Gadfly Bites 4/1/22—Foolin’

1. I’m sure many of you know of the Fordham Institute’s “Gladfly” tradition for April 1. If not, check out all the hilarious parody pieces posted here for today. While your humble Fordhamite clips compiler tries to be amusing every issue, he is sad to report that all of the ridiculous news items he finds to comment upon, including on April 1, are very real. Case in point: a preschool teacher in Tennessee whose homemade “literacy curriculum” sounds made up, but is not. On the upside, these are only tiny kiddos who will hopefully get proper literacy instruction in school soon, and the Ohio charter school kids she used to teach never had to suffer through it! (News 9, Chattanooga, 3/30/22)
   
   

2. Also a case in point: The president of the Ohio Education Association visited a career tech center in northwest Ohio this week. In the brief interview, students opting to attend the center are, inexplicably, classified as “opportunist”, despite how awesome career tech education is portrayed. The school nurse interviewed was really excited about the whole thing: “This is the first time we have had this opportunity for this to happen,” she said, meaning (I think) to talk face-to-face with the Steward of Shop Stewards. And what’s on the agenda? “We are going to talk a little bit about our retirements and the state teacher retirement fund. Talking about the future of our school of course, and whatever else might come about.” Oh those lucky opportunists families, right? (Hometown Stations, Lima, 3/30/22)
   
   

3. Middletown City Schools officials are desperate to spend down millions of Covid-relief dollars still sitting in their coffers with a ticking clock and no other clear way to use it. Their current proposal is to spend millions to expand the footprint of a community center that they run (what is it with school districts being in charge of city services all of a sudden?), but they’re not going to do it all by themselves despite their unused pile of cash. They’ve already got city leaders committed to pitch in but are still lobbying county commissioners to pony up a piece of their Covid-relief funding too. Not sure what will happen if their honors don’t go along, but it’s only money, right? (Local 12 News, Cincinnati, 3/31/22)
   
   

4. Finally today: Krish Mohip will not be the next superintendent of Philadelphia Public Schools. No foolin'. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/1/22)

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