Gadfly Bites 4/29/20 – Neener-neener

1. We’ll start today with what should probably be news from the “no duh” department: the so-called “online gaming” E-Sports club at Middletown High School has continued uninterrupted during school building closure. Honestly, I’ll bet their playing time is way up. If only we could get their attention to ask them. (Journal-News, 4/28/20)
    
2. Speaking of entrepreneurialism (were we?), here’s a story about two undergrads at the University of Akron, both teaching majors, who have created a Homework Hotline. It’s a free service for K-12 students in the area to receive assistance in math, science, social studies, and English in the form of a video or telephone call. That help, they say, is important due to the difficulties of distance learning. (Akron Beacon Journal, 4/28/20) But honestly, with all of the bar lowering, pass/incomplete frameworks, and attempted-participation-only grading that most schools are engaging in across the state, I’m not sure who really needs all that high-wattage help. Except maybe the E-Sports nerds…and those guys are already plenty busy! (Toledo Blade, 4/27/20)
    
3. And what about graduation for the Coronavirus Class Class of 2020? Kind of a mess also. We told you on Monday that the Ohio Department of Education went as far as they could to heavily discourage in-person graduation ceremonies, especially ones that are postponed until far into the summer. Well, the good folks at Perrysburg City Schools did not seem to take that guidance onboard, releasing elaborate plans for the ultimate in socially-distanced graduation ceremonies. They did at least stick to the original May date, so I guess they sorta listened. (Fox 8, Toledo, 4/28/20) In response to a question about this during the daily #YakkinWithActon press event on Tuesday, Governor DeWine played the grandpa card and said he was cool with Perrysburg’s plan…and any other district who goes the (social) distance with their ceremony. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/28/20)
    
4. Next school year is also kind of a mess, especially if you ask the head of Cincinnati’s teachers union. In this op-ed, she lays out an impossible-sounding set of roadblocks to return kids to the classroom next year. Seriously? It’s like you guys want families to embrace online school. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/28/20)
    
5. And finally today, in non-rona news… Ohio’s March primary election ended yesterday. I won’t waste your time after such a long slog talking about which levies won or lost (except to send a very heartfelt neener-neener out to an unnamed Ohio school district whose attempted fear mongering and doom-saying was apparently so feeble and transparent that other folks besides me, especially local voters, saw right through it and refused to buy in), but I will note with alarm that Columbus City Schools is already looking toward the next election. Sheesh you guys; haven’t we suffered enough?! Two things to note here. There is a citizens committee gabbing about what millage to set for a levy to raise money for capital repair projects. The district is looking for big money, even though the biggest thus far suggested would only scratch the surface of their to-do list. If only the district hadn’t wasted capital dollars a couple years back buying the old ECOT headquarters for no reason other than pettiness. The second thing is that this citizens committee business is said to be a positive thing because it helped set the rate for—and then work for the passage of—the last district operating levy. However, it is also noted that the district’s facilities master plan is “out of date” and should be updated. If you will recall, a similar citizens committee (perhaps even including several of the same people on the current millage committee?) was indeed convened not long ago to refresh that facilities master plan. Their recommendations, not favored by someone, were ignored and the matter dropped. So, it’s probably less a function of the committee itself, but a function of the committee coming up with the “right answer” that really matters. And it’s definitely graded pass/fail. Neener-neener indeed. (Columbus Dispatch, 4/27/20)

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