New support for Ohio students
State legislators and Governor DeWine are being lauded for providing $5 million over the next two years to traditional district, charter, and private schools serving girls in grades six through twelve to help provide free feminine hygiene products for their students. Thanks to bipartisan support for a provision in the recently-passed state budget, the first two million dollars will go directly to schools to purchase dispensers for the products and the remainder will be used to provide reimbursements to schools for products purchased to stock the dispensers.
Summertime is not idle time
A group of rising freshmen from Breakthrough Schools in Cleveland spent part of their summer break getting a hands-on, clinical experience thanks to a partnership with University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. The four-day program gave students an opportunity to learn about and participate in procedures in pulmonology, neurology, sports medicine, dentistry, and nutrition, among other medical specialties. Nice!
Ready to hit the road?
The Columbus Dispatch checked in this week with Columbus City Schools officials to try and answer the question “Are you ready for the new school year?” Especially in terms of transportation. Given the longstanding troubles parents and students have experienced in that realm over the years, most readers will likely not be surprised that the answer seems to be “Not yet.” Meanwhile, Cleveland Metropolitan School District officials are touting the return of yellow bus service for students attending seventh and eighth grade in the district after many years without it. Unfortunately, those officials take the opportunity to cite provision of busing to charter and private school students as the reason why they did not have the resources to offer busing to them before. What’s changed? A surfeit of Covid-relief money burning a hole in their bank account, it seems.
Speaking of transportation
As we noted early in July, a new Nevada law allowed charter schools to apply for transportation funding from the state for the first time. Last week, the first three applications were approved, providing $286,000 to offer bus service to families for the upcoming school year. More awards will follow soon, state officials reported. The largest recipient, Futuro Academy in Las Vegas, noted that lack of transportation is the most common reason cited for absences and for student withdrawal from the school. Now, they have the means to serve students themselves to lower absenteeism and keep students in school. Also happening in Nevada this year: Pay raises for charter school teachers. While recent legislation boosting teacher pay applies only to districts, charter officials across the Silver State report directing a large portion of a new general funding increase to toward pay raises for their teachers.
Literature teacher says…
Deaunna Watson is a TFA alum; a former charter school teacher; and currently the director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Mercy Montessori School in Cincinnati. She has a lot to say in this EdSurge piece about the value of literature—especially Black literature—for young Black students today. I was especially taken by the discussion of her experience as a teacher at a charter school in Dayton some years ago where leadership listened to and acted on her concerns to better serve their students.
Legislation is often an imprecise instrument
Charter school supporters can attest that legislation intended to change the status quo and shift the traditional district-centric education system to better support choice often faces stiff opposition when enacted. There always seems to be a loophole that blunts efforts to improve transportation, funding, paperwork transfers, and many other mechanisms that charter and private schools depend on. The same thing appears to be happening in the Hoosier State right now, as Indianapolis Public Schools insist that their plan to bar charter operators from bidding on two unused school buildings for 30 days—while pitching them to other non-profit or government entities in that time frame—is totally cool. This despite a new state law meant to give charters right of first refusal (and a $1 sale price) on such sales.
Are you in the know?
Do you subscribe to the monthly email newsletter from the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Community Schools? If not, you should! You’ll get important updates on requirements, regulations, and deadlines as well as more news you can use. You can become a new subscriber by clicking here.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
