A solution…
After weeks of questions, concerns, protests, and petitions, Dayton City Schools’ problematic-sounding transportation plan for charter and private school students was dropped…because the district decided to conduct classes fully online for the first nine weeks of the school year. This piece makes clear that the district’s yellow buses would be for the sole use of whatever schools of choice are in operation during that period.
…of sorts
But the question remains as to whether and who any of those schools might be. Dayton Early College Academy (DECA), one of the more vocal opponents of the district’s proposed transportation plan, announced this week that they too will be conducting classes online only for the first quarter of the school year.
More charter news from Dayton
The Dayton Business Journal this week told us of a proposed $15 million Ohio grant program for charter schools to implement distance learning and community education. DECA is discussed as a possible recipient, and both its performance index score and graduation rates are discussed positively. NOTE: DBJ content is exclusively for subscribers so Ohio Charter Newsletter readers may not be able to access the full text of the piece.
Online charter schools boosting enrollment, hiring
Meanwhile, Ohio’s two largest virtual schools this week reported a huge boost in inquiries and enrollment and have ramped up their recruiting of new teachers accordingly. The same enrollment surge is being seen in neighboring Pennsylvania—so much so that waiting lists are growing there.
Brass tacks
Citizens for Community Values, an advocacy organization that supports school choice, has launched a series of informational videos for parents, including a very basic—but probably quite necessary—one titled “What is a charter school?”, released this week.
Non-pandemic news you can use
The July 2020 edition of Legal Update has been published on the website of Buckeye Charter School Boards Inc. One important topic covered is the recently-passed Ohio House Bill 164 and how it impacts charter school board members. You can read that and all of this year’s legal update releases here.
