- As expected, Plain Local Schools is going to court—federal court—to stop a new state law which makes it easier for property owners in the district to win a rezoning request to join another neighboring district. They give lots of reasons for trying to stop the inevitable (pardon my insufferable certainty on this; just content yourself that I’m always wrong when I say these things), none of which have anything to do with why these families might want to leave. (Canton Repository, 11/20/19)
- What on Earth is going on in Marion City Schools that has led to an
impending budget bustalarming exodus of students via open enrollment and to charter schools? Hang on a sec, Imma check on their most recent district report card to see if I can get any… Oh. I get it. But seriously, guys, I’m glad you express skepticism here about the proposed new state funding plan being of any help to you. Because I don’t think it compensates for the consequences of poor performance. Perhaps you could get to grips with that yourself while you wait to find out. (Marion Star, 11/22/19)
- Speaking of legislation with questionable outcomes, color me…extremely suspicious about this effort to award academic credit for work done in afterschool programs. For a start, aren’t these things largely run by non-teachers? Who’s monitoring/vetting them—and aren’t some of them private providers? What about access—won’t rich districts just load their kids up with these things if they become credit-bearing? And if what these programs are doing is so effective, why aren’t actual teachers doing that stuff within the actual school day? (Patch.com, 11/21/19)
Did you know you can have every edition of Gadfly Bites sent directly to your Inbox (in case you want to buy what I’m selling by signing up for such a newsletter)? Subscribe by clicking here.
Policy Priority:
Topics:
