- A rally was held yesterday in Youngstown by folks opposed to the so-called “Youngstown Plan”, which is really a sharpening of the Academic Distress Commission protocols in Ohio…although targeted fairly specifically at Youngstown. Hundreds turned out, many not from Youngstown it seems, and a public meeting was announced for Monday in which some alternative to the Youngstown Plan will begin to be discussed. (Youngstown Vindicator, 7/8/15)
- Speaking of city-based education plans in Ohio, here’s an update on the Cleveland Plan, which is a bit twisty. One of the main goals of the Cleveland Plan in 2012 was to triple the number of students attending high-performing schools. Changes in Ohio’s report card system for schools since 2012 have altered the depth at which schools’ performance is tracked and measured. This has led the mayor, the CEO, and the Transformation Alliance to rethink their own definition of “high-performing” schools and, in fact, to craft their own. Applying this new criteria lowers the baseline number of students who, in 2012, were in high-performing schools to begin with. Depending on your perspective, this either means they’ve moved the bar lower for their own success (tripling 3,568 is easier than tripling 11,466) or they’ve more accurately defined where the starting line was back in 2012 (less schools were really good to begin with and more were in need of closing/replacing). More to come on this, I’m sure. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/7/15)
- Charter schools are a big part of the Cleveland Plan and may well feature as part of the Youngstown Plan going forward. Timely, then, for editors in Y’town to opine in frustration that charter law reform is currently stalled in the state legislature. (Youngstown Vindicator, 7/8/15)
- One more story from Youngstown. The other shoe has dropped, and we now know what siren song drew State Board of Ed member Robert Hagan away from his elected office and the Buckeye State: it was a train whistle! Former locomotive engineer Hagan began his gig as D.C. lobbyist for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen on Monday. (Youngstown Vindicator, 7/7/15)
- Finally, here is a story about the status of school rebuilding/replacing projects in Akron City Schools, a process begun in 2003 and projected to wrap up in 2021. As enrollment in the district has dropped steadily over the last 12 years, both the local and state share of projected funding for the rebuilding effort have dropped. And decisions have had to be made. Many buildings will now be untouched in the process, including the decaying Garfield High School featured in this story. The headline, I think, is where I get tripped up. Rather than waiting for new buildings, I kept wondering when Akron families were going to rise up to demand closure/consolidation of these neglected buildings with their shrinking populations in order to make more efficient use of the new facilities created and planned. But if it’s come down to simply waiting, as the headline suggests, maybe they’ll just opt to join the exodus instead – leaving via open enrollment, vouchers, charters, or whatever way they can. If it’s come down to vain waiting or a ticket out of town, it’s an easy pick. (Akron Beacon Journal, 7/6/15)
