- Several folks have a big problem with changes to value-add calculations proposed in the education MBR bill which passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate. We couldn’t agree more, as we noted in this week’s Ohio Gadfly. (Gongwer Ohio)
- The MBR is also on the minds of folks in Cleveland; specifically, a provision that would extend EdChoice Scholarship eligibility to some Cleveland students for the first time under specific conditions. We’ll see if that one survives the Senate. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Budget forecasting in Akron is complicated by two factors: the state’s new counting methods, going into use next year, and the continued loss of students to vouchers/charters/etc. Still no one asking why the kids are leaving in the first place and what might be done to stop it. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- Very twisty story here regarding the impending closure of a charter school in Akron. White Hat/former White Hat/copywriting of names/moving from building to building/the impending Ohio Supreme Court case/etc. Why did it close? Very simple: not enough students to remain financially viable. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- The influence of the Beacon Journal is outsized these days in the Ohio ed reform world. This observation is reinforced by this editorial from the Salem News, a paper I have never heard of before, which is based in part on the Sunshine Week blitz by ABJ staff and some journalism students on charter school openness and accountability. (Salem News)
