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- This piece is part 3 in a series about school funding in Ohio called, punningly I think, “The Price of Education”. (Or maybe it’s meant to be ironic?) Anyway, I don’t know about the other installments, but this one seems pretty vile if you ask me. The only one speaking honestly about school funding in the entire thing—which focuses on the state’s voucher programs—is our own Aaron Churchill. And while Mom of Voucher Student does speak frankly here, it is a touch too honest for me and the less we hear about her journey to voucher eligibility, the happier I, personally, will be. (WKYC-TV, Cleveland, 4/30/25) This installment is not numbered, but I can only assume that the plan is for each one to get even less worthy of attention than the one before it. For just two examples here: The reporter “uncovered” something that everyone already knew—that school districts are in charge of busing all eligible kids who live in their district boundaries, regardless of what type of school they attend—since it has been the law here for decades; and that busing does and has always cost big money. Unfortunately, the reporter (along with everyone quoted in the piece) deliberately forgets to say that the state pays for all of this mandated busing no matter what, hence the mandate to bus every eligible kid. Shameful. (WKYC-TV, Cleveland, 5/1/25)
- This piece is doubly refreshing after those last two slanted stinkers: The Dayton Daily News not only covered the new Urban Institute report that shows strong postsecondary achievement outcomes for Ohio EdChoice recipients, but did so with no drama whatsoever. There is no need for any “othersideism” to help “balance out” what is, in everyone’s estimation so far, unequivocally good news. Lovely. (Dayton Daily News, 5/1/25)
- Finally today, Cleveland Metropolitan School District board members voted this week to align almost all district schools to a traditional calendar starting next year. The move will supposedly save the district nearly $10 million, which is the point even though other supposed potential “benefits” are also trotted out…as if they mattered. The move affects more than a dozen buildings who had longer years/days or different summer/spring break patterns baked into their academic offerings, including some of the highest-performing CMSD schools. It is interesting to note that the CEO specifies some of those specialized extracurricular programs could continue at the affected schools outside the traditional school day or year they must now adhere to…but only if “partners” are found to pay for it rather than the district. Nothing problematic about that, right? (Signal Cleveland, 4/29/25)
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