

Watch It:

During President Obama's address to Congress last month, he pointed to Ty'Sheoma Bethea, a young girl in South Carolina whose school is falling apart. Bethea, who sat next to the First Lady, had written a letter to Congress.

"Bethea has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, 'We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.'"

The good news is, the economic recovery package included money for schools. The bad news is, Mark Sanford is Ty'Sheoma Bethea's governor, and he wants to turn down $700 million in federal stimulus funds -- money that would go towards education in South Carolina.

Watch It:

COLUMBUS (February 18, 2009)—Education Voters Institute (Cleveland, Ohio) and The Forum for Education and Democracy (Amesville, Ohio) today released a forty-one page report on Ohio’s charter schools one decade since their introduction into the state’s educational landscape. 

Reclaiming the Education Charter: Ohio’s Experiment with Charter Schooling explores: 

• The public policy roots of the rapid proliferation of charters in Ohio and the state’s emergence as one where charter school quantity takes priority over quality;
• Ohio charter schools’ records of academic achievement and evidence of accountability; and
• How the state’s charter schools impact—financially, academically, and even more broadly—the traditional public schools alongside which they operate.

And while the report includes profiles of two Ohio charter schools that author Leigh Dingerson lauds as “keeping the promise” of chartering’s original focus on innovation and community ownership, overall, it paints an distinctly dim picture of a system that supporters had claimed would yield improved educational opportunities for financially disadvantaged students and a model for public school reform. 

Now sanctioned in forty states and the District of Columbia, charter schools—also known in Ohio as “community schools”—currently number 4,000 nationwide.  Introduced in Ohio with a Toledo pilot program in 1997, enrollment in the state’s charter schools has grown rapidly.  More than 82,000 students were enrolled in 332 charter schools during the 2007-2008 school year.  Sadly, however, the educational innovations that Ohio’s charter law promised were undermined by a public policy that Ms. Dingerson characterizes as “notable—not for its focus on educational reform, but for its dedication to the principle of competition in a deregulated sector.”  In fact, the report finds that “of all the publicly-funded schools in the state, it is the for-profit charter sector that shows the worst performance record.”  This is all the more troubling when one considers that during the 2007-2008 academic year, schools managed by fourteen private, for-profit organizations enrolled more than half of the state’s charter school students and received in excess of $274 million in public funds.

Ms. Dingerson, the former Education Team Leader at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Community Change offers solid evidence that Ohio’s experiment with charter schooling has served the interests of the few, largely failed to serve the frustrated parents and students who opted to try them out, and in the process, has weakened—not enhanced—the state’s traditional public education system.  Among the troubling findings the study reports:

•  In the 2007-2008 school year, 57 percent of the state’s charter schools were identified by the Ohio Department of Education as “Academic Emergency” or “Academic Watch” schools.  Together, these schools enrolled more than 60 percent of the state’s charter population.
• In Ohio’s eight largest urban districts (known collectively as “The Big 8”), 45 percent of charter school students were in schools identified as “Academic Emergency” compared to 22 percent of these districts’ non-charter public school students.
• While “The Big 8” undeniably bear a disproportionate share of the chartering’s negative consequences, charter schools currently divert state funds from 98 percent of all Ohio districts, with more than 40 districts each losing in excess of $1 million annually to charters.

The study’s release comes only weeks after Governor Ted Strickland outlined his own much-anticipated strategies to bring greater accountability to Ohio’s public schools and greater equity to the method by which they are funded.  The Governor’s proposals reveal his particular concerns with the effectiveness of the state’s charter schools, and specifically those managed by for-profit companies. 

House Resolution 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed the House today 244 to 188, with 11 Democrats and 177 Republicans voting against it.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced Thursday that he will host six regional forums across the state in November and December focusing on school funding.

The forums will be an opportunity to garner feedback on Ohio’s school funding system before the governor introduces his education reform and school funding proposal in 2009.

“Nothing is more important to Ohio’s long-term success than improving education,” Strickland said. “The future of our economy depends on our ability to make sure all Ohio children have the quality education opportunities they need to build their careers right here in Ohio.”

Most regional forums will also air live on local PBS stations. Stations without a live broadcast will tape and air their local forums following the event. Feeds of the forums will be provided to media outlets by Ohio Government Television.

Educators, business leaders, parents and students, among others, will make up the live studio audience.

Watch parties will be organized in other communities in the region hosting the forum.During the forums, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, First Lady Frances Strickland, University System of Ohio Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut and newly-selected Ohio Department of Education Superintendent Deborah Delisle will attend regional watch parties.

