- Pete “Weed Guy” Kadens was making splashy new headlines in Chicago last week, but his previous lower-scale efforts to spend his green supporting college completion generated another positive story in Toledo. This time, it’s a 2021 Scott High School graduate and her mom who are both going to college—overcoming a lot to get there—thanks to the apparently extremely lucrative Mary Jane…and probably some shrewd investing too. (WTOL-TV, Toledo, 5/27/22)
- While Groveport-Madison Local Schools had already ended their school year last week, many resident students attending charter, private, and STEM schools still had several more days of school left. However, those students were clearly last on the list of importance for G-M officials when, last Friday, district employees’ cars were used to blockade all the school buses on the lot and prevent them from making any runs for those children utilizing school choice. (10TV News, Columbus, 5/27/22) This sorry state of affairs is part of the ongoing downstream consequences of Groveport-Madison being fined by the state for failing to adequately transport school choice students last year. As we have followed in these clips, rather than paying the fine and fixing the problem, G-M sued the state instead. While that is ongoing, the district also sued its third party transportation provider, Petermann, over breach of contract or other such nonsense and moved to terminate that contract effective immediately. The contract was to terminate May 31, with the district retaining some or all of the buses. However, officials for some reason feared that Petermann employees would take the buses away after transporting the school choice kids on Friday and that would be bad because #reasons. (Honestly, I don’t get it. It sounds like a junior high locker dispute.) So, these fine public servants figured it was smarter to block the buses and strand the kids than to deal with whatever tiny and pathetic squabble might have ensued. The only mercy here is, it seems, that the big people actually gave up part of their holiday weekend to end the beef and despite having told charter and private school parents they would have no transportation until at least this Thursday, the blockade was lifted yesterday and Petermann would do their jobs as they should. (And return the buses to G’port, but none of those parents cared about that.) BTW, today is the first day of the new provider’s contract. Wonder how that’s going? (ABC6 News, Columbus, 5/30/22)
- Speaking of which, Dayton City Schools—the poster child of transportation follies for many years—is at it again. There’s too much in this piece to summarize right now (you should definitely read it), but it’s so bad that former reporter Jeremy Kelley had to come out of his editor’s chair to cover it. Another slow motion disaster is likely in the cards, especially for the 10,000-ish charter, private, and STEM school students once again fully at the district’s mercy. (Dayton Daily News, 5/31/22)
- Meanwhile, Breakthrough Schools in Cleveland recently announced the launch of an alumni support network. Beyond Breakthrough will provide access for the charter network’s alumni to personalized support from dedicated staff members; peers; community resource providers; and high school, postsecondary, and employment partners. “We believe each scholar’s education and career journey should reflect their unique interests and talents,” said John Zitzner, president of Friends of Breakthrough, upon the announcement. “Beyond Breakthrough fosters authentic, trusted connections that support alumni in navigating academic, social and financial challenges on their personal path to success.” Nearly half of the $10 million in dedicated funding for the effort has already been raised. Kudos! (Cleveland Jewish News, 6/1/22)
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