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- If you can stand it, I can. Here are some more head-scratching quotes from this week’s farcical meeting of the elected board that runs Akron City Schools. As you read them, do try to remember that the issue at hand is about providing additional tutoring to kids who are way behind at no charge to families or the district. Because I feel like every person quoted has lost the thread and is arguing about something else entirely. (Ideastream, 1/22/24)
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fully tax-supportedtraditional school district in the Dayton area was leading an effort to raise nearly $10 million from private contributions for a capital campaign to build a fancy (and enormous) athletic complex that, while also open to the community, would have served district and club sports teams. I’ll ignore my gut instinct to question the kosherness of such an arrangement—stranger things are out there in district governance land, as we all know—especially since the whole thing has now been called off due to a shortage of contributions. I can only imagine why there wasn’t $10 million worth of buy in. We learn in this piece that just $3.5 million had been pledged so far and that the district’s athletic director is currently “working on contacting the donors who have already contributed and getting money back (to them), if need be.” If need be?! I certainly hope they are not expecting any donor to say, “I’m good, brah. Keep it. I’m sure you really need it anyway.” (Dayton Daily News, 1/25/24) - We end this National School Choice Week with a nice reminder that not every traditional school district raises eyebrows in a bad way. (Despite what you might glean from reading a certain someone’s thrice-weekly education news clip snarkfest.) In fact, if you can get past the name, Hicksville Exempted Village Schools seems really good. While this piece does include the standard district employee line “It’s not just about academic excellence; it’s about nurturing the whole student,” it seems that Supe really means it. Both the academic info available—4/5 stars across report cards and a ranking within the top 10 percent of school districts in the state for the past several years—and the details on things like school climate (sounds like Hogwarts!), hands-on learning opportunities, and community service requirements as described in this piece indicate that they not only value both things, they actually work hard to make sure their kids get both as well. Very nice. (West Bend News, 1/26/24)
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