School tax burden spread unequally

Region's homeowners pay widely different rates

BY CINDY KRANZ | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Homeowners in Mason pay school property taxes at double the rate as those in New Richmond, according to an analysis of property taxes in Southwest Ohio.

 

Mason homeowners pay the highest rate in the region - $1,339.76 for each $100,000 of market value. New Richmond residents pay the lowest, $629.34.

 

The calculations are based on how much it costs a homeowner per $100,000 of a house's market value.

 

 

...

 

Denise Smith Amos contributed to this story. E-mail ckranz@enquirer.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060428/NEWS0102/604280392/1077/NEWS01

 

Poll says schools should share wealth

Friday, April 28, 2006

Becky Gaylord

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Northeast Ohioans broadly support a system of school financing that would spread money more evenly across districts -- even if that comes at the expense of wealthier schools, a wide-ranging Gallup poll found.

 

Support for more equitable school financing cuts across racial and geographic lines, according to the poll, released Thursday.

 

While some governments in Northeast Ohio have begun working together to provide recreation and emergency services, the survey's findings suggest the most significant support yet for major regional cooperation.

 

Respondents weren't asked to comment on a specific school financing plan; rather, whether they would "favor or oppose a regional system of school funding that would increase equity across public districts but could be at the expense of wealthier school districts."

 

...

 

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/114621354823960.xml&coll=2

 

From the 5/6/06 Dispatch:

 

 

Strickland calls for fixing school-funding method

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Mark Niquette

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Despite court rulings declaring the state’s school-funding system unconstitutional and millions of dollars more for education in recent years, the system remains underfunded, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland said yesterday.

 

Strickland did not say how much he would increase funding but said Ohio needs to "live within its means." He suggested that the state could find money for education by making it a budget priority, eliminating waste and improving the economy.

 

"We’ve got a big problem here, and I believe the responsible thing to do is to come together and address this issue," Strickland said after speaking to the spring assembly of the Ohio Education Association in Columbus.

 

...

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/05/06/20060506-C5-00.html

 

From the 5/28/06 Toledo Blade:

 

 

PHOTO: LouAnne Garner sends her son, Anthony, to Nathan Hale Elementary School in West Toledo. ( THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT )

 

GRAPHIC: Target schools

 

SCHOOL CHOICE

Expanded voucher offer finds few takers

Only 10 in Toledo apply for tuition aid

By IGNAZIO MESSINA

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

When LouAnne Garner learned earlier this year that there would be financial help from the state to send her son to a private school, the Toledo mother pursued the opportunity with vigor.

 

"I kept calling the [Toledo] Board of Education after I saw an article about the vouchers," Ms. Garner said. "I really went after it and kept calling."

 

Now, if all goes as expected, her 8-year-old son Anthony will start second grade in the fall at St. Charles Catholic School instead of Toledo Public's Nathan Hale Elementary School.

 

...

 

Contact Ignazio Messina at: [email protected] or 419-724-6171.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060528/NEWS04/605280314/-1/RSS

 

From the 5/31/06 Akron Beacon Journal:

 

 

Group forms to back schools

Next Step for Akron focuses on funding

By Sandra M. Klepach

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

Scott Piepho left his job as an assistant Summit County prosecutor four years ago to assume daddy duties at home.

 

He went on to testify before the Ohio legislature about the way Ohio funds its public schools.

 

Now, Piepho is putting his legal knowledge to use again, trying to simplify the funding formula for area residents.

 

Eighteen concerned parents and administrators met Tuesday night at the Akron-Summit County Public Library in downtown Akron.

 

They left the room an organized group: Next Step for Akron.

 

...

 

Sandra M. Klepach can be reached at 330-996-3746 or [email protected]

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14705093.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

 

This is complete and utter bullsh!t.

 

 

Families enroll in failing schools to get vouchers

Newcomers plan to switch to private schools

Associated Press

 

COLUMBUS - Troubled public schools where students are eligible for vouchers saw a sudden spike in enrollment as the school year wound down last week, with parents and administrators at private schools realizing thousands of the vouchers were about to go unused.

 

In Cincinnati, a supporter of St. Mary School in Hyde Park launched a phone blitz over Memorial Day weekend informing families that the deadline for voucher scholarships worth up to $5,000 was about to pass.

 

Nearby John P. Parker Elementary School, whose poor academic ranking qualifies its students for vouchers to pay for private education, saw a sudden influx of students, all less than a week before classes ended.

