The ESC BRIDGE
Bridging Resources, Information, and Data from
Government and Education
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 1, 2013
FEATURED NEWS
HOW BIG IS OHIO'S BUDGET INVESTMENT IN SCHOOLS? COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Republicans who control the legislature almost immediately touted the school-funding plan they
passed as part of the state budget on Thursday as “the largest investment in public education in
a decade.” Yesterday, House Speaker William G. Batchelder went a step further, taking issue
with Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor’s assessment this month that the funding setup hadn’t
been fixed after four Ohio Supreme Court rulings declaring it unconstitutional.
KASICH SIGNS FY14-15 BUDGET, VETOES 22 ITEMS HANNAH
Gov. John Kasich Sunday night signed the FY14-15 budget, HB59 (Amstutz), vetoing 22 items
including the language prohibiting the extension of Medicaid as well as the additional funding for
nursing facilities. In addition, Kasich vetoed the Aerospace Research and Development Sales
Tax Exemption, the gold coin and metal bullion sales tax exemption, changes to the Historic
Rehabilitation Tax Credit. He also vetoed the Workforce Development Program for the
Economically Disadvantaged as well as the language regarding changes to the "used and
useful" standard for a natural gas company to recover environmental remediation costs."
CHARTER SCHOOLS MAY REAP BENEFITS OF FUNDING BOOST FOR OHIO’S DISADVANTAGED
KIDS AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
A last-minute change this week in the Ohio legislature’s school-funding formula — more money
for disadvantaged students — sounded good, but turned out to be a shift in funds that is likely to
take money from traditional public schools and benefit charter schools. The change came as
members of the House and Senate met behind closed doors to resolve differences in their
versions of the two-year state budget. They added $52 million for disadvantaged children — but
they did it while cutting overall funding for education by about $25 million.
NATIONAL, FEDERAL AND US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
KEY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN RATE DOUBLES WASHINGTON POST
The interest rate on a key federal student loan doubled Monday, as expected, but it is unclear
whether Congress will allow the increase to stand before the new school year gets under way.
Federal law has set the rate for new subsidized Stafford loans at 6.8 percent, up from 3.4
percent. The subsidy means that these loans, for undergraduates with demonstrated financial
need, do not accrue interest while the students are in school. It is estimated that the rate hike
would add about $1,000 in interest over the life of a loan for many borrowers.
D.C. TO OVERHAUL NINTH GRADE, SEPARATING OUT STUDENTS WHO FAILED WASHINGTON
POST
D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson plans to overhaul the city’s approach to ninth-grade
education, separating out students who have already failed the first year of high school from
impressionable incoming freshmen. School officials hope the move will insulate new ninthgraders from the influence of older classmates who have begun to disengage from school. They
aim to nurture teens who are making the transition from middle to high school while also
providing meaningful alternatives to students who are repeating ninth grade for the second or
third time.
FEDERAL SEQUESTRATION WILL COST OHIO SCHOOLS $66 MILLION, STATE SAYS THE
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
Federal budget cuts known as the sequester will cost Ohio's school districts about $66 million in
federal aid for the 2013-14 school year, the Ohio Department of Education announced Monday.
The cuts will come as reductions required in the Budget Control Act of 2011 and other federal
budget adjustments take effect, forcing 5.2 percent cuts from 14 federal programs that serve
schools. They do not affect Race to the Top grants, which had money set aside before 2011.
