Gadfly Bites 11/22/24—Told you so

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1. It is wholly appropriate that our own Aaron Churchill is quoted extensively in this piece, which explains how expanding community eligibility for federally-funded free meals in school districts across the state is now going to cause some high-poverty districts (such as Cleveland Metropolitan School District) to actually lose funding from the state meant to support low-income students in other ways beyond the lunch table. Why appropriate? Because Aaron knew it was inevitable and has been warning about this exact scenario—and how to avoid it—for many years. (Signal Cleveland, 11/21/24)
   
   

2. Speaking of things that were obvious, inevitable, and avoidable (yes we were), a Columbus charter school has asked a Franklin County judge to allow a class action lawsuit against Columbus City Schools for continued failure to properly transport charter (and private and STEM) school students. The petition states that the district is “refusing to comply” with state transportation laws, and “will continue to do so”. Until they are fully compliant, they are restricting family choices and negatively impacting the operations of charter and other schools. I ask you: Who could couldn’t have foreseen such a result? (Columbus Dispatch, 11/20/24)
   
   

3. Speaking of Columbus City Schools, the elected school board voted earlier this week to demolish three blighted properties in their portfolio—buildings (or portions of buildings) unused for years and, judging from the photos shared in the piece, magnets for vandals and weather-related damage. Interestingly, all three are adjacent to active school buildings, which must be a real morale buster for students, parents, and staff to walk past every day. I’ll call it baby steps toward right-sizing this district’s bloated physical plant, I guess, even though demo won’t even begin until far into next year. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/20/24) But the main event is still the possible closing/consolidation of nine active school buildings, and it sounds like a vote on that plan could come as early as December. This piece includes some interesting observations on each of the buildings, as provided by elected school board members who visited them recently. I honestly can’t tell how the chips will fall given that information. You? (Columbus Dispatch, 11/22/24)
    
4. Finally this week: Is this still a thing? The lame ducks in the legislature were quacking this week about a bill to end whatever remains of the lame duck Academic Distress Commission paradigm in Youngstown City Schools and wherever else it may still exist. They were so thoroughly gutted already—and so mightily obstructed before that—that it may be hard to even find the remaining ADCs to pull the plug if the General Assembly does decide to put them formally out of commission. Pyrrhic victory exemplified. (Vindy.com, 11/21/24)

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