The meetings are scheduled for:

• Nov. 20: WOSU Studio at COSI, 333 W. Broad St., Columbus, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Dec. 11: WCPN Studio, 1375 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Dec. 12: WGTE Public Media, 1270 S. Detroit Ave., Toledo, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Dec. 18: OSU Mansfield, Ovalwood Hall, 1680 University Dr., Mansfield, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Dec. 19: CET Studio, 1223 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Dec. 20: WOUB Center for Public Media, 5th Fl., 9 S. College St., Athens, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.

In what is expected to be his only public appearance of the day, President-elect Barack Obama joined Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth in laying a wreath to honor veterans at the bronze Soldiers Memorial near Soldier Field Tuesday morning.

Obama and the injured veteran shared a moment of silence at the memorial at about 11 a.m.

On a brisk autumn day, Obama moved a pre-positioned wreath a few feet closer to the front of the memorial that bore the phrase "dedicated to the defenders of our liberty." He and Duckworth bowed their heads briefly and then each saluted.

"As we mark Veterans Day, all Americans are united in honoring the extraordinary service and selfless sacrifice of our nation's veterans. Our veterans are part of an unbroken line of heroes who have defended the American people and stood up for American values - from the beaches of Normandy to the battles in East Asia; from the deserts of Kuwait to the skies above Kosovo; from the cities of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan. Since 9/11, a new generation of American heroes has borne a heavy load in facing down the threats of the 21st century, and their families have been asked to bear the painful absence of a loved one. These Americans are the best and bravest among us, and they are all in our thoughts and prayers.

"On this Veterans Day, let us rededicate ourselves to keep a sacred trust with all who have worn the uniform of the United States of America: that America will serve you as well as you have served your country. As your next Commander-in-Chief, I promise to work every single day to keep that sacred trust with all who have served. May God bless our veterans, and may God bless the United States of America."

(CNN) – He meets with his team of economic advisers and then holds his first news conference as President-elect, but for Barack Obama, the day started with a more personal duty, that of father.

The Obama Transition Office announced this morning that the President-elect would start his day, along with his wife Michelle, by attending a parent teacher conference at his daughters' school in Chicago. Sure enough, the soon-to-be first couple were seen exiting his daughters' school with papers in tow.

Daughters Malia and Sasha are students at the University of Chicago's Lab School.

Ohio has a new state schools superintendent.

Following a national search, the state Board of Education on Tuesday selected Deborah Delisle, who is superintendent of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District.

The 55-year-old Delisle will paid a salary of $194,500 a year. The other finalist was Catherine Maple Cross, a deputy education secretary in New Mexico.

Current state superintendent Susan Tave Zelman's last day after nine years is Oct. 31.

She announced in May that she would resign, after Gov. Ted Strickland stated his intent to replace her with an education chief accountable to him instead of the state board.

It is long -- nine minutes, thirty seconds -- but much of the material it contains will likely be new to you...and it's devastating to McCain.

Watch It:

 Video From The Jed Report

 Update From The Jed Report: Using YouTube's annotations feature, I've added the dates for the post-war video clips, but in order to view them, you will have to watch the clip at YouTube itself as annotations are not currently supported in embeds.

Sen. John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.

The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman reponded to McCain's speech.

In a statement released by the Democratic National Committee, Columbus (Ohio) Mayor Michael Coleman said despite McCain’s warm words of support, his record tells a different story.
 
“What Sen. McCain did not say to the NAACP was that he has voted against funding for disadvantaged students at least 12 times in his career; he has voted four times against hiring high-quality teachers to high-needs schools; he has voted against increasing funds for dropout prevention; and he has voted repeatedly against increasing funds for Head Start,” Coleman said in the statement.

He also criticized McCain’s record on No Child Left Behind, saying McCain did not vote to adequately fund the program and that the senator’s education plan lacked specifics.

More on McCain's Civil Rights Record

Mike Turner (OH-3) went far beyond the call of duty today, contributing a piece in the Hillsboro Times-Gazette with no apparent purpose other than misleading the public.

Mere weeks ago, Mike Turner voted NO on the very same law that he spends the entire article claiming he supports.

Anyone reading Turner's article would assume he didn't vote against the 21st Century GI Bill weeks ago.  This isn't a silly 'gotcha' moment or a misunderstanding - Mike Turner thinks he can get away with rewriting history.

He voted to increase veteran’s health care benefits, housing allowances, insurance benefits and education opportunities.

The supplemental war funding bill that Mike did vote (along with every Republican save 4) for wasn't "vastly superior" to the standalone GI Bill he voted against - it was almost exactly the same bill, except with an added provision to allow the transfer of the benefits.

NEA celebrates National Teacher Day each year on Tuesday of the first full week of May.

