- In case you missed it, the state budget bill passed out of the legislature very late in the day on Monday. Everyone was pretty bleary-eyed when it was all over—reporters and legislators alike—in a “This is one of the most significant things we have done and will do for education here in the state of Ohio,” sort of way. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/28/21) But now the dust is settling and certain facts are becoming clearer. Our own Chad Aldis is quoted in this first “light-of-day” coverage of the education provisions which remained in the bill as passed. In it, the school funding revamp included was still called “a wonderful thing” by some of the folks who worked on it, but some of those with green eyeshades indicate that the funding boost to be realized won’t actually be as “wonderful” as thought for many districts. (Dayton Daily News, 6/30/21) Of course, the point of the funding revamp wasn’t simply a pipeline of money to school districts. It was also supposed to “finally” make the state’s school funding formula “constitutional”. And after some well-deserved sleep, some of those folks who thought they’d gotten both appeared to change course and feel like perhaps they didn’t get either. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/29/21)
- In fact, we went from unequivocal “cheering” for the new funding formula… (13ABC News, Toledo, 6/29/21) …to a “pleased but cautious” reaction… (Statehouse News Bureau, 6/29/21) …to a resigned “Yeah, it’s ‘historic’, but we really only got a building block” to whatever else we wanted but didn’t get. (Cleveland.com, 6/30/21)
- Personally, I think a similar trajectory may play out with another budget provision hailed upon first passage: changes to the state’s CEO-style academic distress paradigm. (Elyria Chronicle, 6/28/21) For ADC haters, those changes are initially being hailed as an unequivocal “win”. And indeed, it seems that more authority will be returned to the elected school districts in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland. Initially. For me, it seems that there’s some fine print in there that might not be so “winning” down the line. (WKBN-TV, Youngstown, 6/29/21)
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