- All six members of the new five-member Lorain Academic Distress Commission were named simultaneously yesterday. Not only will this ADC avoid the “when is a teacher not a teacher?” conundrum that delayed work in Youngstown for months, Lorain actually has an alternate for the teacher seat just in case the first one is busy. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 4/6/17) The Journal went looking for local reaction to the appointees, and got it. It seems that all of these comments are either empty platitudes or non-sequiturs, but that’s probably just me. But it is clear that all the comments have to do with “big people stuff” and nothing whatsoever to do with kids or teaching or parents or the district’s history of academic distress. The journey is still uphill and it’s still steep. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 4/6/17)
- Speaking of districts with CEO-style Academic Distress Commissions, the Youngstown school board’s finance committee met this week for what I think is the first time in a while. It doesn’t sound like they did any productive work, but the discussion as reported is enlightening. I was surprised to learn that there is apparently a definition of what the job of a social worker is not, based particularly on the cost. (Youngstown Vindicator, 4/6/17) In a similar vein, a Cincinnati area teacher opined this week about what his job is not. It is worth noting perhaps that this is the same district from which the quadruplet brothers were all accepted into both Harvard and Yale. Hmmm…. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/5/17)
- Bus tracking apps in use in three Stark County school districts are – unsurprisingly – helpful and popular. (Canton Repository, 4/6/17)
- School choice haters rejoice! The Ohio High School Athletic Association did not suspend Dayton City Schools’ sports program when its board met this week. Instead, the program (boys and girls sports at all district high schools) was put on probation for 3 years and the district fined heavily because OHSAA’s “administrative control bylaw” had been violated, even though the district’s own investigation revealed they did nothing wrong. A banner day. (Dayton Daily News, 4/6/17)
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