For the past year, Ohio policymakers have been grappling with the issue of deregulating public schools. But what does deregulation mean--and how should policymakers go about doing it?
In this new report--authored by Education First’s Paolo DeMaria, Brinton S. Ramsey, and Susan R. Bodary--the Fordham Institute calls for a sweeping deregulation agenda. By cutting through the red tape, on-the-ground leaders will be empowered to recruit, develop, and manage a high-performing staff; innovate new models for education; and custom-tailor their educational approach to the unique needs of students.
The suggestions for commonsense reform include:
- Eliminate seniority as a consideration in layoffs of nonteaching employees;
- Expand opportunities for schools to use non-licensed individuals;
- Eliminate districts’ ability to collectively bargain away inherent management rights, including the right to assign staff;
- Eliminate any structural requirements on teacher salary schedules; and
- Allow districts to remove teachers, including tenured ones, if they are evaluated ineffective for more than two years.
The report also recommends the creation of a simple process that allows district boards to waive certain state regulations and the formation of a high-level working group that would identify and evaluate ideas for further deregulatory action.
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If you have questions about the book, please email Aaron Churchill.