OHIO LEGISLATION UPDATE (RECENT BILL ACTION IN RED)
130TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Introduced
HB 228 SCHOOL FUNDING (BRENNER A) To reform the system of funding elementary and
secondary education STATUS: Introduced
House
HB 1 OHIO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LAW (DERICKSON T, ROMANCHUK M) To
require a local workforce investment area to use OhioMeansJobs as the local workforce
investment area's job placement system, to rename county one-stop systems, and to make
other changes to Ohio's Workforce Development Law STATUS: Signed by Governor
HB 4 LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT GRANT PROGRAM
(STAUTBERG P, BLESSING III L) To establish the Local Government Performance
Measurement Grant Program STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House State & Local
Government Committee
HB 8 SCHOOL SAFETY LAWS (ROEGNER K, KUNZE S) To revise the school safety law
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 10 FISCAL TOWNSHIPS-MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS FISCAL OFFICERS (HAGAN C)
To establish education programs and continuing education requirements for the fiscal officers of
townships and municipal corporations, to establish procedures for removing those fiscal officers,
county treasurers, and county auditors from office STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House
State & Local Government Committee
HB 14 SCHOOL RECORDS-ABUSED-NEGLECTED-DEPENDENT CHILD (PELANDA D) With
respect to a school district's withholding or transfer to another district or school of the records of
a child who is alleged or adjudicated an abused, neglected, or dependent child. STATUS:
(Passed by House) Senate Education Committee – Reported out; Passed by Senate, Vote
32-0
HB 16 HEAD INJURIES-YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS (O'BRIEN S, HOTTINGER J) To
correct a cross reference with regard to concussions and head injuries in athletic activities
organized by youth sports organizations and to declare an emergency. STATUS: (Passed by
House) Referred to Senate Medicaid, Health & Human Services Committee
HB 17 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND (CERA J, GERBERRY R) To require that, for fiscal year
2014 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Local Government Fund must receive the same
proportion of state tax revenue that the Fund received in fiscal year 2005. STATUS: House
Finance & Appropriations Committee
HB 18 METAL DETECTORS-PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PATMON B) With respect to metal detectors
in public schools STATUS: House Education Committee
HB 30 EDUCATORS LETTERS OF ADMONISHMENT (JOHNSON T) Regarding letters of
admonishment to licensed educators STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education
Committee
HB 32 MINIMUM SCHOOL YEAR (HAYES B, PATMON B) To establish a minimum school year
for school districts, STEM schools, and chartered nonpublic schools based on hours, rather than
days, of instruction STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 50 CHILDREN'S' RIGHTS (HEARD T, MCGREGOR R) To protect the rights of children
before and during custodial interrogations STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Judiciary
Committee
HB 58 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERSHIP (GERBERRY R) To change the voting
membership of the State Board of Education STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House
Education Committee
HB 59 BIENNIAL BUDGET (AMSTUTZ R) To make operating appropriations for the biennium
beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2015; to provide authorization and conditions for
the operation of state programs STATUS: Signed by Governor
HB 96 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LAW (STRAHORN F) To eliminate
an exemption from the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Law for specified educational
employees STATUS: Referred to House Education Committee
HB 97 DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH (BRENNER A, LETSON T) To designate October as
"Dyslexia Awareness Month” STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate Education
Committee
HB 107 CAREER EXPLORATION INTERNSHIPS-TAX CREDIT (BAKER N) To authorize a tax
credit for businesses that employ high school students in career exploration internships
STATUS: Referred to House Ways & Means Committee
HB 111 STATE UNIVERSITIES-STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS (DUFFEY M, STINZIANO M)
To grant student members of the boards of trustees of state universities and the Northeast Ohio
Medical University voting power and the authority to attend executive sessions STATUS:
Referred to House Education Committee
HB 113 HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION (ANTONIO N, HENNE M) To specify that
school districts and chartered nonpublic schools may excuse from high school physical
education students who participate in a school-sponsored athletic club STATUS: Referred to
House Education Committee
HB 115 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BRIDGE FUND (SCHURING K) To create the Local
Government Bridge Fund for the purpose of providing grants to local governments up to the
reduced amount of funds the government received in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 from the Local
Government Fund STATUS: Referred to House Finance & Appropriations Committee
HB 127 CAREER-TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
MONTH (ADAMS R) To designate the month of March as "Career-Technical Education and
Skilled Workforce Development Month” STATUS: (Passed by House) Referred to Senate
Workforce and Economic Development Committee
HB 152 RIGHT TO WORK-PUBLIC EMPLOYEES (MAAG R) To remove any requirement under
