Gadfly Bites 12/22/21—The high cost of consolidation

This is our last edition for the year. (No. Don’t cry.) We’ll be back on Tuesday, January 4, with a final look at 2021. Regular thrice weekly publication will resume starting Wednesday, January 5. (Then you’ll have reason to cry.)

1. Editors at Vindy.com have some harsh words for the leaders of Youngstown City Schools in their recent editorial. (While “CEO” Justin Jennings is namechecked within, I think that—just between you and me—even the Vindy bosses know that others have been calling the shots in that district for the last five months or so.) The issue is an unannounced reversion to remote learning for the last few school days before Christmas, attributed to excessive staff absences. The editors remind their readers that, despite some improvements under the previous CEO, teacher absenteeism in the district has traditionally been high. Those “in charge” are reminded that remote learning was detrimental to kids and families previously and there is no evidence that a return to it now will be any better for them. Whatever the solution is, they conclude, leaders “must find a way to give these students the in-person learning environment that challenges both teachers and students to come to school and do their best every day. These students deserve no less.” (Vindy.com, 12/21/21) As a contrast to the above, check out this op-ed from the CAO (chief academic officer) of Grandview Heights City Schools, giving us the rosiest of rosy views of education in the leafiest of leafy Columbus suburbs. Specifically this: “We did see a very minor learning loss in math, but this is a trend being seen across the nation. Learning loss in this specific area is being attributed to the fact that trying to teach hands-on math concepts is more difficult in a virtual environment. Despite this learning loss, we saw improvement in our Gap Closing and Progress scores.” She goes on to cite lots of positive data from their most-recent state report card, which, as you all know very well, is only accurate when it shows charter schools doing poorly or traditional districts doing well. How did this miraculous positivity happen here? “Students remaining in the classroom five days a week throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is one of the key factors to our success over the past year.” And there you have it. (ThisWeek News, 12/20/21)
    
2. Building consolidation is supposed to save districts money. Why, then, is this the third or fourth “consolidation” plan which we have read about recently that is going to cost tens of millions to complete and involve a trip to the ballot box? I predict that we’ll see more of this—a full-blown trend—as we head toward May, and that at some point we will be told directly (even if inadvertently) the reason why. (The News and Sentinel, 12/20/21) As if to prove the first half of my prediction right, here is another costly “consolidation” plan from a school district just 25 miles north of the previous one. (Something in the water, perhaps?) While no light is shed on the second half of my prediction here, I still have hope that the quiet part will be said out loud sooner rather than later. In this case, I just hope someone asked the elected school board why the first two—wildly different—“consolidation” options presented cost the exact same amount. (Marietta Times, 12/22/21)

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