The day celebrates the outstanding work and lifelong dedication of teachers nationwide.

National Teacher Day came into being through the leadership and persistence of Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1953, she persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim May 7 that year as National Teacher Day. PTA took Roosevelt's idea and dedicated a whole week to celebrate the accomplishments of educators.

PTA's annual Teacher Appreciation Week honors the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating children.

The Nation's Largest Teacher Thank-You project was created in response to an NEA poll revealing that the gift nearly half of all teachers would most like to receive is a simple "thank you."

The Nation's Largest Teacher Thank-You Card project is an effort to collect thousands of thank-you messages to teachers from individuals across the nation. 

The message is simple:  Thank a Teacher!

Suprise Suprise . . . the report is . . .

The Pentagon study which shows Saddam Hussein had no links to Al Qaeda.

Yesterday the Pentagon canceled plans to send out a press release announcing the report's availability and didn't make the report available via email or online.

Based on the analysis of some 600,000 official Iraqi documents seized by US forces after the invasion and thousands of hours of interrogations of former officials in Saddam's government now in US custody, the government report is the first official acknowledgment from the US military that there is no evidence Saddam had ties to al Qaeda.

The Bush administration apparently didn't want the study to get any attention. The report was to be posted on the Joint Forces Command website yesterday, followed by a background briefing with the authors. No more. The report was made available to those who asked for it, and was sent via overnight mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia.

Asked yesterday why the report would not be posted online and could not be emailed, the spokesman for Joint Forces Command said: "We're making the report available to anyone who wishes to have it, and we'll send it out via CD in the mail."

Schools that never were got millions

Charter startup audit tracks costs

Would-be Ohio charter-school operators received a total of $2.55 million in state and federal "planning grants" to start 33 schools that never opened, state records show.

That's nearly 10 percent of the 352 grants issued and doesn't include planning money for schools that have opened and closed.

The Ohio Department of Education is trying to recoup $1.56 million from 19 schools that either misspent startup grants or could not document how the money was spent. About $3,600 has been repaid.

The department is halfway through an audit of every startup grant recipient that has received federal planning and implementation money in the past three years. The audit will be completed next summer, said Todd Hanes, executive director of the department's Office of Community Schools.

Hanes said he doesn't think anyone took grants not intending to open a school.

"There are some people who have some very good intentions," he said, adding that the work required to open charter schools likely overwhelmed some operators.

But spending education money that never reaches children is just more evidence that Ohio's charter-school program is broken, said Sue Taylor, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

"I hold the state of Ohio accountable for this very lax system," said Taylor, whose union represents teachers who work in traditional school systems.

"This is a huge, huge abuse of taxpayer dollars."

 Well, somebody got millions, but it wasn't the kids or the charter schools. 

Dear friend of public education,

A few weeks ago we asked you to vote on a slogan as part of the "We Support Public Education Billboard Contest" to promote the positive aspects of Ohio's public education system.

Click here to find out more about the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign.

The votes are in and we have a winning slogan! 

Public Schools: The Heart of Ohio's Future

Now that we have a slogan that shows our support for Ohio's public schools, it's time to turn it into a billboard design.

What do you see when you read the slogan "Public Schools: The Heart of Ohio's Future"?

Send us a billboard design using this slogan and your work could end up on billboards across the state. 

We encourage students, parents, teachers and anyone who supports public schools to submit a design. 

• Designs must measure 5 by 11 inches.
• All entries must include your name and phone number with each entry.
• The deadline to enter is Monday November 12.
• You can send entries via one of the following methods:

Email: billboard@ohiofairschools.org. (JPG or PDF format)
US Mail: Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, 94 Columbus Rd, Athens OH 45701

The "We Support Public Education" billboard campaign is part of our effort to promote the positive aspects of Ohio's public education system. Public schools are the best economic investment we can make for the future. They are working to prepare our students to be the leaders of the 21st Century.

Click here to find out more about the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign.

Please help us recognize our great public schools!

Sincerely,

Debbie, Steve, Amy, Brian, Lorraine & Dave
The Ohio Fair Schools Campaign and ProgressOhio Staff

In Fairbanks, Alaska teachers were given $2500.00 bonuses by the state not for teaching, but for increasing standardized test scores at their school. They refused the bonuses and donated the money to other schools or to non-profits.

Principal Mary Short said as a group the staff felt the cash bonuses were inappropriate. “Most of the discussion was about how uncomfortable the incentive program made us feel,” Short said, referring to a staff meeting she convened the week before school started.

At the meeting, the staff decided to donate the bonus money from the state to nonprofit organizations or to districtwide education initiatives. “Most felt that (the money) should go to other schools,” Short said.