the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Law that public employees join or pay dues to any
employee organization. STATUS: Referred to House State & Local Government Committee
HB 154 LOTTERY PROFITS-EDUCATION (GERBERRY R) To require that a portion of lottery
profits be distributed annually on a per pupil basis to public and chartered nonpublic schools
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Finance & Appropriations Committee
HB 158 NONREFUNDABLE TAX CREDITS-NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS (BRENNER A, PATMON
B) To authorize nonrefundable tax credits for donations to nonprofit entities providing
scholarships to low-income students enrolling in nonpublic schools
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 167 COMMUNITY SCHOOLS (HEARD T, GROSSMAN C) To authorize school districts with
an average daily membership greater than 60,000 and located in a city with a population greater
than 700,000 to levy property taxes, the revenue from which may be shared with partnering
community schools STATUS: (Passed by House) (Passed by Senate) House concurred
with Senate amendments Vote 78-17; Agreed to Emergency clause 76-19
HB 168 CERTIFIED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS (HAGAN C) To create a subprogram of
the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program that permits students to participate in certified
apprenticeship programs STATUS: Introduced
HB 171 RELEASED TIME COURSES-RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION (MCCLAIN J, PATMON B)
To permit public school students to attend and receive credit for released time courses in
religious instruction conducted off school property during regular school hours STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 175 OHIO STATE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE DATABASE (DOVILLA M) To require
the Treasurer of State to establish the Ohio State Government Expenditure Database STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to State & Local Government Committee
HB 178 SCHOOL SAFETY DRILLS (PHILLIPS D) To amend with respect to school safety drills
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 180 CARDIAC ARREST-YOUTH ACTIVITIES (PILLICH C) With regard to sudden cardiac
arrest in youth athletic activities STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Health & Aging
Committee
HB 181 PERSONAL IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION-STUDENT (BRENNER A) To prohibit
submission of a student's personal identifiable information to the federal government without
direct authorization of the local school board STATUS: Referred to House Education
Committee
HB 193 HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS (BRENNER A) To revise current high
school diploma requirements including state-administered assessments STATUS: Introduced;
Referred to House Education Committee
HB 209 FINISH FUND (RAMOS D) To create the Finish Fund and the Finish Reserve Fund to
provide grants to students who are nearing completion of their bachelor's degrees and display
financial need or hardship and to make an appropriation STATUS: Introduced; Referred to
House Finance & Appropriations Committee
HB 211 LOTTERY PROFITS EDUCATION FUND REPORT (WILLIAMS S) To require the
Director of the State Lottery Commission to prepare a report related to the Lottery Profits
Education Fund STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 215 SCHOOL SAFETY (DEVITIS A) To authorize a board of education or governing
authority of a school to enter into an agreement with a volunteer who is a current or retired law
enforcement officer to patrol school premises to prevent or respond to a mass casualty event
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House Education Committee
HB 216 SCHOOL INDEBTEDNESS (PATTERSON J) To forgive a school district's
indebtedness to the Solvency Assistance Fund upon its voluntary consolidation with another
district if specified conditions are satisfied STATUS: Introduced; Referred to House
Education Committee
HB 228 SCHOOL FUNDING (BRENNER A) To reform the system of funding elementary and
secondary education STATUS: Introduced
Senate
SB 1 OHIOMEANSJOBS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING LOAN FUND
(BEAGLE B, BALDERSON T) To create the OhioMeansJobs Workforce Development
Revolving Loan Fund, to create the OhioMeansJobs Workforce Development Revolving Loan
Program, to allocate a portion of casino license fees to finance the loan program, and to make
an appropriation. STATUS: (Passed by Senate) House Finance & Appropriations
Committee – Reported out; Passed by House, Vote 96-0; Senate concurred, Vote 32-0
SB 2 OHIO'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LAW (LEHNER P, BEAGLE B) To require a local
workforce investment area to use OhioMeansJobs as the local workforce investment area's job
placement system, to rename county one-stop systems, and to make other changes to Ohio's
Workforce Development Law STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Referred to House
Manufacturing and Workforce Development Committee
SB 11 SUMMER MEAL PROGRAMS (BROWN E) To require school districts to allow
alternative summer meal sponsors to use school facilities to provide food service for summer
intervention services under certain conditions. STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate
Medicaid, Health & Human Services Committee
SB 13 VETERANS-ACADEMIC CREDIT (GENTILE L) To enhance support and services for
veterans at state institutions of higher education and to require each institution to develop a
policy for awarding academic credit to veterans for training received while in the military
STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Public Safety, Local Government & Veterans
Affairs Committee
