Gadfly Bites 5/18/22—“A nice little stockpile”

1. OK. So perhaps you thought I was being a little harsh on Pickerington City Schools’ elected and appointed leaders last week when I jokingly suggested they were using a new pandemic-era twist on an old trick to impress upon their constituents that “bad things” would have to happen in the wake of a double failure at the ballot box. To those delicate flowers among you, I say…nothing at all. I’ll let the district supe talk: “We obviously listened to our community,” he said magnanimously after backing off from the permanent hybrid learning proposal previously threatened floated. “There’s not a person in this auditorium or in this room this evening that doesn’t want students in front of adults.” But: “We need a new junior high building, and that’s not going to go away any time soon. We’re willing [tee hee, ‘willing’] to make this (five-day, in-person classes at the junior highs), but we also know when November rolls around, we’re going to need your support.” Capisce? (ThisWeek News, 5/17/22)
   
   

2. In a similar vein, parents in Cincinnati City Schools would like some stability in their school transportation starting yesterday next year. The local teachers union is here said to be getting involved in the situation. However, history indicates that those two things might not actually be related. (Local 12 News, Cincinnati, 5/16/22)
   
   

3. Meanwhile, officials in Defiance City Schools are lamenting a recent change in state law that will, they say, adversely affect their bottom line. “We used to have to identify gifted students,” the district treasurer explained out loud and on the record. “Now we will be required to identify as well as provide opportunities for the gifted students. This means an increase in cost for us.” Meanwhile, the superintendent seemed pretty pleased with himself for overspending on materials the district doesn’t currently need. “[W]e are stockpiling some paper goods at the board office — just in case,” he said, also out loud and on the record. “We will have a nice little stockpile to draw from.” (The Crescent-News, 5/16/22)
   
   

4. Speaking of gifts, here’s a first look at what awaits the good little lobbyists boys and girls of Ohio in their Christmas-in-May stocking full of presents. (Gongwer Ohio, 5/17/22)
   
   

5. Finally today, in case you hadn’t figured it out yet: teachers hate school. “The kids aren’t even going to realize that they’re learning — we’re going to trick them,” said one northwest Ohio district’s ironically-titled director of teaching and learning. “We’re really not even calling it summer school because that often has a negative connotation because students think, ‘Oh man, I have to go to summer school. That’s a bummer,’ and we really wanted to put a positive spin on this.” She added, regarding their summerfestapaloozanotschoolnowayman: “It’s really been a labor of love because we’re trying to connect our families with a variety of resources and just an excitement about learning beyond the classroom walls.” As if learning had been happening inside those walls all along. And she is not alone. (Toledo Blade, 5/17/22)

Did you know you can have every edition of Gadfly Bites sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.