- Editorializing on the so-called “Youngstown Plan” – that is, a proposal to strengthen Ohio’s Academic Distress Commission protocols that is likely to be signed into law by the governor – began in earnest this weekend. You can find quick-hit blog posts both in Ohio and nationally. But honestly, why don’t we just let the editors at the Youngstown Vindicator have the floor. After all, they’ve been begging for someone to step in and save their schools for months now, as readers of Gadfly Bites will know very well. “The new legislative plan, with the creation of the chief executive officer position,” they opined, “is exactly what we have wanted.” (Youngstown Vindicator, 6/28/15).
- On the other hand, there’s a group of Youngstown-area legislators who are less-than-thrilled by this plan, especially the CEO aspect. “It’s going to be up to us to solve this problem,” they say. “It’s a community problem it will take a community solution to fix it." Oddly enough, one legislator says that they want a system in place like that being piloted in Cincinnati – one that “helps engage parents and students in the school system by making the school an integral part of their community.” For those of you who like your irony, that would be the Community Learning Center model, the expansion of which came in the very same bill that brought us the CEO-based “Youngstown Plan”. (WFJM-TV, Youngstown, 6/28/15)
- Completing our editorial roundup, editors in Toledo opined on the need for swift action on charter law reform, on hold for the moment after getting oh so close last week. We couldn't agree more. (Toledo Blade, 6/28/15)
- Meanwhile, in Lorain, the shadow of the Youngstown Plan does not seem to have dimmed the enthusiasm of the incoming superintendent in Ohio’s only other Academic Distress district. He’s very optimistic about his new gig and believes he’ll have at least a couple of years before the new ADC rules apply to Lorain. We shall see. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 6/27/15)
- Meanwhile, in Columbus City Schools, it is now the teacher evaluation system that is the subject of inquiry as to falsification. 36 evaluation forms were filed for speech therapists in the district in May, all of which reported on evaluation conferences which apparently never took place. All of those phantom conferences went very well, as you might imagine. Ugh. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/28/15)
- Meanwhile, in Akron, it’s business as usual: online charter schools are flagellated in a news piece that is harsher than most negative editorials. Sometimes I think these things just write themselves. (Akron Beacon Journal, 6/28/15)
