Gadfly Bites 4/1/26—Focused on the future

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1. Here’s a follow up to Monday’s story about the Medina County budget commission’s proposal to reduce the tax collections of several school districts to the tune of $2 million or more. TL;DR: NM. Even if they could have withstood the blowback that was already gathering strength, turns out the commissioners missed a deadline to make such a change by several weeks even before their announcement. Oh well. There’s always next year. (IdeaStream, 3/31/26)
   
   

2. “Many older schools show potential for redevelopment into parks.” This is a direct statement from a Columbus City Schools official and a succinct way of explaining why the district has sunk over $13 million into improvements in recent years on four buildings while still planning to close and demolish them. The longer explanation, which we have stated in these Bites before, is that all the buildings are perfectly fine for district students and teachers to learn and work in until that closure day comes, at which point they instantly become only fit for vacant land as opposed to being offered for sale to charter schools. (Columbus Dispatch, 4/1/26)
    
3. Finally today: The State of Ohio announced this week that seniors graduating in 2026 have the opportunity to earn a special America 250 version of the Citizenship Seal on their diplomas. “This seal reflects the commitment in our schools to prepare the next generation of young adults to be civically engaged and mindful of our nation’s story,” said Department of Education and Workforce Director Steve Dackin in the announcement. The requirements to earn the 2026 seal are the same as ever, despite the unique nature of this landmark anniversary. But if anyone’s looking for a relevant additional hoop for kids to jump through, maybe they should be asked to correctly spell “semiquincentennial” from memory. Just sayin’. (WVXU-FM, Cincinnati, 3/30/26)

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