- Maybe they were too optimistic? Maybe there was a wink and a nudge? Who knows? Turns out there was only one bidder for the Africentric School site we told you about on Monday, so hopes for a big windfall to Columbus City Schools above the – admittedly tidy – minimum bid were dashed. But congrats to Nationwide Children’s Hospital anyway, who will be demolishing the building and putting up a parking lot. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/28/17)
- Here we have an interesting turnabout for readers who are students of Ohio school choice history. HB 418, introduced this week, would require speedy transfer of records between schools when students move. The bill was “inspired by a superintendent who spent weeks waiting to obtain records for official enrollment when a student was transferring from an online school to the district school”. Seeing as how charter schools and private schools accepting voucher students have had that very same trouble with districts for more than a decade, this bill is in fact an overdue fix for a longstanding problem. But don’t worry, it’s clear that the bill’s supporters realize the ironic history and that it will apply to districts even more so than to schools of choice because there are no penalties included in the law for failure to comply with the new timeline. That is, the report says, “by design”. Hilarious. (Gongwer Ohio, 11/27/17)
- Speaking of rules and penalties, we finally have information on why Dayton City Schools superintendent Rhonda Corr was placed on leave last week. It is a laundry list of complaints from the board (literally – part of it appears to be about unkempt clothing) that seem to me to be far less egregious than the possible reason floated when news first broke. (Dayton Daily News, 11/28/17). I sense that this will take some time to resolve. But honestly, can y’all just keep your acting supe for a while? Elizabeth Lolli had this to say when interviewed earlier this week: “We were so focused on intervention as opposed to strong core instruction… That instruction is a must, and then if you see that children don’t understand that core instruction, then you move to intervention. But Dayton was doing the opposite – they were focused on intervention, with very little core instruction was taking place. We have flipped that in the year I’ve been there.” She sounds pretty good to me. (Dayton Daily News, 11/27/17)
- Meanwhile, in Lorain City Schools, things are moving forward. First up, the district’s communications chief announced her resignation this week. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 11/27/17) Next, the elected school board met this week to discuss some stuff, complain about a lack of information from the administration, beg the public (who were not actually in attendance) to come talk to them about stuff, and to plan more meetings. How much are they paid for these things? (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 11/27/17) Finally, the district CEO has his final draft of the proposed turnaround plan ready to present to the Academic Distress Commission this week. It is basically the same plan as before with a few more signposts for things district scholars can expect. I was struck by the notion that scholars can expect to do “more challenging thinking” once the plan is up and running. Personally, I wish the plan’s architects had done that ahead of time. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 11/28/17)
- Speaking of districts operating under the aegis of an Academic Distress Commission, here is an interesting discussion of the big changes to Youngstown City Schools’ athletics programs. (Youngstown Vindicator, 11/28/17) Staying in the realm of sports, a question is raised here whether the new “competitive balance” plan for high school sports has hurt private schools. While it’s not discussed in the present piece, competitive balance is rooted in years of school choice across Ohio, and aims to take student mobility into account when determining a school or team’s actual size. This is especially true in terms of open enrollment (which can result in a mismatch between a district’s student population and its ability to attract players) and vouchers (which can allow players access to private schools where they would not have previously applied). The piece in question discusses whether private schools were “hurt” in the wake of the transition it its first year, seeing as how just one private school’s football team made the state finals this year, versus six last year. Fascinating, even to me. (Dayton Daily News, 11/27/17)
- Meanwhile, you can show your support for
Krish MohipYoungstown City Schools by going “All Out Orange”. A movement is afoot to get 800 orange ribbons out to the Y’town community to show support for changes in the district. Why orange? Because it “represents perseverance and achievement”. Ribbons for school board members have already been reserved, but I fear they may not all get used. The board president has called the effort “a smokescreen”. (Youngstown Vindicator, 11/29/17)
- We end today with some big news from Akron City Schools. The board of education this week unanimously approved the master plan for the new I Promise School. That’s the ambitious program supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation to help at-risk Akron students. The new school will begin next year in temporary digs with specially-selected groups of third and fourth graders. It will include a longer school year, a cornucopia of socio-emotional support services, and a daily “illumination hour”. (Akron Beacon Journal, 11/27/17) The new I Promise School also, it seems, comes with a documentary camera crew led by Morgan Spurlock. Keeping up with the Kavaliers? The Greatest School Ever Sold? (Akron Beacon Journal, 11/28/17)
