- Repetitive, soundbite-friendly carping about the EdChoice voucher program continues apace. All of them full of distortion, ill-considered opinion, and outright porkies. In the Enquirer, it’s the reporter himself who uses the phrase, “Without a fix, Ohio taxpayers will owe private schools a hefty check to educate those students.” We’ll file that under D, for distortion. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/15/20) In Whitehall, board members have morphed into legal scholars (“…serious constitutional issues regarding the separation of church and state and the funding of religious institutions with public tax dollars”). Legal scholars who think they know more than the United State Supreme Court. (ThisWeek News, 1/14/20) As we’ve noted, all this grouching has made legislators eager for a “fix” for the problems being enumerated, despite the distortion, exaggeration, and etc. (Interestingly, one’s support for any particular “fix” seems to hinge on how many voucher eligible schools or students one feels there should be. How very scientific.) An additional problem is that due to the artificial February 1 deadline (you know what I mean), there is a scramble to find some active legislation to which to amend whatever “fix” is figured out. Here’s a notice from Gongwer that suggests a higher ed bill could be that vehicle. Sure. Why not? No weirder than anything else going on around this topic. The coverage also includes some active testimony on the bill’s original intent, but I gather somewhat sardonically that no one really cares what that is anymore. (Gongwer Ohio, 1/16/20)
- Meanwhile, the superintendent of Hamilton City Schools presented a sunny forecast at the annual meeting of the local chamber and rotary club. There was a little grousing about EdChoice and report cards in there, but dude chose to focus on some particularly good news: The district raised its overall grade from a D to a C last year. (Hey… That’s the same thing that happened in Lorain, isn’t it?) “We’re not satisfied where we are,” said Supe, “but we are certainly moving in the right direction.” Just like they’re supposed to. (The Journal-News, 1/16/20)
- Speaking (obliquely, it must be said) of Lorain, ADC-haters in that neck of the woods are still pinning their hopes on a legislative “fix” that would end academic distress commissions. (But seriously, what’s your deadline?) Hmmm…. This is all sounding familiar. (Elyria Chronicle, 1/16/20)
- Before I dissolve into a puddle of snarky parentheticals, let me just clip National School Choice Week president Andrew Campanella’s celebratory op-ed making the rounds of media outlets everywhere. Including its very clever headline hook. (via Clermont Sun, 1/16/20)
- It is nearly the end of the school year—if the emails coming from my kids’ schools touting yearbooks and summer programs are to be believed—but from the It’s (Probably) Never Too Late file: the classrooms at Buchtel Community Learning Center in Akron are at last fully staffed for the year. Ummm… yay? (Akron Beacon Journal, 1/15/20) Speaking of Buchtel, the district’s efforts to turn all of their high schools into career academies has been so successful that they’ve run out of high schools and Buchtel will soon be home to two (or more) such academies. In 2018, it was announced that Buchtel would be home to the Summa Health Academy of Leadership & Innovation, with career pathways comprising computer programming and software development (obviously a specialty of hospital/health care companies), education professions and leadership (ditto), and sports medicine and health care professions (now that makes sense to me). I don’t know what happened to the Summa academy, but henceforth Buchtel will be home to the Huntington Academy of Global Industry and Design. This breathless
press releasenews report tells us that “the academy at Buchtel already exists” and currently offers courses in aesthetics and cosmetology; commercial and residential construction and masonry; and entrepreneurship, business and marketing. Once again, I fail to see how a national banking conglomerate is going to help support 2/3 of this stuff. Sounds like a mishmash of career stuff without any coherence at all. I guess all those new teachers will figure it out. (Cleveland.com, 1/16/20) Speaking of Akron City Schools—and I’m sorry if it seems like I’m picking on them; the clips giveth bountifully sometimes—I’m sure the district’s efforts to expand and diversify its International Baccalaureate programing are laudable. But in a piece which quantifies the longstanding racial inequities in the current program so starkly, someone should have determined that featuring the red-headed boy giving an adorable and heartfelt presentation on his Irish heritage would clash with that narrative somewhat, no matter how heartfelt and adorable it was. At least it did to me. (Akron Beacon Journal, 1/15/20)
- Finally this week, four candidates have made the short list to take that lonely, empty board seat in Youngstown City Schools. All of them seem to think the board will have some authority going forward. Bless their hearts. (Vindy.com, 1/17/20)
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