Gadfly Bites 6/18/21—“They’re back on their own…”

1. On Wednesday, we covered some sobering data about economic segregation in Ohio’s education system, including interdistrict open enrollment. Today, we are reminded by 50CAN president Derrell Bradford that even the basic premise of residence-based school assignment zones supports and perpetuates historic segregation patterns along many lines, including race and income. And, yes, Ohio is one of Bradford’s prime examples. (Wall Street Journal, 6/13/21)
    
2. Meanwhile, a committee of the state board of education voted unanimously not to increase the third grade reading promotion score for the 2021-22 school year, citing “Covid data interruption”, a.k.a. “we don’t know what we don’t know”. The full board takes the final vote in July. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/14/21)
   
   

3. Meanwhile meanwhile, Columbus City Schools said 8,000 students from kindergarten to high school enrolled in this year’s don’t-you-dare-call-it-school “Summer Experience”. The program started Monday. (MyFox28News, Columbus, 6/14/21
    
4. The superintendent of Perrysburg City Schools opines today with the hope that “the Senate work collaboratively with the House in the Conference Committee”. I’ll let you guess what particular issue upon which he’s opining and what outcome he figures that “collaboration” should generate. (Toledo Blade, 6/18/21)
   
   

5. Coventry Local Schools is sort-of celebrating its release from state oversight due to fiscal emergency. It has been in that state for five years, although it had been in fiscal watch for a whopping 18 years before that. What finally got them out of the hole after all that time? Come on. What else could it be but fiscal prudence, penny-pinching, and following state guidance a levy. Duh. “It’s a time to celebrate for sure, but it’s not a time to stop what we are doing,” said the district supe in summation. (Akron Beacon Journal, 6/18/21) And speaking of not stopping, Dayton City Schools is sort-of celebrating the (very very) long-awaited move of their central offices to a newly-renovated building across the street. The renovations on the new space cost more than $3 million, incurred numerous errors and overruns, and took forever. Meanwhile, the move still leaves them underwater to the tune of $5 million on the old building, which despite its decrepitude will still be used for some meetings and events going forward because…well, why not? It’s only other people’s money! (Dayton Daily News, 6/17/21)

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