education
Student religious liberty bill passes Senate, heads back to House with COVID-19 amendments
Update 6/11/20 The Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 164 with all the amendments added in the Senate. A bill originally introduced to expand student religious expression in schools was unanimously passed Wednesday by the Ohio Senate with numerous COVID-19-related amendments impacting schools next fall. The bill was considered twice this week in the Senate […]
Legislators ask for increased public school funding in next appropriations bill
The members of the Democratic caucus of the Ohio Legislature are calling on their U.S. Congress counterparts to bring more funding to the state’s public school systems. In a letter sent this week to the Ohio Congressional Delegation, the state legislators asked that U.S. representatives and senators push for education funding in the next appropriations […]
Licensed preschools, child care allowed to reopen
The Ohio Department of Education has allowed the reopening of licensed preschools and child care programs with enhanced health guidelines to avoid coronavirus spread. The Ohio Department of Health amended an order that originally closed all K-12 schools, including preschools and child care centers. In amending the original order, signed by Health Director Dr. Amy […]
Ohio Senate committee discusses future of Ohio’s K-12 education
An Ohio Senate committee brought representatives from several education groups together to discuss what school districts will need to start the new school year in the fall. The Senate Finance Committee held a panel discussion Tuesday, in which they heard from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, the Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of […]
Ohio Supreme Court says takeover of schools was constitutional
The Ohio Supreme Court deemed the takeover of certain academically distressed school districts constitutional in a 5-2 Wednesday decision. The split decision saw two justices only concurring in part, and two justices dissenting. The decision revolved around House Bill 70, passed in 2015, which allowed schools districts and community schools to create “community learning centers” […]
Teachers celebrated ‘Appreciation Week’ at home. Then DeWine cut their funding.
John Wells has a purpose for showing his language arts students the movie “Mean Girls” in class. He does so to teach the storytelling device of irony, sharing familiar examples in pop culture: from Batman and Shakespeare. As such, when the Mt. Healthy High School teacher learned of Gov. Mike DeWine’s plan to cut hundreds […]
Hundreds of millions in budget cuts to hit all areas of education
The education parts of the $775 million in budget cuts Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced will cover everything from line items at school districts, to an across the board cut to the state share of instruction in higher education. During a press call on Wednesday, Kimberly Murnieks, director of the state’s Office of Budget […]
Legislators seek delay in school forecasts as cuts to education announced
House Democrats want to give school districts temporary relief from planning their economic future while the state plans multi-million-dollar cuts to education. In a new bill, introduced this week by state Rep. Lisa Sobecki, D-Toledo, and state Rep. Joe Miller, D-Amherst, school districts would have a 30-day extension on submitting the required five-year economic projections. […]
Ohio schools overcoming challenges, making the best of coronavirus closures
Distance learning and full-time online education have become the new norm for Ohio’s schools as students and teachers adhere to state stay-at-home orders and school closures. The challenges the schools are as diverse as the creativity has been to keep students engaged, and parents informed. “Our teachers probably are working as hard if not harder […]
‘The biggest feeling is sadness.’ With classes canceled, teachers try to keep teaching
It has already become a stale Facebook meme: “Homeschooling is going well. Two students suspended for fighting and one teacher fired for drinking on the job.” A week ago it was worth a chuckle; today it more likely elicits a strained, “Tell me about it!” Parents need to be parents, not substitute teachers or digital lesson […]
Ballot issues on hold amid election day confusion
As the pause in the election continues, cities and school districts are left hanging on whether the funding they have asked for from voters will be coming. More than half of the Ohio counties have municipal or school issues on the ballot. In Franklin County, that includes a renovation and improvement bond issue from Columbus […]
Bipartisan bill coming to make charter schools nonprofit, public
Two House members have come together with a bill looking to make charter schools more accountable to taxpayers. The “Community (Charter) School Operator Accountability Act” aims to take for-profit charter schools and require them to become nonprofits, and make records of their spending subject to public scrutiny and audit. “By removing that profit incentive, it’s […]