- The State Auditor (that guy!) released a financial performance audit of Cincinnati City Schools earlier this week. He’s got a recommendation or two to help the district save $11 million. Our own Chad Aldis is quoted helpfully as encouraging the district to do so. (WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, 9/10/16)
- The Florida NAACP and teachers unions have challenged Florida’s voucher programs in court. The ongoing case is covered pretty thoroughly in this piece from The 74. Fordham’s Chad Aldis was a prime mover in Florida’s voucher programs before coming to Ohio and is quoted in this interesting and detailed piece. (The 74 Million blog, 9/13/16)
- Speaking of court cases, the ongoing kerfuffle between Ohio’s largest online school and the state department of education over the parameters and definitions of an attendance audit has made it to court with a couple days of testimony so far this week. You can check out Day One details here… (Columbus Dispatch, 9/12/16) …and here (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 9/12/16, with video!). Day Two coverage is here. (Columbus Dispatch, 9/13/16)
- Back in the real world, Columbus City Schools’ board of education may decide next week to sell off as many as 13 closed unused district-owned properties, including a number of closed buildings. The best part about this story: no mention (positively or negatively) that charter schools will get right of first refusal on any buildings put up for sale. (Columbus Dispatch, 9/13/16)
- The Cleveland Transformation Alliance this week released its annual update on the progress of the Cleveland Plan. As in previous years, there are signs of improvement, although not enough and not quickly enough. The findings, they say, are cause for cautious optimism…and a Yes vote on November’s levy renewal. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 9/13/16)
- After reading this account of yesterday’s Youngstown School Board meeting, you may well be convinced that nothing at all occurred which had anything to do with running a school district to benefit children. (Youngstown Vindicator, 9/14/16) However, this account (with some video) shows that a group of district bus drivers and at least one district were there to provide first-hand testimony as to the ongoing transportation woes in the district as they saw it. (WKBN-TV, Youngstown, 9/13/16)