 

...

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/state/14750586.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_state

 

From the 6/7/06 Dispatch:

 

 

GRAPHIC: Voucher interest

 

Vouchers abused, state says

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Legal or not, ethical or not, some private-school parents are enrolling their children in struggling public schools they don’t intend to send them to, in hopes of using state money to pay tuition.

 

The Ohio Department of Education is seeking legal advice after hearing that parents of private-school students — including a few in Columbus — are taking that approach to the voucher program.

 

"We do not believe these actions mirror the legislative intent of the EdChoice program," department spokesman J.C. Benton said.

 

...

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/07/20060607-A1-01.html

 

I think I saw this perhaps mentioned early on in this thread regarding what happens in KY.  Basically let people keep their school districts as they are.  But have county-wide levys.  All the property tax money goes to one big county pool and is split equally among the kids in that county.  Obviously some considerations would be made for districts that have mixed districts.  But it couldn't be that hard to figure out whether there are more students coming into a district from an adjoining county than are exiting to another county.  Money would go towards the county where the child is being educated.

 

This would definitely affect real estate values.  The richest neighborhood with the best school systems would likely see a decline in the value of their houses.  This would definitely help push regionalism a LOT more if this were to happen.  People would care a little more for whats happening in their county.  I would suspect county-wide the schools would become better since everyone in the county is in the same boat.

Thoughts?

From the 6/13/06 Dispatch:

 

 

GLITCH IN SCHOOL PROGRAM

Some in need don’t qualify for vouchers

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Leslie Newsome is headed to a troubled Columbus middle school this fall.

 

She would like to use a voucher to attend a private school, but she can’t.

 

Leslie, 11, just ended the year at Siebert Elementary, which is a pretty good school, and that’s what matters under the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship program law. Students who attend pretty good schools don’t qualify.

 

Now that the South Side girl is headed to Southmoor Middle School, vouchers are out of her reach, even though the school has a poor rating.

 

...

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/13/20060613-F1-05.html

 

From the 6/23/06 Columbus Dispatch:

 

 

START-UP FUNDS

Audit finds Ohio charters lack oversight

Friday, June 23, 2006

Suzanne Hoholik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

For the third straight year, the Ohio Department of Education has been told it doesn’t do enough to monitor the millions of federal dollars it funnels to charter schools for start-up costs.

 

In an audit released yesterday, state Auditor Betty D. Montgomery’s office said the education department "did not have an effective system in place to determine whether" the 130 schools across the state that received $20 million used the money for planning and design.

 

"There was no effective system in place to determine if the charter schools were using these federal funds within applicable rules and regulations," said Courtney Whetstone, spokeswoman for the auditor’s office.

 

"There was a serious lack of controls."

 

...

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/23/20060623-A1-03.html

 

From the 6/29/06 Dispatch:

 

 

CAPSULE: Education funding

 

‘65 PERCENT SOLUTION’

School plan favored by Blackwell called gimmick

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Catherine Candisky and Jim Siegel

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A school-funding plan implemented by four states and embraced by Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee J. Kenneth Blackwell is "one of the worst ideas in education," says Rod Paige, a former education secretary in the Bush administration.

 

That stinging indictment was shared by a long list of Republican and Democratic leaders across the nation who came out this week condemning the so-called 65 percent solution, the key plank in Blackwell’s education platform.

 

In an opinion column published Tuesday in The New York Times, Paige, a conservative who left the Bush administration last year, said that "dumb liberal ideas are a dime a dozen. ... Today, however, one of the worst ideas in education is coming from conservatives: the so-called 65 percent solution."

 

...

 

[email protected]

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/06/29/20060629-A1-03.html

 

From Copley Newspapers, 6/30/06:

 

 

What if kids could go to school anywhere?

Friday, June 30, 2006

by PAUL E. KOSTYU

COPLEY COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

 

COLUMBUS - In addition to carrying books, a child’s school backpack will be filled with cash, at least figuratively, under a plan backed by a Washington think tank with Ohio ties. That has political conservatives criticizing each other over competing school funding plans.

 

In an op-ed piece in the New York Times this week, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige suggested each school child receive “a ‘backpack’ of financing that travels with him to the public school of his family’s choice.”

 

The proposal, called the 100 Percent Solution, is backed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and its foundation, which were founded in Dayton but are now based in Washington, D.C. Paige is a trustee of the institute, which is a charter-school sponsor in Ohio.