SB 15 EDUCATION FUNDING (SAWYER T) To prescribe a system and timeline for the
General Assembly to deliberate and determine the components and cost of a high quality public
primary and secondary education STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance
Committee
SB 21 THIRD-GRADE READING GUARANTEE (LEHNER P) To revise the requirements for
reading teachers under the Third-Grade Reading Guarantee STATUS: Signed by Governor
SB 26 HEAD INJURIES-YOUTH SPORTS (SCHAFFER T) To correct a cross reference with
regard to concussions and head injuries in athletic activities organized by youth sports
organizations and to declare an emergency STATUS: Signed by Governor
SB 31 INCOME TAX CREDIT-TEACHERS (SCHAFFER T) To allow a credit against the
personal income tax for amounts spent by teachers for instructional materials STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to Senate Ways & Means Committee
SB 35 SPECIAL ELECTIONS (JORDAN K) To eliminate the ability to conduct special elections
in February and August STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate State Government
Oversight & Reform Committee
SB 42 PROPERTY TAXES-SCHOOL SECURITY (MANNING G, GARDNER R) To authorize
school districts to levy a property tax exclusively for school safety and security purposes
STATUS: Passed by Senate, Vote 31-2; Referred to House Way & Means Committee
SB 59 EDUCATION ENERGY COUNCIL (BEAGLE B) To authorize an eligible regional council
of governments to establish itself as an education energy council for the purpose of issuing debt
to pay for school district energy purchases STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Public
Utilities Committee
SB 65 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LAW (TURNER N) To eliminate an
exemption from the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Law for specific educational
employees STATUS: Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee
SB 67 AUDIT PROCEDURE-POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS (PETERSON B) To create an
agreed-upon procedure audit for certain eligible political subdivisions and to eliminate the
Auditor of State's exemption from filing a rule summary and fiscal analysis with proposed rules.
STATUS: (Passed by Senate) Referred to House State and Local Government Committee
– Reported out as amended; Passed by House, Vote 61-34; Senate concurred
SB 69 COURSE AND PROGRAM SHARING NETWORK (BEAGLE B) To establish the Course
and Program Sharing Network and to make an appropriation STATUS: Introduced; Referred
to Senate Finance Committee
SB 72 TRIO PROGRAMS (TAVARES C) To make an appropriation for the provision of state
matching funds for federal TRIO programs at Ohio institutions of higher education for FY 2014
and FY 2015 STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB 74 AGENCY STANDARDS-CHILDRENS FACILITIES (TAVARES C) To require that any
privately run non-Ohio agency, home, school, camp, institution, or other entity or residential
facility to which Ohio abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent children are
committed comply with the same standards that are applicable to in-state agencies STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to Senate Criminal Justice Committee
SB 93 OPEN MEETINGS ACT (JONES S) To require that further information be stated in
motions to hold executive sessions under the Open Meetings Act, to expand the fees and
expenses that may be recovered for violations of the Act, and to make other changes to the Act
STATUS: Referred to Senate State Government Oversight and Reform Committee
SB 96 HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM (LAROSE F) To require one unit of
world history in the high school social studies curriculum STATUS: Senate Education
Committee – Substitute bill accepted & reported out
SB 122 OFFICE OF REGIONAL SERVICES AND ACCOUNTABILITY (SAWYER T) To create
the Office of Regional Services and Accountability in the Department of Education STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to Senate Education Committee
SB 123 INTERDISTRICT OPEN ENROLLMENT (SAWYER T) To terminate interdistrict open
enrollment on that date with the possibility of renewal following the General Assembly's
examination of the study's findings STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Education
Committee
SB126 SCHOOL SAFETY FUNDS (SCHIAVONI J) To require the State Board of Education to
establish criteria and procedures for the awarding of school safety funds to school districts and
to make an appropriation STATUS: Introduced; Referred to Senate Finance Committee
SB127 PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION-HOME SCHOOLED CHILDREN (JORDAN K) To create
a property tax and a manufactured home tax reduction for parents of home schooled children
equal to the taxes levied by the school district on the homestead of the parent STATUS:
Introduced; Referred to Senate Ways & Means Committee
SB 142 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND DISTRIBUTION (SEITZ B) To establish a new default
formula for determining the share allocated to each subdivision from the Local Government
Fund distribution of each county in which the largest city or township has a population of more
than 13,435 and to require minimum annual distributions STATUS: Referred to Senate
Finance Committee
OHIO POLITICS/BUDGET
FITZGERALD: BUDGET PROVIDES CLEAR CONTRAST IN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES
HANNAH
Holding a brief press conference at the Ohio Statehouse Friday that lasted just shy of 12
minutes, Cuyahoga County executive and gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald assailed the
passage of HB59 (Amstutz), the biennial budget, while calling for Gov. John Kasich to step
forward and veto provisions that address taxes and abortion.
