Charter school leaders call for more money for charters
Facing large funding discrepancies compared to local districts, charter leaders across the state are calling for state officials to give charter school students additional support in the upcoming state budget. Plain Dealer reporter Patrick O’Donnell has the story interviewing leaders on both sides of the issue.
Columbus charter founder counters funding claims
On Monday, the Columbus Dispatch published a letter to the editor from Andrew Boy, founder and CEO of the United Schools Network. Boy, writing in response to a February letter from Stephen Dyer suggesting charters receive more funding per pupil than districts, explains that charters do the same tough job as districts but with significantly less funding.
Richard Allen Schools under examination
The Dayton Daily News published an in-depth piece this week on the controversy surrounding Richard Allen Schools, its Superintendent Michelle Thomas (who is part of a group that owes the state $2.2 million), and its former management company, the Institute of Management and Resources. Upon hearing that the schools are still under the control of Thomas, Senate Education Chair Peggy Lehner said, “I find this information extremely troubling, and I, along with a number of other entities within the state, will continue to look into this.”
Legislative update
Education issues were mostly quiet this week at the Statehouse. That’ll change next week when Governor DeWine is expected to introduce his budget. Bills were recently introduced to require schools to forward student records within five days when a student transfers, allow teachers to take a state income tax credit for purchasing school supplies, and prohibit districts from reducing student transportation mid-year. None of the newly introduced bills had bill hearings this week.
School Performance Institute workshop
Are you a school leader interested in helping your team to build their capacity to lead and implement change? Then you should check out the School Performance Institute’s upcoming workshops on March 28th and April 12th. You’ll have an opportunity to visit a high-performing charter school during a school day (to observe how the school has been purposefully designed to get results in a high-poverty context using proven methods) and discuss concrete ways to apply these ideas in your own school. You can register here, if interested, or contact John A. Dues for more information.