She said reaction by staff ranged from embarrassment over being selected to anger that the state would assume a few thousand dollars would motivate the teachers to do a better job.

HH/T: Crooks and Liars 

Sent in from one of our favorite readers:

BOSTON - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told state legislators Congress would seek a major overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act, which states have protested as an unfunded mandate and unprecedented federal intrusion into schools.

"So different will this bill be from the original No Child Left Behind, that we're thinking of changing it's name," Pelosi said Wendesday (Aug. 8) addressing the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

The 2001 federal law, which has riled some state lawmakers and educators to the point of rebellion, mandates annual testing in reading and math for grades 3-8 and once during high school. The goal is to make all students proficient in the subjects by 2013-14. Schools that fail to make annual progress face a variety of penalties, from being forced to pay for tutoring to being taken over by the state.

Pelosi said the House would work to address state lawmakers' concerns that No Child is too rigid for states and provides little money to meet its goals.

“I believe you will be pleased with the legislation that is gathering strong bipartisan support. The bill will be fair and flexible, responding to legitimate concerns by you and others while fulfilling our promise to improve student performance, increase school accountability and provide students with the resources they need to learn the skills that will be crucial to their future success," she said.

David Shreve, an education analyst with NCSL, said states are mostly interested in being able to tailor their testing systems to meet their own needs, including allowing schools to use more than one kind of test to determine proficiency.

Utah state Rep. Kory Holdaway (R), a special education teacher, said that extra money from Congress would not be useful unless the law is changed to meet states' needs. "You could increase the money to the full amount {authorized} and still have the same problems," he said.

More information from the National Education Association

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), renamed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, established laudable goals -- high standards and accountability for the learning of all children.

However, the law must be fundamentally improved and federal lawmakers need to provide adequate funding if NCLB is to achieve its goal. Congress is reconsidering the legislation in 2007, offering an opportunity to make it more workable and more responsive to the real needs of children.

NEA is in the forefront of the effort to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. We have developed a comprehensive Positive Agenda for the ESEA Reauthorization that spells out detailed recommendations to make the law better.

Gongwer Reports:

The Ohio School Facilities Commission, which earlier this year eliminated restrictions blocking the payment of union-based prevailing wages for school construction, went one step further Thursday by signing off on the use project labor agreements.

The commission unanimously approved responsible bidder requirements that allow school districts to enter into PLAs, which are generally agreements between contractors, unions, and clients that enumerate wages and benefits, worker training and safety, job classifications, and arbitration procedures.

"This clearly brings to an end the previous administration's policies that were widely held to be heavy-handed and even extreme," he said.

Reflecting the Democratic administration's more favorable view toward organized labor, the OSFC outraged Republicans in February when the newly appointed commission adopted model contractor guidelines that permit school districts to hire contractors that pay prevailing wages. OSFC rules previously required districts simply accept the lowest responsible bidder.

Full article (Sub Req.)

From Raw Dogma:

A light bulb appears over my head.

I finally get it.

For the democratic process to run properly it necessitates the voter to have some knowledge of what he is voting on.

For it to work properly it requires voters to cast their votes based on an educated opinion.

If you are going to vote on something like stem cell research you should at least know what it is, correct?

Sadly, that isn’t how many American vote, as is obvious when during an election year people are talking about whether or not someone “looks presidential” and whether the person looks “likeable”.

Well the question is, how can Americans vote on such things as global warming, stem cell research, cloning and what have you when basic scientific fundamental concepts fly right over our heads.

"American adults in general do not understand what molecules are (other than that they are really small). Fewer than a third can identify DNA as a key to heredity. Only about 10 percent know what radiation is. One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth, an idea science had abandoned by the 17th century."

Read the full story of how this lack of basic knowledge causes Americans to vote as they do . . . an interesting insight.

Today the Campaign for Ohio’s Future announced that it anticipates it will not qualify its proposed constitutional amendment on school funding for the 2007 ballot in November. The consortium will build upon the more than 150,000 signatures and 160 district support resolutions it has gathered by continuing to circulate petitions. The group also plans to meet with Governor Strickland this month to discuss his ongoing commitment to education funding reform in Ohio.

“We are pleased about the dialogue that our efforts have initiated to finally fix Ohio’s unconstitutional school funding system,” said Jim Betts, spokesperson for The Campaign for Ohio’s Future. “We look forward to building upon this momentum by continuing to collect signatures and working with Governor Strickland.”

The consortium of 12 statewide education groups leading the proposed constitutional amendment will continue to work together and to press for fundamental, comprehensive changes in Ohio’s education funding environment.