ODMH, ODADAS OFFICIALLY MERGE JULY 1 HANNAH
The Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) and the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Services (ODADAS) will officially consolidate into a single new agency on Monday,
July 1 when it will be known as the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
(OhioMHAS). Heading up the new department will be the current Department of Mental Health
Director Tracy Plouck. Current Director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Services Orman Hall will become the director of the Governor's Cabinet Opiate Action Team.
KASICH SIGNS BUDGET, KEEPS ABORTION RESTRICTIONS, LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR MEDICAID
EXPANSION THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
Gov. John Kasich on Sunday evening signed controversial House Bill 59, a nearly $62 billion
plan that attempts to spur economic growth while restricting reproductive rights. The Republican
governor used his line-item veto to ditch a provision that would bar the state from expanding
Medicaid, but held on to the legislature’s tax reform cornerstones and volley against abortion.
TURNER MAKES SECRETARY OF STATE BID OFFICIAL HANNAH
The 2014 slate of Democratic statewide candidates is nearly complete after Sen. Nina Turner
(D-Cleveland) announced her bid for secretary of state Monday. Turner has been traveling the
state over the past few months to drum up support for her 2014 run. She has also been a vocal
critic of the man whose job she hopes to take, current Secretary of State Jon Husted. She made
her official announcement in Cleveland, with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Rep. Nickie
Antonio (D-Lakewood) and one-time rival U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Warrensville Heights) in
attendance.
HOW MUCH OHIO SALES TAX INCREASE WILL ADD TO THE COST OF BIG PURCHASES THE
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
That’s debatable, no matter how you feel about the combination of tax changes made by Kasich
and the Republican-controlled Ohio Legislature. GOP leaders say the whole package amounts
to a $1.2 billion tax cut in the first year. State income tax rates will be reduced 10 percent, with
the first 8.5 percent retroactive to Jan. 1. New property taxes passed in November or later will
cost homeowners 14 percent more because a state-funded discount is being eliminated. And on
Sept. 1, the state portion of the sales tax will increase from 5.5 percent to 5.75 percent.
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION/STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
ODE TO ALLOCATE $19 MILLION TO SCHOOLS TO MAKE UP PART OF FEDERAL
SEQUESTRATION CUTS HANNAH
The Ohio Department Education (ODE) announced Monday that it is allocating a total of $19
million to minimize the effect of federal sequestration cuts on Ohio schools. The sequestration
and its resulting cuts in federal education funding are the result of acts passed and signed in
2011 and 2012. Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard A. Ross said Monday that ODE is
reallocating $11 million of unused federal funds for special education and $8 million for Title I
math and reading intervention programs to reduce the effect of the federal cuts in these two
programs. “While school districts in Ohio have anticipated and planned for these federal
reductions in funding, we felt it was important to do all we could to ease the impact and lessen
the effect those cuts will have on schools and the students they serve," Ross said.
IT'S IN THE BUDGET: APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR INCOME-BASED EDCHOICE
SCHOLARSHIPS HANNAH
More Ohio students will be eligible for scholarships under the EdChoice program under
provisions approved as part of the state budget, signed by the governor on Sunday, June 30
and effective Monday, July 1, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) announced. This
expansion of the EdChoice program makes an additional 2,000 scholarships available for the
2013-14 school year to kindergarten students from families with incomes at or below 200
percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of four, the threshold is $46,100, based
on 2012 federal poverty guidelines. Students receiving a scholarship will receive up to $4,250 to
attend a private school of their choice and be able to renew the award annually.
