- A suburban Virginia district has irked some parents by taking them to court over their children’s tardiness. Parent involvement is well and good, but districts will find that charging parents with misdemeanors may not foster the kind of engagement they were shooting for.
- As Terry noted, on Monday Cleveland's mayor announced an ambitious plan to overhaul the city's schools by partnering with high performing charters, granting district schools greater flexibility, and changing rules over teacher layoffs and pay. First Indianapolis, then Detroit, now Cleveland; the Rust Belt is finally recognizing that economic revitalization starts in city classrooms. As Ohio Governor John Kasich said in Tuesday’s State of the State address, “We can change urban education in Ohio and in America. That is worth fighting for.”
- The Florida Senate education committee approved a bill requiring school districts to share their construction and maintenance funding with charter schools. Districts can grump all they want, but the fact remains that charters have long been denied a crucial part of the funding pie; Gadfly hopes they will finally get their just desserts.
- Connecticut's governor waded into the midst of the charter school fight this week, calling for more charters with increased funding, and asking local districts to chip in with the expense. Districts cranky over the cost need to realize that more options will mean better choices for Connecticut’s kids.