 

 

...

 

Reach Copley Columbus Bureau Chief Paul E. Kostyu at (614) 222-8901 or e-mail [email protected].

 

www.firstclasseducation.org

www.edexcellence.net

www.100percentsolution.org

 

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=294332

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/NEWS04/607030303/-1/NEWS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article published July 3, 2006

 

Groups clamor to sponsor Ohio charter schools

Monitors in growing industry get a percentage of tax dollars

 

By IGNAZIO MESSINA

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

 

The market for "sponsoring" charter schools in Ohio is getting more crowded, and with good reason.

 

The nonprofit groups, which include traditional school districts, that monitor and "sponsor" the taxpayer-funded schools are paid up to 3 percent of the tax dollars allocated for each school.

 

It's a multimillion-dollar industry that's growing yearly.

 

Two Toledo-based sponsors, among 70 statewide, collected more than $3 million combined in fees during the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

 

Additionally, most charter schools are operated by for-profit management companies that get an even larger slice - sometimes as much as 12 percent of the funding given for each child attending the schools.

 

...

 

Contact Ignazio Messina at: [email protected] or 419-724-6171.

From the 7/4/06 Dispatch:

 

 

Schools often pass the buck to families

Cash-strapped districts hitting students with fees

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Charlie Roduta and Mary C . Bridgman

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

With four kids enrolled in Worthington schools last year, Dewey Ford knew the bills were going to be hefty. Classroom fees and supplies: $503. Two sports for three kids: $660. Athletic uniforms: $379. "I wish we didn’t have to pay them, but I understand," she said. "Teachers pay so much out-of-pocket." From the classroom to the athletics field, parents in districts across central Ohio are shelling out a lot of money to help their kids have the best that school can offer.

Cash-strapped districts are charging parents to cover sports, workbooks, lab costs, art materials, band uniforms, parking fees and computer supplies.

 

"Most people understand why we’re doing what we’re doing," said Principal Rich Littell of Thomas Worthington High School.

 

Worthington has cut 15 percent from each of its schools’ budgets since voters rejected a levy request in May.

 

...

 

[email protected]

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/04/20060704-B1-00.html

 

vouchers and tinkering with property taxes is not the answer.

 

nothing is perfect, but the time is ripe to throw the whole thing out the window and make the change to income tax. much much more fair. ohio has always historically been a leader in public education, so time to drop the timidity and hand-wringing and do the right thing here.

 

(Editorial)

Evolving strategy

State board members failed to sneak in creationism, so they try a new tactic

Thursday, July 13, 2006

 

Once again, the State Board of Education is provoking a debate on whether evolution is a controversial scientific theory that should be taught with warnings and disclaimers.

 

This fight should have been dead and buried in February, when the board voted 11-4 to drop a science standard and lesson plan that called for "critical analysis" of evolution. But a few dogged members still insist on "teaching the controversy" about evolution, even though the controversy has been manufactured by disingenuous people who wish to introduce the supernatural into science classrooms.

 

At a Monday meeting in Columbus of the board’s Achievement Committee, member Colleen D. Grady proposed that the science standards be changed to guide teachers on how to present controversial topics such as global warming, stem-cell research and, of course, evolution, in science classrooms.

 

Full editorial at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/13/20060713-A8-00.html

I love the intelligent design proponents' catch phrase: "Teach evolution and intelligent design side by side and let the kids decide."

 

I'll get behind this logic as soon as it's applied to health class. The chapters on sex education and drug awareness would have a thrilling new spin.

 

This topic is so ridiculous it's almost hard to get angry about. And that scares the hell out of me.

 

In the words of thee Doo Dah Parade, "No intelligent design here."

 

This article appeared in several editions of the Sun newspapers, 7/13/06:

 

 

Grendell plots reforms for school funding

Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Marc Magill

Sun Banner Pride

 

State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-18, and Geauga County Commissioner Craig Albert want to change the way Ohio funds its schools.

 

They are proposing an amendment that would require the Ohio General Assembly to provide $5,000 per pupil in grades kindergarten through 12 throughout the state.

 

The amendment would repeal Article VI, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution and replace it with new language.

 

Their goal is to get the amendment on the ballot in November 2007.

 

There's no reason why we have to make everything in government so difficult, Albert said. This makes school funding fair for all. It's something everyone can understand.

 

...