ODE ANNOUNCES NEW E-SCHOOLS FOR 2013-14 HANNAH
The Ohio Department Education announced Monday the approval of three new e-schools that
will be opening for the 2013-14 school year.The three schools are Mosaica Online Academy of
Ohio, Provost Academy of Ohio and Insight School of Ohio. “I want to congratulate these new eschools for their applications and their interest in providing quality educational opportunities for
the students of Ohio,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard A. Ross. “We
believe that e-schools provide a valuable alternative to traditional schools and have a unique
ability to utilize the available technology to provide a top notch education.”
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERFORMANCE AUDIT IDENTIFIES $5.7 MILLION IN
SAVINGS HANNAH
Improving information management and balancing the ratio of employees to supervisors are
among more than $5.7 million in potential savings identified in a performance audit of the Ohio
Department of Education (ODE) released Monday by Auditor of State Dave Yost. “It takes
courage to open your operations to an outside review,” Yost said. “Superintendent Ross and his
staff have that confidence, and the results speak for themselves – greater savings for Ohio’s
taxpayers.” “The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that public tax dollars are
used to the maximum benefit of the students of Ohio,” said State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Richard A. Ross in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the professionalism of
Auditor Yost’s team in preparing this report and have already begun implementing many of the
recommendations.”
NEW OSBA PRESIDENT, BOARD MEMBERS TAKE OVER HANNAH
The new president of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA), Jonathan Hollingsworth, assumed
his one-year term Monday along with other newly elected members of the board of governors.
Hollingsworth, a Dayton-area attorney, is principal of the firm J. Hollingsworth & Associates
LLC. He concentrates on litigation, employment, corporate and business, insurance defense,
medical malpractice, personal injury and legal disciplinary matters. Hollingsworth began his
career at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, and later became a shareholder in the firm of
Washington & Hollingsworth. "This is an exciting time for the OSBA," said Hollingsworth. "We
have a new executive director with exciting ideas for our future who begins her tenure today,
and we are focused on identifying and meeting the needs of today’s lawyers. The membership,
board and staff, working together, will continue allowing the OSBA to provide our core services
that assist lawyers in their practice of law, and to stay ahead of the curve in terms of new
services and the way we deliver them."
SCRIMP ON SCHOOL-BUS SAFETY TO SAVE COLUMBUS SCHOOLS $6 MILLION? COLUMBUS
DISPATCH
The largest potential savings to Columbus City Schools’ transportation operation — getting
someone else to pay for busing charter-school students — was dropped from a final report
discussed yesterday by a subcommittee of Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s education commission.
Instead, the $12.8 million that could have been saved by charging for charter-school busing was
replaced by a proposal to lobby the state to relax Ohio’s tough school-bus safety regulations —
such as requiring higher seat backs, two roof-escape hatches, side-mounted stop signs and
other safety features.
IT'S IN THE BUDGET: ODE SUPERINTENDENT HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR EDUCATION PROVISIONS IN
FY14-15 HANNAH
State Superintendent of Education Richard Ross noted in his weekly newsletter that the just
passed FY14-15 budget includes "$1.5 billion in total new funds over the biennium for primary
and secondary education to spur innovation and achievement in all schools around our state."
In addition, while noting that staff is working on more detailed information, he identified the
following items as the major changes in primary and secondary education in the budget.
THREE MORE ONLINE SCHOOLS COMING TO OHIO COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The Ohio Department of Education has approved three new statewide e-schools that will be
opening this fall. The three schools are the Mosaica Online Academy of Ohio for students in
grades K-12, the Insight School of Ohio and the Provost Academy of Ohio, both serving
students in grades 6-12. Mosaica and Insight are located in Columbus and Provost is based in
Cleveland. All have private sponsors and are not associated with the local school districts.
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS/PREPARATION
TRAINING TEACHERS BETTER TOLEDO BLADE
An abundance of research shows that teacher quality is the single most important determinate
of student learning. It’s also the conclusion of a report by the National Council on Teacher
Quality — part of a $5 million project funded by major U.S. foundations. Unfortunately, the same
report found that colleges and their schools of educations do a poor job of training teachers and
preparing them for real-life challenges in the classroom. “We don’t know how to prepare
teachers,” says Arthur Levine, former president of Columbia University Teachers College and a
critic of current teacher preparation. “We can’t decide whether it’s a craft or a profession. I don’t
know of any other profession that’s so uncertain about how to educate their professionals.”
