- Our own Jamie Davies O’Leary was front and center on the editorial page of The D this morning, opining against lowering graduation standards in the strongest possible terms. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/28/17) In case you’ve forgotten what she’s talking about, here’s Jeremy Kelley to remind you and give you the depressing legislative update. Personally, I can’t believe we’re going down this road and can’t bear to discuss it further. (Dayton Daily News, 6/27/17)
- Speaking of things that I can’t bear: I missed out on clipping some important budget-related news on Friday. Our own Chad Aldis was discussing potential changes to the state’s sponsor evaluation system proposed in the budget. He advised that, whatever the outcome, the focus stay as firmly on academic outcomes as possible. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/23/17)
- In somewhat related news, a kerfuffle is afoot in Cleveland regarding the proposed opening of two new charter schools for next school year – one of which will be sponsored by Fordham if it actually opens. At issue is how, when, and whether the Cleveland Transformation Alliance vets charter sponsors operating in the city. I’m sure this will all get worked out, but the rhetoric is a bit disheartening. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/27/17)
- While the details are probably less important here, the upshot of this piece is that the Youngstown branch of the NAACP gave district CEO Krish Mohip fairly good grades in their second assessment of his tenure. They are, however, not so keen on the district’s elected board at this juncture. (Youngstown Vindicator, 6/27/17) The board, meanwhile, seems not so keen on Mohip these days, if this report is to be believed. The central issue is that the CEO denied an expenditure which he believed was aimed at a legal fight against the CEO-style Academic Distress Commission currently still pending in some court somewhere. The outsized reaction of board members in regard to such a tiny expenditure is, likely, telling in this regard. (Youngstown Vindicator 6/28/17)
- Speaking of grades, the superintendent of Toledo City Schools has been charged with creating his own “report card” for his district, starting with the 2017-18 school year. It was part of the “to do list” following his glowing personnel review. It will cover areas that the state report card doesn’t address (probably because the district got mostly Fs on those), such as “school-readiness”, “career-tech graduation rate”, and “job placement rate”. Supe says, “People are out of touch in regards to what the schools are dealing with.” Who could he be thinking of? (Toledo Blade, 6/28/17)
- We end today, as we have so often recently, in Lorain. Dissent is already brewing between the Academic Distress Commission and the district – with the “Y word” being tossed about casually – in regard to hiring. The ADC chair wants to freeze hiring and spending until a CEO is in place; the board prez most emphatically does not. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 6/23/17) Meanwhile, the district supe is working on “peeling back” the layers that led to the academic distress designation. As if it’s all new to him. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 6/27/17) Meanwhile, the ADC chair released the list of qualities and challenges for the new CEO, as compiled from community input. Sound like anyone we know? (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 6/27/17)
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