Gadfly Bites 11/16/22—“This has not been right from the get-go”

1. The elected school board of Reynoldsburg City Schools has come up with a plan to end remote learning (no, not THAT remote learning) and restore busing to its students. It involves non-optional schedule changes to the start and end times every day at seven district school buildings, including PreK services. District teachers have raised objections right out of the gate. (10TV News, Columbus, 11/15/22) Meanwhile, in Columbus City Schools, leaders are opting for a scorched earth money approach to their endless busing problems. Despite spending millions on a new routing software, they are going to pay more to bring back the old one (quality dubious, methinks) and restart the whole process so that both can “work together” on new routes. District transpo officials tell us that every bus route for every student will change; charter, district, private, STEM students alike. Everyone. And as to the bell schedule changes which they say are vital to the plan, those are being requested (oh so politely and optionally, I assume) of charter schools only. Who knows what will happen to the plan if those schools of choice politely decline to change. All of this mishegas is underway right now, to be finalized and communicated to families over the various holidays ahead. It will be rolled out dark and early on the morning of January 3, 2023, the first day back after 10 days of Christmas break. Happy Freakin’ New Year! (Columbus Dispatch, 11/14/22) Somehow, despite the cumulative ridiculousness of all of the above, the elected board members of Columbus City Schools say they are “confident” these fixes will solve the problem, at least in the short term. (I suppose they have to say that when there’s an open mic around, don’t they?) At their meeting last night, our public servants discussed longer-term solutions. It is unsurprising but still sad (and quite ironic, given the meeting location), that their immediate thoughts centered around how to curtail various school choice options which are problematic to the easy and hassle free conduct of their ONE JOB. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/16/22)
   
   

2. Meanwhile, a whole bunch of new ed bills received their first hearings in both branches of the legislature yesterday. Only one resulted in big screamy front page headlines. This one. Quelle surprise. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/15/22)
   
   

3. Back in the real world, the CEO of Battelle published an op-ed in the Dispatch this week, touting the history of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, which grew out of the creation of the state’s first independent STEM school (those guys, again?!), included big boosts to the PAST Foundation and KIPP Columbus, expanded to other states, and has now culminated in the connection of over 1.4 million students with high quality STEM opportunities. Nice. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/15/22)
   
   

4. In the real real world, here’s a nice profile of the life and work of Newark charter school leader Gisele James. (Newark Advocate, 11/14/22)

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