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Education governance in Ohio finally changes
Last Friday, a Franklin County magistrate allowed the temporary restraining order which had been stopping the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) from fully starting up to expire. The court case to undo the DEW will still go on, but the magistrate agreed with the state’s contention that too much chaos would result if the DEW/ODE overlap was allowed to sit unresolved any longer. “I am thrilled that the restraining order has been dissolved and we can focus on the important work of moving forward to help our kids be better prepared for life after high school,” said Governor Mike DeWine in a statement following the ruling. Jessica Voltolini was appointed to serve as interim director. She began her important work on Monday.
One step closer
Southeast Ohio Classical Academy (SOCA) got one step closer to opening a new charter school in Hocking County last week when county commissioners voted on SOCA’s request to access tax-exempt bonds from the Public Finance Authority. There was opposition from the public aired during the meeting—focused around negative opinions of school choice generally and of charters specifically—but Commissioner Sandra Ogle spoke for her colleagues by saying, “I gave this a lot of thought, and what I’m thinking is, it gives people choices and options.” The vote to approve the school’s request was unanimous.
The national view
Interestingly, EdWeek was talking about charter school facilities funding this week, highlighting some ongoing (and familiar) struggles in states and cities across the country. However, Ohio was mentioned in a brief positive note (along with Indiana and Oklahoma) regarding states that allow charters to tap state aid for building projects.
More growth
Charter schools continue their steady pace of growth in West Virginia, with two new schools currently applying to open next fall. One of those, Wisdom Academy, held an event last week in Morgantown to introduce itself to the public. The school will be partnered with both Salem University and the Iqra Educational Foundation and will focus on “preparing students for a changing world, particularly around technology” and digital literacy. School leaders and members of the West Virginia Professional Charter Board all noted the robust attendance at the event, which they took as indication of strong public interest in seeing the proposed school come to fruition.
The benefits of a rural charter school
Prairie View Community School opened this fall in tiny Chugwater, Oklahoma (population 175), following the closure of the town’s sole district school in the spring. The news outlet Youth Today took a look at how the small local effort shows the benefits not only of rural charters but also the recent change to charter approval rules in Oklahoma, moving approvals away from traditional districts and to the Statewide Charter School Board. The families of Chugwater seem to be thriving in their new normal.
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