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sun/sunbannerpride/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1152809113270670.xml&coll=3

 

From the 7/15/06 ABJ:

 

 

Funding might get on ballot

Ohio may vote in 2007 to amend constitution to address school finances

By Katie Byard

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

Ohio voters could see a constitutional amendment on the November 2007 ballot to address long-standing concerns about the state's method of funding public education.

 

"We absolutely made a considerable amount of progress'' toward crafting the amendment, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said Friday after a closed meeting at Akron's Crowne Plaza hotel.

 

Ohio mayors and representatives of several education groups were scheduled to attend the six-hour session.

 

...

 

Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or [email protected]

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15045821.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

 

From the 7/26/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Group wants school funding changed

Milford school district residents to launch letter-writing campaign

BY CINDY KRANZ | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Fed up with the way Ohio funds its schools, a group of Milford School District residents has formed a grassroots organization to bombard state representatives and senators with letters asking that the funding system be overhauled.

 

Ohio Citizens for School Funding Reform wants legislation to create alternative funding measures for school districts, instead of having them rely on frequent operating levies on the ballot.

 

"After the failure of the Milford levy, we just became more aware that school funding is a huge issue in Ohio," said Denise Bunnell, a Union Township parent who organized the group.

 

...

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

Learn more

For more information about Ohio Citizens for School Funding Reform or to volunteer, visit www.ocfsr.com.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/NEWS0102/607260348/1058/NEWS01

 

From ThisWeek Delaware, 7/30/06:

 

 

Legislators seek to fund fast-growing school districts

Sunday, July 30, 2006

By MICHAEL J. MAURER

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Several central Ohio legislators have joined with state Rep. Larry Wolpert, R-Hilliard, to introduce a bill to help fast-growing school districts build new school buildings to keep up with the new students.

 

The problem is particularly acute in districts such as Olentangy Local School District, which has built 15 new buildings in 15 years, said Superintendent Scott Davis.

 

"We have five buildings under construction right now," Davis said.

 

...

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/?edition=Delaware&story=thisweeknews/073006/Delaware/News/073006-News-197946.html

 

Both stories from the 7/31/06 DDN:

 

 

Fine print in cap allows for more charter schools

By Scott Elliott

Staff Writer

 

DAYTON — An Ohio law passed last year limited the number of charter schools to the 285 that were open as of last summer. Or did it?

 

This fall, there will be 305 charter schools open in Ohio. One Dayton school is among 28 that will launch this fall.

 

How is the charter movement continuing to grow? The same law that created a "cap" allows three avenues for new schools, even if the number exceeds that cap.

 

...

 

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2485 or [email protected].

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/073106charter.html

---

Charter schools' sponsors become point of concern

By Scott Elliott

Staff Writer

 

DAYTON — Ohio's charter movement continues to change rapidly, with Dayton leading the way.

 

Statewide about 15 percent of charter schools changed sponsors after just one year of a new sponsoring law, but in Dayton, nearly a quarter of all charters changed sponsors.

 

Those shifts have created concern that poor-performing schools could evade accountability by jumping to new sponsors and the state education department is just now putting in rules to try to prevent it.

 

...

 

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2485 or [email protected].

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/073106charterinside.html

 

From the 8/8/06 Toledo Blade:

 

 

Ohio lawmakers debate charter school benefits

By JIM PROVANCE

BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU

 

COLUMBUS - In a rare one-on-one debate, Ohio's House speaker sparred with a state senator over whether the state's charter schools offer parents a real choice or a three-quarters chance of choosing failure.

 

What started as an "experiment" seven years ago has burgeoned into nearly 300 charter schools serving nearly 72,000 students in 35 of Ohio's 88 counties at a cost of half a billion a year in state subsidies.

 

Speaking before the Rotary Club of Columbus, Speaker Jon Husted (R., Kettering) said the growth of the schools and gradually improving test scores for more traditional public schools show parents want choice for their children and that competition is forcing improvement across the board.

 

...

 

Contact Jim Provance at:

[email protected] or 614-221-0496.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS24/608080363/-1/NEWS

---

From the 8/8/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Another 3,600 ask for voucher

BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

The number of applicants for Ohio's new tuition voucher program jumped about 40 percent to 3,601 students after the second application period last week.

 

About 200 of the latest applicants are from Cincinnati, including 137 Cincinnati Public Schools students, district spokeswoman Janet Walsh said. The rest are charter school students or incoming kindergartners. The second application period ended Friday. State officials are calling the scholarship program a success, even though they received applications for only about 25 percent of the 14,000 tuition vouchers that were available. The vouchers will pay for private school education this fall for students in low-performing public schools.

