- In case you missed it, editors in Columbus opined yesterday in favor of charter school operators opening their books for scrutiny of public dollars spent. They also opined on the possibility of merging the three charter law reform bills currently under discussion in the legislature, saying, “Lawmakers should end the era of charter-school mediocrity in Ohio by keeping the strongest elements among the three proposals and allowing real school choice to blossom.” Nice. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/2/15)
- Here is a list (and mini bios) of the nine candidates who have applied for the Interim Superintendent position in Youngstown City Schools. Not a bad list really. The all-lower-case headline makes it read almost like modern poetry. Good luck to everyone, and may the person with the most intestinal fortitude win. (Youngstown Vindicator, 6/2/15)
A roundup of news from Columbus City Schools over the last week requires liberal use of the number “0”:
- Installing wifi in all district buildings by the end of the 2015-16 school year will cost $4,600,000. You’d think this would indicate the district is flush with cash despite the 2013 levy defeat, but fear not: this is federal money they’re planning on using. (Columbus Dispatch, 5/31/15)
- Raises for teachers in each of the next two years were approved in contract negotiations this week. No projections on how much this will cost the district, but the money will come from $2,170,000 in estimated savings in the new contract, realized by the elimination of performance bonus programs (“gainsharing” and “Performance Advancement Systems”), the pursuit of which some say caused principals and administrators to alter attendance data and grades. So, instead of earning more money for demonstrated performance, more money will be given to everyone with the previous performance expectations back in place. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/1/15)
- Speaking of the data scrubbing scandal, the legal bills associated with investigation and defense of the district have reached at least $1,450,000, based on board-approved expenditures through the end of this year. More will likely be added to that total next year. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/3/15)
Buried at the bottom of that last Dispatch piece is this nugget of board business: “The board approved the sale of the former Franklinton Elementary to United Preparatory Academy for $505,000, its appraised value. United operates four charter schools in Columbus. The building, about seven blocks west of COSI in Franklinton, is 29,678 square feet and sits on 1.04 acres. United was the only bidder.
Franklinton Elementary is the fourth vacant school building that the district has sold to charters since March.” Congrats to U Prep and here’s to a great first year in your new home!
- And speaking of charters, Imagine Columbus Primary Academy on the north side replaced 95 percent of its governing board this week when all but one of them resigned. And the one remaining holdover is probably not long for charter school governance either. What’s the issue? Ongoing strife between board and management company over their building lease, teacher turnover, and “adequate services for students”. There’s not a lot to go on here, but it does sound like a mess. The school’s current sponsor is investigating and weighing action up to and including closing the school permanently. However, if the details in the story are accurate, it appears that this whole situation could have been avoided if the charter law reforms noted in the Big D’s editorial above were already in place. Specifically, those provisions designed to stop “sponsor-hopping” would likely have closed the school at least a year earlier. Fascinating. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/2/15)
