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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Monday, March 17, 2008
Kids Count is first sanctioned charter sponsor
Mary Taylor
A Dayton-based charter school sponsor is the first in Ohio to face sanctions under a new law that penalizes charters and their overseers for financial record keeping failures. Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor on Monday gave the Columbus-based Montessori Renaissance Experience charter school 90 days to submit proper financial documents that can be audited or the state will cease all funding, she said in a statement.
The ability to cut off funds is a new option for the state that came as part of a law that was passed by lawmakers last year. The new law also brings consequences for charter school sponsors.
Kids Count of Dayton, Inc., which sponsors nine schools around the state, was given 45 days by Taylor to submit a written plan to assist the school to prepare its documents for an audit. Kids Count also is prevented from opening any new charter schools as long as Montessori Renaissance Experience’s books remain unauditable.
Efforts to reach representatives of Kids Count for comment were unsuccessful. Kids Count also is the sponsor for the Richard Allen charter schools, including two of Dayton’s highest scoring elementary schools.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Charter Schools and School Choice
Strickland rips Zelman; Wick responds
Gov. Ted Strickland and Susan Zelman
Wow. In a meeting with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s editorial board last week, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland made plain what he hinted at in his state of the state speech in February — he is not a big fan of state school Superintendent Susan Zelman.
The Enquirer reported that Strickland absolutely ripped Zelman, saying she was not a good manager, had no vision for education and describing her as “an academician, a psychometrician, a statistician.” Ouch.
Strickland said he wants a visionary leader in the mold of Eric Fingerhut over the education department. Fingerhut is a former Democratic legislator that Strickland appointed to lead the state’s system of colleges after the legislature gave him control over Ohio’s universities.
Carl Wick, a state school board member from Centerville, E-mailed me to say he felt Strickland’s comments were very inappropriate and he shared with me a letter he mailed to the governor on Friday. Here is Wick’s response to Strickland’s comments:
March 14, 2008
Governor Ted Strickland
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108
Dear Governor Strickland,
This letter is an expression of my opinion and not necessarily the opinion of other State Board of Education members.
You made brutally critical comments about Dr. Susan Zelman yesterday to the Cincinnati Enquirer. This greatly disturbs me. This approach is not dignified, virtuous or professional.
Having said this, the State Board of Education, made up of an assortment of Ohio citizens, many of which voted for you including some Rs serving on the board, supports Dr. Zelman. Her last appraisal had 100% board support. There are good reasons for this support. Can we all be wrong?
We know Dr. Zelman has shortcomings, which we all have, but she has been the single catalyst in improving and moving Ohio public education forward. Ohio was in the middle of the states but is now ranked 7th. May I ask, “How do you think we got there?”
I’m certain you’ve carefully calculated and decided to make the comments to the newspaper. Your goal is certainly not to establish collaboration with Dr. Zelman or to establish a relationship with the State Board. This is sad because, in my opinion, it could have been favorably productive for you.
Sincerely,
Carl Wick
Member, Ohio Board of Education
Permalink | Comments (32) | Categories: Schools and Politics