The 12 organizations supporting the amendment are: Alliance for Adequate School Funding, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding, Ohio Congress of Parents and Teachers, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Educational Service Center Association, Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, Ohio Federation of Teachers and Ohio School Boards Association.

Scholars urge Bush to ban use of torture

WASHINGTON - President Bush was presented with a letter Monday signed by 50 high school seniors in the Presidential Scholars program urging a halt to "violations of the human rights" of terror suspects held by the United States.

The White House said Bush had not expected the letter but took a moment to read it and talk with a young woman who handed it to him.

"The president enjoyed a visit with the students, accepted the letter and upon reading it let the student know that the United States does not torture and that we value human rights," deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

The students had been invited to the East Room to hear the president speak about his effort to win congressional reauthorization of his education law known as No Child Left Behind.

The handwritten letter said the students "believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions."

"We do not want America to represent torture. We urge you to do all in your power to stop violations of the human rights of detainees, to cease illegal renditions, and to apply the Geneva Convention to all detainees, including those designated enemy combatants," the letter said.

The designation as a Presidential Scholar is one of the nation's highest honors for graduating high school students. Each year the program selects one male and one female student from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Americans living abroad, 15 at-large students, and up to 20 students in the arts on the basis of outstanding scholarship, service, leadership and creativity.

Ohio's 2007 Presidential Scholars:

Chagrin Falls—Michael L. MacCombie, University School
Cincinnati—Colin S. McSwiggen, Cincinnati Country Day School
Solon—Luci Yang, Solon High School

From Ohio Treasurer of State:

Columbus, Ohio – School might be out for the summer, but dozens of Ohio teachers will be back in the classroom this month to learn how to teach financial education.

State Treasurer Richard Cordray said that 285 teachers are signed up for the inaugural Teachers Academy workshops.

Demand for the program is high, with nearly 200 additional teachers on a waiting list, Cordray added.

The statewide training initiative was developed by Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Council on Economic Education in answer to Ohio’s Core Curriculum Bill (S.B. No. 313), which passed late last year. The bill requires that school districts offer personal finance education as part of their high school curricula beginning in 2010.

From The Nation:

Over the past six years George W. Bush's faith-based Administration and a conservative Republican Congress transformed the small-time abstinence-only business into a billion-dollar industry. These dangerously ineffective sexual health enterprises flourish not because they spread "family values" but because of generous helpings of the same pork-heavy gumbo Bush & Co. brought to war-blighted Iraq and Katrina-hammered New Orleans--a mix of back-scratching cronyism, hefty partisan campaign donations, high-dollar lobbyists, a revolving door for political appointees and a lack of concern for results.

One of the chief cooks is a media-shy 63-year-old Catholic multimillionaire, welfare privatizer and Republican donor named Raymond Ruddy. With close ties to the White House, federal health officials and Republican power brokers that date back to W.'s days as Texas governor, Ruddy has leveraged his generous wallet and insider muscle to push an ultraconservative social agenda, enrich a preferred network of abstinence-only and antiabortion groups, boost profits for his company and line the pockets of his cronies--all with taxpayer dollars.

Following the money swirling around Ruddy offers an eye-opening glimpse into the squalor at the heart of the abstinence-only project. One top Bush adviser left to take a job at Ruddy's charity, Gerard Health Foundation, and a senior officer at Ruddy's for-profit company, Maximus, left to take a top-level position at the Department of Health and Human Services. Leaders of Christian-right organizations that are Gerard grantees have gained advisory HHS positions--and their organizations have in turn received AIDS and abstinence grants to the tune of at least $25 million. Maximus itself has raked in more than $100 million in federal contracts during the Bush era.

Read The Full Story at The Nation >> 

According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, Ohio-based abstinence groups have received $23.7 million in federal funds over the past three years.

Can someone provide an update on the budget status in this regard?

Ohio education needs your help!

Support the Education Amendment by circulating a petition!

Click Here to Sign-up to Circulate a Petition!

The Campaign for Ohio’s Future would:

• Guarantee accountability for results with public reports
• Identify the cost of high quality education and make the state pay a higher portion
• Reduce the number of property tax levies and require a larger state share of funding
• Cut property taxes for senior and disabled homeowners
• Protect state funding for school facilities, local government and colleges and universities

Click Here to Sign-up to Circulate a Petition!

The time is now to put high quality, fairly funded education in the Ohio Constitution.  

Thanks for your support! 

Getting It Right for Ohio’s Future

The school year is coming to a close, and as Ohio’s children are getting their final grades, our public education system is barely passing.

