- In case you missed it, yesterday was a busy day in the state legislature. The previously-discussed education Christmas stocking bill passed out of committee in the Senate, for a start. Fordham’s Chad Aldis is quoted from an email here on a specific amendment among bazillions which, he said, could have some important ramifications for charter sponsorship. “If this becomes law,” he wrote, “the very real scenario exists where a sponsor could do its paperwork correctly (compliance and best practices) and receive an effective rating despite the schools it sponsors performing very poorly academically.” Yowza. (Gongwer Ohio, 5/24/22)
- Why an email? Because Chad was busy providing in person testimony in the House education committee on another very important bill—HB 497. This would be the one that proposes permanently eliminating the retention provision of the state’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This piece includes some quotes from Chad’s testimony and a bit of the hour long Q&A he participated in with committee members. (Gongwer Ohio, 5/24/22) As we noted here on Monday, the foundation for this effort was built upon a “research report” from Ohio State. Both the flaws in the “report” and the clear evidence that the provisions of the TGRG weren’t really being followed anyway mattered naught to the committee members, who voted unanimously to send the bill to the House floor for a vote. That “research report” is referenced in this coverage, along with Chad’s testimony. (Statehouse News Bureau, 5/25/22) Chad’s full testimony, based on actual research, can be found here.
- Meanwhile, without a drop of irony, the United Way of Central Ohio announced that it was going to help distribute $1 million in city and county funding to “build community coalitions” in a number of school districts here. Why? Because data show that “during the 2018-19 school year, seven of the 16 Franklin County school districts showed reading proficiencies under 75%.” Once the pandemic hit, they say, the number was even worse. As lame as this plan sounds, it is Nobel worthy by comparison to the “it ain’t no thing” testimony from proponents of HB 497. So, to recap: districts don’t want to do the work to teach kids to read, the legislature doesn’t have the nerve to force them to do so, and thus cities and counties with the support of non-profits must try to do so. Why must they? Because the data are very clear that the vital need exists. (10TV News, Columbus, 5/24/22)
- Finally today, the elected school board of Akron City Schools revealed the full list of their spending plans for $96 million in Covid-relief funding. The big picture list doesn’t look too terrible to me. I didn’t see, for instance, a single mention of new stage curtains, but those may just be tucked under the velvet umbrella of “expanded elementary music and fine arts programs”. However, it does seem that the “we’re just going to add this to the pot for what we’re already doing” argument from district officials rankled teachers who were looking for some sugar and community folks who are looking for a big spend on specific buildings. (Akron Beacon Journal, 5/24/22)
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