Vaccination station
Lt. Governor Jon Husted and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria visited KIPP Columbus—a top charter school—this week to showcase and celebrate the Covid vaccine clinic underway at the school, reaching out to older teens and their families alike.
A timely message
The Fordham Institute’s Mike Petrilli and New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association’s Harry Lee published an op-ed this week highlighting recent research that shows once again that charter schools do not “take money away” from children who attend traditional district schools nor do they impact those students academically. This message is especially timely since National Charter Schools Week begins May 9!
Timely survey results
Baldwin Wallace University’s Community Research Institute released new survey results this week, looking at parental attitudes toward school and education quality in the city of Cleveland. Topline findings: 84 percent of respondents were “extremely” or “somewhat” satisfied with their child’s education and 79 percent were “extremely” or “somewhat” likely to recommend their child’s school to other parents. However, when asked what respondents would recommend to a family with school-aged children, 14 percent chose a Catholic or other religious school, 10 percent chose a charter school, and 9 percent chose a district school—the same percentage of respondents who would recommend the family move to a suburban area. More details, including a number of pandemic-related education findings, make it worth a look.
The view from West Virginia, Colorado
The West Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a lawsuit challenging the rejection of the state’s first charter school applicant, West Virginia Academy, by two traditional school districts. which last year proposed a new school serving Monongalia and Preston counties. There are a number of issues to be adjudicated, including whether the districts followed proper procedures and whether the state’s Department of Education should have stepped in to the fracas. Meanwhile, new legislation introduced in Colorado would likely allow for a new district-approval process for charter school applicants that would be a huge step backward for Centennial State charters. Hearings are ongoing.
Ohio state budget, school funding plan updates
Senate committee hearings on HB 110, the next biennial budget, continued this week. The bill already included many education-related provisions, but the amendment of the Cupp-Patterson school funding plan into the bill in the House makes it a must-watch for charter advocates. The Dispatch does a nice job covering where things stand, including on charter schools.
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