- The State Board of Ed met this week. What were they talking about? Among other things: fixing an “error” around new end-of-course tests for social studies classes, substitute assessments related to AP/IB students, and dropout recovery programs. (Gongwer Ohio)
- Why yes, there is a statewide race for Attorney General in Ohio going on. Why do you ask? Probably because the Democratic candidate was talking about education funding to a group of retired teachers this week. Gongwer’s coverage is probably closest to the intent of the challenger’s comments: equating the fight against drug abuse in schools with the fight against the "…‘system-wide debacle’ of charter schools”, both of which he says the incumbent is ignoring to the detriment of children. (Gongwer Ohio). The Dispatch sticks only to the charter school angle, getting wonkily down to a specific issue regarding an upcoming State Supreme Court case. (Columbus Dispatch). Interestingly, the Plain Dealer takes a totally different tack, noting that candidate Pepper decried the state education funding system as unconstitutional but also noting that as Attorney General he’d have to defend it should any challenges come up. Ain’t politics fun? (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- We’ve been following the Keystone Kops-like quest for paperwork in Mansfield that kept potentially dozens of kids from starting school on time after their charter school closed. (Three weeks in and at least 20 high school students are still not enrolled.) However, administrators may finally have realized that getting all those kids on the books means more money to the district. And you know what that means? Hiring more teachers! (Mansfield News Journal)
- How much does it cost to hire new teachers when your enrollment goes up like that? The folks in Youngstown don’t know because they hire more teachers (and aides and administrators too) when they continue to lose kids. To the tune of $2.5 million additional in staff expenses against an enrollment drop of approximately 700 students. Yowza. (Youngstown Vindicator)
- Two school districts in Northeast Ohio have voted to start school even earlier next year. Before my good friends in the “start school later in the day or kids might die!!!!!!” movement get overheated, I mean that Euclid and Willoughby-Eastlake schools will start their school calendar earlier in the year for 2015-16. In all seriousness, the reason is that they believe that with the more-difficult PARCC assessments coming at them, “we would be remiss if we didn’t take advantage of as many instructional days as we can.” (Willoughby News Herald)
- How did Perrysburg’s new opt-in performance-pay-for-teachers plan work last year? This overview is interesting and informative, but also leaves a lot of room for speculation. Fascinating. (Toledo Blade/OurTown Perrysburg)