Ohio’s Marks:

• The state ranks 20th in state funding for high school students [Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005];
• Ohio’s school funding system has been unconstitutional since March 1997.[The Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy in School Funding , 2003]
• Ohio ranks 4th in the nation in the number of charter schools [Ohio Education Association, 2006]; and
• Only 31% of Ohio students are academically ready for college: 35% of white students, 13% of Hispanic students and 15% of blacks. [Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005]

Please join us on Thursday, May 31st from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm for a public forum to discuss the state of education and what is being done to improve the system.

Please click here to sign up for the event!

America Votes, ProgressOhio, DFA-Central Ohio and PDA Central Ohio are sponsoring the event and bringing in experts from the education community. Panelist include: representatives from the Ohio Federation of Teachers, non-profit charter schools and local teachers.

Speakers include:

• Darold Johnson, Government Affairs Director of the Ohio Federation of Teachers
• State Representative Tracy Maxwell Heard (HD 26), sits on the House Education Committee
• Tom Beck, Teacher at Worthington Public Schools
  

Thursday, May 31st from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

ProgressOhio Office, 265 S. 3rd Street Columbus, OH 43215

Park on street or in City Center Parking Lot. Light refreshments will be available.

Please click here to sign up for the event!

Struggling science academy $236,000 in the red last fiscal year, state audit shows

Columbus' Horizon Science Academy is facing tough financial times, but the superintendent of the North Side charter school said it will work its way out of the problems without layoffs.

A state audit released yesterday showed that the 575-student school, with two facilities -- a high school at 1070 Morse Rd. and a middle school at 1329 Bethel Rd. -- lost about $236,000 in the fiscal year that ended in June 2006. That followed an $87,000 loss the previous year.

The school had $3.75 million in annual operating expenses in fiscal 2006, but ended the year with only $9,846 in the bank.

Auditors also found that Horizon was using state-aid payments to pay property taxes, which is prohibited by Ohio law.

Backers of the "Getting It Right for Ohio's Future" school funding constitutional amendment said Thursday they had attained 100 endorsements in the effort to force the state to identify the elements of and mandate funding for a "high quality" education.

Ohio Farmers Union President Joe Logan announced the milestone in a news release stating that groups and school districts behind the issue believe "providing an opportunity for a high-quality public education to every Ohio child regardless of location in the state is a worthy goal for all types of communities, from rural to urban."

"For too long we have watched Ohio's rural school children get the short end of the stick because our school districts in agricultural communities often don't have the money to provide a high-quality education to all students," Mr. Logan said.

Campaign spokesman Jim Betts said in an interview that it was too early in the process to say how many signatures have been collected for the effort, but that the group should have a better handle on the numbers in a couple of weeks.

Visit Getting It Right for Ohio's Future

This week, I’ll be participating in the Food Stamp Challenge. For seven days, I’ll be living on three dollars of food per day, the same amount an average participant in the Food Stamp Program receives. The Challenge is an exercise aimed to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by millions of Americans, who live day to day, working to put food on the table.

Last Friday, my staff and I held a meeting plotting out how I would spend my $21.00. As we looked over food prices, we were struck by how anyone could expect a person to have a balanced, healthy diet on a mere three dollars per day. On a dollar per meal, a person can’t buy fresh fruit and vegetables. A person can’t buy the milk they need. The kids across the country who go to bed hungry on nights when the budget is stretched too thin deal with the reality of poverty every day, and I want them to know they aren’t forgotten.

 There are over one million recipients of Food Stamps in Ohio, nearly 90,000 in the 17th District. I’m participating in this challenge because as Congress crafts this years Farm Bill, we’re going to have to take a hard look at the way the Food Stamp Program is administered. I hope that at the end of the week, I have a deeper understanding of the hardships of these millions of American, and a better idea of how to help them.

The Columbus Dispatch Reports:

The Ohio Department of Education says it will work more closely with the state's charter schools to curb the hiring of unlicensed teachers, a practice that has turned up in central Ohio even though it's barred by state law.

"Every teacher, every professional teacher, is responsible to make sure that their license is renewed and that they hold a valid teaching certificate," said Todd Hanes, who, as director of the agency's Office of Community Schools, oversees Ohio's charter schools.

Officials at the Department of Education learned recently from WBNS-TV (Channel 10) that several Columbus-area charter schools were employing teachers who lacked proper credentials, including one instructor who had been in the classroom since the start of the school year.

[snip]

Like any other public schools in the state, Ohio's publicly funded charter schools are required to report the license status of their teachers to the Department of Education. When that doesn't happen, parents have no way of verifying that their children are in the care of licensed professionals, officials said.

Private schools taking part in the state's voucher program have had problems as well. The Dispatch reported last week, for example, that just eight of the 36 teachers at Harvest Preparatory Academy, a Christian school in Canal Winchester, were licensed.