INFORMATION AND COLLEGE ACCESS: EVIDENCE FROM A RANDOMIZED FIELD EXPERIMENT
EDUCATION COMMISSION OF THE STATES
High school students from low-income backgrounds generally have an incomplete
understanding of actual college tuition levels, financial aid opportunities, and the admissions
process. Misinformation or unawareness can lead to sub-optimal outcomes, including not
enrolling in postsecondary education even when prepared. This study measures changes in
student interests and expectations based on a randomized control experiment.
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT
PARCC APPROVES TEST PERFORMANCE-LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS BY GRADE, SUBJECT
EDUCATION WEEK
PARCC, one of two groups of states designing tests for the common standards, has approved
descriptions of the skills and knowledge that students must have, at each grade level and in
each subject, to demonstrate specific levels of mastery on the assessments. At its quarterly
meeting yesterday, the PARCC governing board approved its "performance level descriptors."
The 215-page document goes grade by grade, from 3 through 11, in math and English/language
arts, detailing the "claims" and "sub claims" that the test seeks to make about students' mastery
and how they should be demonstrated.
RESEARCH
FIVE STATE EDUCATION REFORM TIDBITS FROM NEW NCES DATA EDUCATION WEEK
The National Center for Education Statistics today released updated data on state policy
changes on accountability, testing, finance, school choice, and other education issues.
BUILDING ON-TRACK INDICATORS FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND COLLEGE
READINESS: EVIDENCE FROM NEW YORK CITY EDUCATION COMMISSION OF THE STATES
Students' engagement and performance in their first year of high school offer strong signals
about their prospects of earning a diploma four years later. Districts can use performance
measures to construct on-track indicators to identify needs of specific students who are at risk of
dropping out. This study analyzes ten years of longitudinal data to test the reliability and validity
of New York City's graduation and college readiness indicators.
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
PRIVATE
FIRSTENERGY ACCEPTING STEM GRANT APPLICATIONS FROM EDUCATORS FIRST ENERGY
CORP (DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2013)
FirstEnergy Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Classroom Grants are
awarded for creative individual classroom projects in grades pre-K-12. Any creative project in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will be considered. Grants may be used to
compensate experts who come to work with students but not to pay teachers or staff. The
resources requested should be an integral component of a well-planned classroom
project/lesson plan and important to its success.
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR SHELL SCIENCE LAB
CHALLENGE NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (DEADLINE: DECEMBER 20, 2013)
The National Science Teachers Association, with support from Shell Oil Company, is accepting
entries for the fourth annual Shell Science Lab Challenge. The challenge invites middle and
high school science teachers (grades 6-12) in the United States and Canada (with special
attention to urban and underrepresented groups) to illustrate replicable approaches to science
lab instruction utilizing limited school and laboratory resources.
GTECH SEEKS PROPOSALS TO CREATE AFTER-SCHOOL COMPUTER LABS FOR AT-RISK
YOUTH GTECH (DEADLINE: ROLLING)
GTECH's After School Advantage Program provides nonprofit community agencies and public
schools with state-of-the-art computer labs designed to give inner-city children between the
ages of 5 and 15 a safe, meaningful, and fun learning experience during afterschool hours. The
program provides up to $15,000 in computers, online technology, computer software, and
volunteer hours to afterschool programs in inner-city communities where the online gaming
company has an office. GTECH employees will work with each agency and school to design
and develop a fully operational computer center.
NORTHEAST OHIO SCHOOLS
AKRON TEACHERS TRAIN TO ADDRESS CHILD TRAUMA AKRON BEACON JOURNAL
CMSD
CLEVELAND SCHOOL CEO: ‘CHOOSE THE RIGHT SCHOOL NOW’ WJW
FAIRVIEW PARK
FAIRVIEW PARK RESIDENT QUESTIONS SCHOOLS PURCHASE OF PARSONAGE SUN NEWS
NORTH ROYALTON
KINDERGARTNERS STAY, BUSES GO IN NEW DEAL BETWEEN NORTH ROYALTON SCHOOLS,
BROADVIEW HEIGHTS SUN NEWS
OLMSTED FALLS
OLMSTED FALLS SCHOOLS NAME KELLI COGAN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT SUN NEWS
ORANGE