Ohio charters in the news
Summit Academy Toledo is dedicated to helping alternative learners, including those with ADHD or on the autism spectrum. It is also heavily male. That’s why principal Marquita Murphy wanted to create an event focused on messages and activities that promote self-worth for female students in honor of Women’s History Month. Sounds like a fantastic day—take a look! Meanwhile, students and staff at Flex High School in Richmond Heights sound extremely proud to serve their community, hosting and staffing a drive through food bank in front of their school the last Thursday of every month.
The view from Minnesota
Here’s a look at how two charter schools in tiny Hutchinson, Minnesota, served their families during the first year of Covid disruptions. School leaders and parents all say that the small, tight-knit school community has always been responsive to individual student needs, a flexibility that helped everyone navigate the difficult terrain of pandemic reopenings in 2020 and 2021. It is something the community remains proud of today.
Time to think again
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute released the second of its new Think Again briefs this week, enumerating the strong evidence base that shows that charter school competition doesn’t harm traditional school districts. “In the long run,” author David Griffin concludes, “districts that lose students to charter schools will adjust their behavior, much as they do in response to the inevitable changes in local demographics.” He also suggests that “with the right incentives, forward-thinking districts might adjust their behavior sooner rather than later” in response to those inevitabilities. You can check out the full report here.
Coming soon…
This week, it was announced that two new charter schools were being targeted for opening in unusual locations around Ohio. First up: Tiny Hinckley, Ohio (home of the famous buzzards), is anticipating a new K-5 charter planned for an empty district building in the town. Second: What will likely be the first general education charter school in Westerville, Ohio, is going through the planning and zoning process there. The unidentified school is also said to be looking to team up with a nearby private school to share athletic and recreational fields in the area. The expansion of public school choice to suburbs and small towns is definitely something to celebrate.
Getting there is half the problem
Student transportation could be an issue for both of those new charter schools when they open up, just as it is for many charter students in extant schools across Ohio. Dayton City Schools say they have improved their busing service following several disastrous months this school year (which follows several previous disastrous years). They do not provide much data to support on this assertion, however, and acknowledge that they have already racked up over $2 million in fines from the state for failing to getting charter students to their schools on time. Cincinnati City Schools has already said there are no fixes for their many transportation woes this school year. The school board and administration are currently looking at options to revamp things for next year. There is no mention of charter students in this initial coverage of their proposals; hopefully that will change as the plans become more solidified.
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