Gadfly Bites 10/29/25—Where in Ohio is Mike DeWine?

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1. Governor DeWine this week embarked on a Literacy Leaders Tour around the state, highlighting the results of districts, schools, and teachers working to implement the science of reading. Here’s a look at his visit to Emerson Elementary in Lakewood City Schools, where the governor, the First Lady, and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Steve Dackin highlighted the school’s successes, including a jump in the percentage of second graders who are “on track” with their reading skills from 60.4 percent in 2023 to 71.4 percent in 2024, and their 2024 performance index score on ELA of 95.4, which is up from 85.7 the year before. Kudos! (State of Ohio, Office of the Governor, 10/28/25) Before that, the governor and his wife visited Greene County Career Center, highlighting the results of Ohio’s increasing investment in career tech education. He was mainly talking about manufacturing and heavy industry careers (“it really is fulfilling a need that we really have in the community and in society”), but both DeWines paid special attention to the career center’s natural resources program…because their granddaughter currently attends classes in that GCCC program. How lovely! (Dayton Daily News, 10/28/25)
   
   

2. Not to be outdone, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel was on TV in Columbus this morning, touting his signature initiative, the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge, encouraging fourth- through eighth-graders across Ohio to build healthy habits focused on fitness, nutrition, and rest. (ABC 6 News, 10/29/25)
   
   

3. Speaking of fitness, here’s a look at the brand new strength and conditioning center at St. Ursula Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Toledo. Looks fancy, and all the sporty students seem to love it. That big new fitness facility was needed because expanding enrollment demanded the old training room be turned into additional classrooms. The school leader pins that enrollment increase as starting in 2024, and although she doesn’t explain why it happened, I know that all 9 of you persistent and all-too-tolerant Gadfly Bites subscribers know the reason. And that reason rhymes with Zed Joyce. (Why yes, they do…) (Toledo Blade, 10/28/25)

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