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The letter and the spirit of the law
In the midst of a piece on Columbus City Schools’ effort to right-size their facilities footprint, the editorial board of the Columbus Dispatch seemed to give full understanding to districts that wish to flout state law and deny charter schools the opportunity to acquire their underutilized buildings due to concerns over "competition". This thinking is counter to everything the ed board wants and, if followed by district leaders, would ensure increasingly-inefficient use of dozens of properties and the continued waste of millions of taxpayer dollars annually.
New charter coming to the Dublin area
No such facilities problems for the Heart of Ohio Classical Academy, getting ready to open this August in the northerly part of Columbus just outside of Dublin. That’s because school leaders are redeveloping a long-empty office building there rather than trying to wrest a purpose-built (but also long-empty) building from the hands of a school district. (By the time folks in the area learned that a charter was going in, it was way too late to NIMBY it into oblivion.) Best wishes to HOCA students, families, teachers, and staff for a great inaugural year!
Supporting charter school students to success
Five charter schools will become the first to join the Center for High School Success effort in Washington State. The long-standing goal of the group is to substantially increase the number of ninth graders who are on-track for graduation within four years. Partner schools are provided with coaching, peer learning opportunities, data analysis, training, and tools and resources to better support incoming freshman to achieve and succeed throughout high school. Kudos to Washington for recognizing charter school students as deserving of these vital programs and resources.
Authorizers matter
Karega Rausch, president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, published a piece in The 74 this week, highlighting the importance of authorizers (sponsors) in the success of charter students, especially via accountability systems. “My organization has seen time and time again,” he writes, “that a strong authorizer will have a strong accountability system, which in turn creates a greater number of students achieving at high levels and a shrinking number of kids learning below grade level.” He concludes by saying that “the combination of authorizing, accountability and innovation almost always creates the results education professionals and families so desperately crave — improved student learning.” An important lesson.
New Fordham report
The Fordham Institute’s latest report examines a key implementation step in Ohio’s effort to enshrine the Science of Reading as the law of the land: Creating a state-approved list of high-quality literacy curricula and instructional materials. It includes detailed data on curricula currently being used by charters across the state in addition to great info on the state’s progress toward implementing the new literacy provisions. Check it out!
Medicaid in Schools changes on the horizon
Passage of the last state budget bill (HB 33) set off a process to review and update the state’s Medicaid Schools Program, to further Governor DeWine’s support of schools and investment in children’s health. Potential changes to the program, to begin with the 2025-26 school year, are currently under review, and could direct federal funding to support qualifying health care services that schools are already providing. It’s not too late for interested charter leaders to review and provide feedback on these changes. More information can be found here, including an email contact to ask questions and submit comments.
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