Gadfly Bites 2/16/24—♫Chesterton is coming…to town♪

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1. There’s more questions raised than answers provided by this story, but it’s important so here it is: Dayton City Schools and the state of Ohio reached a settlement in the lawsuit over fines levied against the district for failing to adequately transport charter and private school students back in 2022. Dayton will get its money back, the matter will be dropped, and…that seems to be the end of it. No idea what this might mean for the other ongoing lawsuits on this topic or for future efforts by the state to get other districts to properly transport choice students. (Dayton Daily News, 2/14/24)
   
   

2. The monthly gathering of Knox County school superintendents earlier this month turned into a late-season Festivus, judging from this coverage, since two state reps stopped by to listen in. Among the grievances aired: “I’m all for testing but when we reach proficiency, the state changes the standards and the tests.”; “I would like more local control over graduation requirements. I’m not saying reduce the number of credits. We just need more local flexibility.”; and “The entire education landscape has changed because we have given up more local control.” (Knox Pages, 2/14/24)
   
   

3. Finally this week, here’s a look at the Chesterton Schools Network. It started more than 15 years ago with one Catholic school based on the “classical” philosophy of G.K. Chesterton, located in Minnesota. The whole thing is new to me, despite there being a Chesterton School in Dayton, and I find it pretty interesting and uplifting stuff. But starting this fall, we are told, the network part will really start to blossom, with Chesterton schools opening in a dozen cities across the country, including Columbus. I don’t see any evidence that the Ohio schools accept EdChoice Scholarships, but it also appears to be a lower-tuition model designed to be as affordable as possible for families. Sounds like another good option for local families to check out. (City Journal, 2/14/24)

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