Gadfly Bites 2/4/26—Perhaps TOO simple

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Not sure how it came together like this, but all four of our very separate clips today fall into my “Well Duh” category of news. Sometimes the Bites write themselves*

1. Tim Miller, currently a member of the Ohio Excels board and formerly a member of the Akron City Schools Board of Education and the State Board of Education, opined on Senate Bill 19 yesterday, arguing that teacher candidates who can’t demonstrate math competency shouldn’t teach math to students. Well, duh. (Akron Beacon Journal, 2/3/26)
    
2. It will probably not be news to you that some teenagers don’t like bans on smartphone use in their schools, although at least one of the reasons cited here does seem fairly idiosyncratic. (The Exponent, 2/4/26)
   
   

3. It will also not surprise you to know that the elected school board that actually runs Youngstown City Schools (yes, they do) is fully supportive of proposed legislation to release the district from the Academic Distress Commission oversight to which they are (nominally) subject due to decades of unremitting academic suckitude. They do not support it because their kids are doing better—they are not, and the district remains unable to reach a majority of the goals they themselves set in order to demonstrate improvement—but because they feel that Youngstown shouldn’t be the only one left in that status, no matter how the kids are doing. So what is the means by which they can finally achieve their goal of sweeping their academic suckitude under the rug for good? “It’s a super simple bill,” says state Representative Lauren McNally of the legislation. It would just “remove every mention of academic distress commissions from Ohio law.” How very simple indeed. (Vindy.com, 2/4/26)
    
4. Speaking of legislation, a new bill introduced earlier this week proposes placing state education funding in escrow for districts who are using some of that funding to turn around and sue the state over the EdChoice voucher program (or any other aspect of education funding) until such legal action is completed. Personally I hope we get to hear some testimony on this one. Should be interesting stuff no matter which interested parties are talking. (Cleveland.com, 2/3/26)

*That’s not true. It always takes a lot of work. And I do it all for you.

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