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An even brighter story
Last week, we talked about the grand opening of Breakthrough Schools’ brand new gymnasium space, added on to its Woodland Hills campus on Cleveland’s east side. Today, we hear the story of Larry Orwin, a Chagrin Falls resident and Friends of Breakthrough board member, who put everything on the line to support the gym’s construction. Orwin ran two Badwater Ultramarathons—a grueling 135-mile race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in California—to raise money for the school’s efforts. He didn’t finish either time but still raised $250,000 in pledges, covering nearly 10 percent of the total cost. Amazing and inspirational!
Setting the stage…again
Following up on another story: Oklahoma’s Statewide Charter School Board last week rejected a proposal for a Jewish-affiliated virtual charter school, citing the state Supreme Court’s previous decision that ruled a state-funded religious school unconstitutional. Coincidentally, the Washington Post recently included Nicole Stelle Garnett, one of the attorneys who argued the previous Oklahoma case to a stalemate at the U.S. Supreme Court last year, as one of their 50 People to Watch list. Fun fact: Garnett was also part of the legal team that argued the Zelman v. Simmons-Harris case at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the Cleveland Scholarship voucher program constitutional back in 2002.
Increasing accountability
South Carolina Senate Education Committee Chair Greg Hembree is sponsoring a bill to, among other things, increase “clarification and oversight” of charter schools in the state to prevent “conflicts of interest, misspending, and other issues”. The charter school system “is not a baby anymore,” Hembree said during sponsor testimony on the bill. “It’s a fully grown program in South Carolina, and it’s going to grow some more.” The bill was reported favorably by the committee last year but languished for a bit after that. Senate Bill 454 was approved by the Senate last week on a 33-4 vote, and will soon be taken up in the House Education and Public Works Committee.
Absorption awaits
At least five charter schools in Chicago are facing financial woes…maybe more when the fiscal dust is fully settled. Their sponsor, the Chicago Public School District, seems inclined to either let them all close and/or be “absorbed” into district rather than put forth a plan that would allow them to continue even with the limited independence they have previously enjoyed.
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