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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Appeals court will hear OGT case
In a bit of a surprise, a three judge panel from the Second District Court of Appeals will hear Thurgood Marshall High School parent Donald Domineck’s request for an injunction to stop graduation ceremonies this weekend unless his daughter and others who have not passed all parts of the Ohio Graduation Test are allowed to participate.
The court could have rejected the appeal without a hearing, which is what many expected given Judge Frances McGee’s ruling in common pleas court that Domineck had not presented “one scintilla of evidence” to support his daughter’s case during a hearing she held.
But instead, the panel will hear arguments from Domineck, acting again as his own attorney, and the school board for 15 minutes each in a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The judges said they will treat Domineck’s request for an appeal as a motion for an injunction to stop graduation pending an appeal.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Zelman out as state superintendent
Susan Zelman
The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Ohio superintendent of instruction Susan Zelman has resigned even though she does not yet have another job. She is a finalist for dean of education at the University of Oregon.
So now the search begins for Zelman’s replacement. Who might replace her? The state board of education already has begun the search process. Here are some names I’ve heard might be in the mix:
—Frances Strickland, first lady of Ohio. It was pointed out to me that Gov. Ted Strickland’s wife has a doctorate in educational psychology and worked in public schools for years. She is also known to be a key adviser to the governor on education issues. But could she really be considered for state superintendent?
Strickland’s spokesman Keith Daily told me no. “The first lady has no interest in pursuing the position of superintendent. She enjoys being first lady of the state of Ohio,” he said.
—Gene Sanders, Cleveland school superintendent. Sanders had a successful six-year run in Toledo before moving to Cleveland in 2006. His administration there has been generally well received.
—Gene Harris, Columbus school superintendent. Since 2001, Harris has guided Columbus schools and is personally liked by many people in Columbus.
—Steve Burigana, chief operating officer for the Ohio Department of Education. Burigana formerly worked with the Industrial Commission of Ohio before being brought in to manage the state’s charter school office. He is well regardered and has quickly moved up within the education department’s ranks.
Who else should be on the list? Let me know what you’ve heard by posting a comment.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Schools and Politics
Luckie: This is how charters should work
Clayton Luckie
State Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton and a former city school board member, sent out a letter today praising a new partnership between Dayton Public Schools and East End Community Community School.
Luckie is a huge charter school critic, but he says charters can work under this model. Here’s his letter:
May 27, 2008
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the article by Scott Elliott (“Dayton Public Schools to absorb East End charter school,” May 21, 2008) announcing the absorption of East End Community School by the Dayton Public School District. This is a prime example of how charter schools and public schools can operate harmoniously.
This merger is truly a win-win situation: East End will move into a brand new building - built by Dayton Public Schools - and will continue to operate independently. The Dayton Public Schools Board, though, will monitor the school closely as the quality control for what happens in the classroom, and the enrollment will count for DPS for school funding purposes. Overall, the merger itself will result in a symbiotic relationship for both entities and positive outcomes for the students and the community.
I congratulate the Dayton Public School District on this breakthrough in education for Ohio. This partnership will no doubt lead the way for many other similar relationships between charter schools and public school districts, ultimately improving the quality of education across our great state.
Sincerely,
Clayton R. Luckie (D-Dayton)
State Representative
39th House District
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High School busing: Here we go again
A few months ago,I was speaking to Mayor Rhine McLin and Commissioner Nan Whaley at a joint city commission-school board meeting and when the issue of high school busing came up.
They went out of their way to say that the deal that saved high school busing this year — $2 million raised primarily from the city, county and RTA — was very unlikely to continue and that the school board would need to find another way to fund busing next year.
Well, the pressure is on to find a solution.
As with last year, the school board says it cannot afford high school busing. Without the district’s RTA contract, kids would have to pay out of their own pockets to get to school, sending thousands more kids through downtown on RTA buses rather than riding special RTA routes designed to pick kids up and take them directly to school.
This is a scenario that last year the city, school district and downtown business simply could not stomach. That’s how the compromise solution ultimate was forged — to avoid that reality. But school board President Yvonne Isaacs said the district has no takers so far when it has asked for support to keep the deal in place next year.
Here’s the longer version of the story I wrote about this for today’s paper:
A five-year financial forecast approved by the city school board Tuesday assumes there will be no high school busing after June 30.
“If I would put it in the forecast, we couldn’t afford it,” Treasurer Stan Lucas said. “I couldn’t certify this forecast.”
The district cut high school busing last year after its 15.17-mill levy was defeated but the service was revived after community concerns were raised about truancy and potential problems with large numbers of kids congregating downtown for transfers on regular bus routes.
In the end, Montgomery County, the city of Dayton and the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority shared the $2 million cost of restoring busing for 5,600 public and charter high school students.
Board President Yvonne Isaacs said Tuesday, May 27, those groups will be asked about helping with busing costs again next year but has no firm commitments.
“We cannot afford it and we are appealing to the community for help,” Isaacs said. “We’re talking to anybody we can. We want to find a solution.”
The district projects that it will finish the school year on June 30 while carrying over just a slim $1.7 million to 2008-09, or less than 1 percent of its spending over the past 12 months. Just three years ago, the district carried over $45 million from the prior year, but much of that money was spent to close budget shortfalls following the levy defeat in 2007. Lucas said a 10 percent cash reserve is ideal and less than 5 percent is unusual for most businesses and organizations.
The district overspent its revenue this year, but only by a narrow $27,000 on a core budget of $171.4 million. Lucas said Dayton benefitted from Gov. Ted Strickland’s push for additional poverty aid to school districts, which brought an extra $4.8 million this year. Dayton spent about 78 percent of its budget on salaries and benefits, 14 percent on purchased services and 4 percent on supplies.
Looking forward, the forecast projects revenue to grow slightly over the next five years to about $181 million in 2012 for the core budget unless a levy is passed. Spending is projected to grow to about $185 million by 2012.
An additional $50 million in state aid is diverted to support 7,500 students attending charters and using vouchers for private schools.
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