Related Posts:

Let Them Eat Charters

UPDATED: 'Patriot Pastor' Rod Parsley's Voucher-Funded School Employs Uncertified Teachers

The Columbus Dispatch Reports:

At least a dozen public charter schools in Columbus are run by private, for-profit companies.

Most say they're not turning a huge profit from the millions in state and federal funds they manage, but they hope to see solid returns someday.

These companies don't have to tell the state how much money they make, although those that charge more than 20 percent in management fees must tell the state auditor something about how much they put back into the schools.

The state doesn't track how many schools use management companies.

The lack of data is one reason that Gov. Ted Strickland says he wants to outlaw for-profit education companies.

[snip]

Based on last year's data from the Ohio Department of Education, Mosaica could have collected a management fee of $200,000 in state and federal funds, much of which pays for teachers, curriculum and day-to-day school operations, Connelly said. That excludes the $1.2 million in rent it's recouping over the next several years for buildings it purchased to house two schools.

Lisa Zellner, spokeswoman for the Ohio Federation of Teachers, called Ohio's charter schools a "franchise system of corporate-run schools."

She calls the for-profit companies that run them "conglomerates."

"It's not what charter schools were intended to be," Zellner said. "It's not what was sold to the parents and taxpayers of Ohio."

Besides Mosaica, for-profit companies operating in Ohio include Edison Schools, the Leona Group, White Hat Management, Lighthouse Academies and National Heritage Academies.

Related Posts:

49 Percent of Charter Schools in Academic Watch or Emergency

Ohio Auditor: 17 Charter Schools Books Are So Bad They Are Unauditable 

The Dispatch Reports:

CLEVELAND -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made her first campaign trip to Ohio as a Democratic presidential candidate yesterday, vowing to fix federal education policy and to work hard to carry the all-important Buckeye State.

"Ohio has a history of being a very critical state for both parties," Clinton said in a brief interview after a speech last night at John Hay High School in Cleveland. "I have a lot of friends here in Ohio, and I'll be working very hard here."

Speaking at what was billed as an education forum, Clinton criticized President Bush for requiring elementary-grade math and reading standards in his 2002 No Child Left Behind program but then failing to adequately fund it.

The mandates have caused some schools to cut physical education, art, languages or other academic programs, Clinton said, and she promised to try to fix No Child Left Behind.

"You just can't pass on mandates from on high," the New York senator said in a 17-minute speech to about 300 people in a half-filled auditorium. "If they're going to tell you what you ought to do, they better be there with a helping hand and the resources to get the job done."

Clinton appeared at the event with U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Cleveland, one of her national campaign co-chairs, as well as other Cleveland city and education leaders.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation have launched an unprecedented, multi-million dollar, nonpartisan movement that calls on all presidential candidates to improve America’s public schools.

Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign offering a voice to every American who supports “ED in 08.” The goal is to ensure that the nation engages in a rigorous debate and to make education a top priority in the 2008 presidential election. They expect candidates to offer genuine leadership rather than empty rhetoric and tell voters how they intend to strengthen America’s schools so all students receive the education they deserve.

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." - Sinclair Lewis

Think Progress: 

In a new video, the the right-wing American Family Association attributes the tragedy at Virginia Tech to: a lack of prayer in school, a lack of the Bible in school, a lack of spanking kids, a lack of physical punishment in school, abortion, condoms, Bill Clinton, internet pornography, free speech, the entertainment industry, “satanic” music, and liberal culture in general. 

Additionally, AFA is cashing in on the tragedy and selling the videos for $5 each.

From The Washington Post:

The Justice Department is conducting a probe of a $6 billion reading initiative at the center of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, another blow to a program besieged by allegations of financial conflicts of interest and cronyism, people familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The disclosure came as a congressional hearing revealed how people implementing the $1 billion-a-year Reading First program made at least $1 million off textbooks and tests toward which the federal government steered states.

"That sounds like a criminal enterprise to me," said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House education committee, which held a five-hour investigative hearing. "You don't get to override the law," he angrily told a panel of Reading First officials. "But the fact of the matter is that you did."

The Education Department's inspector general, John P. Higgins Jr., said he has made several referrals to the Justice Department about the five-year-old program, which provides grants to improve reading for children in kindergarten through third grade.

Higgins declined to offer more specifics, but Christopher J. Doherty, former director of Reading First, said in an interview that he was questioned by Justice officials in November. The civil division of the U.S. attorney's office for the District, which can bring criminal charges, is reviewing the matter.

