- After last week’s presentation by ODE to the current Youngstown Academic Distress Commission, more details are emerging on what the future CEO-led district might look like. The prime question in this piece is whether the elected school board will be retained and what it’s duties might be. (Youngstown Vindicator, 8/2/15)
- It is clear that folks in Lorain – the only other Ohio school district currently under the aegis of an old-style Academic Distress Commission – are looking warily at Youngstown for a glimpse of their possible future. This weird hybrid opinion piece/fact roundup is equal parts hope (“The district is pinning its hopes in Dr. Jeff Graham, who started Aug. 1 as the new Lorain City Schools superintendent.”) and propaganda (“We can’t think of anyone who would want to see Lorain Schools viewed in the same light as the struggling Youngstown City School District…”). But its authors are oddly optimistic about their own chances of avoiding state takeover (“We support any and all efforts to re-energize the struggling Lorain Schools.”) while simultaneously jumping the gun and erroneously reporting that Youngstown’s elected school board has already been disbanded. Almost as if the piece was written by a divided group. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 7/31/15)
- No such waffling by editors in Columbus, who opine again (as if on repeat) against any attempt to “water down” evaluation methods for charter schools using the California “Similar Students Measure”. (Columbus Dispatch, 8/2/15).
- Speaking of charter schools, the still-pending HB 2 continues to generate discussion among legislators and stakeholders. Specifically, whether the recent exclusion of some low-performing charters from sponsor rankings – which caused local and nationwide hanky-twisting – might actually be legal under terms of the new legislation as it stands. (Columbus Dispatch, 7/31/15)
- The above-mentioned hanky-twisting is the topic of two editorials from the weekend. Editors in Akron opine in frustration that the state auditor (I know!) has decided not to launch a special investigation of ODE over it. (Akron Beacon Journal, 8/1/15). A Toledo Blade commentator goes one further and opines that Governor Kasich’s presidential run might be negatively impacted by it. (Toledo Blade, 8/1/15)