Doherty, one of the two Education Department employees who oversaw the initiative, acknowledged yesterday that his wife had worked for a decade as a paid consultant for a reading program, Direct Instruction, that investigators said he improperly tried to force schools to use. He repeatedly failed to disclose the conflict on financial disclosure forms.

The intricate financial connections between Reading First products and program officials extend beyond issues the committee explored yesterday.

Another researcher, Sharon Vaughn, worked with Kame'enui, Simmons and Good to design Voyager Universal Literacy, a program that Reading First officials urged states to use. Vaughn was director of a center at the University of Texas that was hired to provide states advice on selecting Reading First tests and books.

The publisher of that product, Voyager Expanded Learning, was founded and run by Randy Best, a major Bush campaign contributor, who sold the company in 2005 for more than $350 million. Now Best runs Higher Ed Holdings, a company that develops colleges of education, where former education secretary Roderick R. Paige is a senior adviser and G. Reid Lyon, Bush's former reading adviser, is an executive vice president.

"I'm very disappointed and saddened by the information that was provided at the hearing today," said Lyon, who had been a strong defender of Reading First, which he said had nothing to do with his new job. "The issues appear much more serious than I had been led to understand."

To this Administration it's just like stealing candy from a baby.

With nearly 9,000 students receiving vouchers and 70,000 attending charter schools, the programs are at a crossroads: Have they helped Ohio's education system or hurt it?

Annual report cards issued by the Ohio Department of Education don't paint a rosy picture.

Last year, excluding those that did not get a rating, 49 percent of charter schools were in academic watch or emergency, the equivalent of a D or an F, compared with 2 percent of traditional public schools in Ohio.

"I think they've fallen short on the academic performance," said Rep. Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta, who was among those asking critical questions of school-choice supporters last week.

Misuse of tax dollars is another issue. Several charters have closed because of money problems, including Harte Crossroads High School and Harte Crossroads Academy. The schools, which were in Columbus City Center, shut down last month with $1.6 million in debt.

State Auditor Mary Taylor says that the financial records of 15 charter schools, including six in Franklin County, are in such bad shape that they cannot be audited.

Concerned about possible misspending, Taylor recently announced that her office would offer financial training to charter-school personnel.

Strickland, noting the Columbus closures, said, "I'm not terribly impressed when people can point to a charter school here and there that may be succeeding, when so many of them are not getting desirable results and are so lacking in transparency, fiscal and educational accountability."

Full Story at The Columbus Dispatch

From McClatchy:

WASHINGTON - Five years after President Bush got a Republican-led Congress to pass a landmark law that forces schools to give students more tests, his party is leading a revolt.

When Congress signed off on the No Child Left Behind legislation in December 2001, one Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, said it represented a new era that would benefit students across the country, and he saluted Bush's leadership. Now Brownback, who's seeking the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, would be happy if states could just opt out of the federal testing mandates.

Ditto for Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the House's second-ranking Republican. After co-sponsoring the legislation, the minority whip now says he regrets voting for it.

Is No Child Left Behind about to get left behind?

While no one is predicting its immediate demise, discontent is growing on Capitol Hill.

So far, 66 Republicans - 59 in the House of Representatives and seven in the Senate - have signed on to "The A-Plus Act," legislation that would allow states to sidestep the yearly tests.

Many Democrats want to alter the testing requirements, giving states more leeway in how they measure progress, especially for students with disabilities.

Even strong advocates acknowledge that at least some tweaks - and more money for schools - will be required before Congress can renew the law this year.

Read the Full Story

Don't Let Our Children Be "Left Behind" by Congress!

Parents! Teachers! Students! -- Tell Your Story Now!

The group's Ohio affiliate sent public information requests to districts last week as part of a project being conducted by the civil rights group's national office, said ACLU of Ohio staff attorney Carrie Davis.

The goal is to examine the content of abstinence education programs paid for with tax money, Davis said. The material also will be reviewed for any separation of church and state concerns, she said.

A long-awaited national study ordered by Congress and released Friday concluded that students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a critic of abstinence-only education, has stripped $1 million in state aid for those programs from his proposed budget.

The administration also says it has no plans to apply for federal money for the programs after the current funding ends Sept. 30.

President Bush, acknowledging public frustration over his No Child Left Behind Act, said Thursday the point of the law is not to punish schools that fall short, but to help them.

Bush suggested the White House and its allies must do a better job of explaining the goal of holding schools accountable.

Congress is working on renewing the law, which remains unpopular in many districts nationwide.

"It is important for all of us to make it clear that accountability is not a way to punish anybody," Bush told supporters of the law in a meeting at the White House. "It's an essential component to making sure that our system, our education system, frankly is not discriminatory."