 

"The Ohio Department of Education is very pleased with the number of applications received for the EdChoice program," spokesman J.C. Benton said. "We received more applications in the first year of implementation than any other voucher program in the country."

 

...

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

For more information

To read more about vouchers, go to www.EdChoice.ohio.gov and click on the fact sheet.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS0102/608080329/1058/NEWS01

 

Evolution-backers target school board

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Evolution-backers dismayed by the state Board of Education’s ongoing debate over religion and science have launched a counterattack, aiming to influence board elections.

 

They are working to defeat a board member who has led the challenge of Darwin’s theory of evolution. They also are backing another who has fought against teaching intelligent design, the notion that some life forms are too complex to be explained by nature, in science classes.

 

"I think what you’re seeing is grass-roots democracy at work," said G.R. Schloemer, a pro-evolution board member from Cincinnati. "This is a referendum on intelligent design and creationism."

 

More at:

 

http://dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/12/20060812-B3-00.html

 

 

From the 8/17/06 ABJ:

 

 

Ohio charter schools a 'failure,' critic says

Schools defended as pleasing parents, making progress not measured in state study

By Katie Byard and Stephanie Warsmith

Beacon Journal staff writers

 

About 30 percent of Ohio charter school students attend schools in the state's lowest academic rating.

 

That's an improvement from last year -- when about 63 percent were in schools in the bottom rank.

 

Still, charter-school critics on Wednesday said the results are unacceptable.

 

...

 

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal. com. Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or [email protected]. Beacon Journal Columbus bureau chief Dennis Willard and computer-assisted reporting manager David Knox contributed to this report.

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15293445.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

 

State school board race evolves into debate over science

Tom Sawyer, incumbent clash on curriculum in run for seat

By Katie Byard

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

State school board races rarely generate much interest. But this year's race in the Akron area is drawing national attention.

 

The issue heating up this race is the teaching of evolution.

 

The nonpartisan race for the District 7 school board seat includes two prominent names: former Congressman and former Akron Mayor Tom Sawyer and incumbent Deborah Owens Fink, a University of Akron marketing professor.

 

Owens Fink was a leader in the effort to adopt a controversial science curriculum standard and lesson plan calling for a critical analysis of evolution, Charles Darwin's theory that life on Earth evolved over millions of years from common ancestors.

 

MOre at:

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/politics/15358033.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

 

Owens Fink calls Princehouse, Krauss and other scientists supportive of Sawyer "members of the dogmatic scientific community'' who want to stifle discussion about "the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory.''

 

Yikes.  These Christian zealots drive me nuts.  Now the scientific community is dogmatic ("inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true")?  Wasn't Darwin ostracized for advancing a theory that controvened established Christian dogma?  Research papers published in all reputable journals undergo rigorous peer review.  The entire scientific research community is geared toward stamping out dogma.  Ridiculous.

 

And it's not that real scientists want to stifle discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory, not at all.  They just want to present the established consensus of the scientific community to school children.  Just like in every other subject, we try to give our students a basic understanding of the current state of knowledge that they can build upon as they see fit. 

 

What  the quote above really means is that scientists want to stifle discussion of "intelligent design."  Which of course they do, at least in science class.  To have creationism masquerading as real science in science class using a fancy veneer of circular logic hides the fact that the sole support for the "theory" comes from religious tracts.  It is not science, so it does not belong in a science curriculum.

From the 8/28/06 Athens News:

 

 

Ten years later, how are our schools doing with school funding?

By Nick Claussen

Athens NEWS Associate Editor

Monday, August 28th, 2006

 

Ten years ago, the statewide campaign to reform Ohio's property-tax-based school-funding system was receiving a lot of media and political attention. Rural school districts in Athens County were often cited as victims of the inadequate funding system, with their poor facilities and lack of operating funds.

 

The Nelsonville-York City School District, for example, was using an elementary school building that was sliding down a hill a few inches every year, and students in the Alexander Local School District were forced to learn in cramped and confined spaces, especially at the middle- and junior-high schools in New Marshfield and Shade, respectively.

 

...

 

http://athensnews.com/index.php?action=viewarticle&section=news&story_id=25759

 

From the 9/5/06 Toledo Blade:

 

 

GRAPHIC: High school fees

 

School fee becoming fact of life for Ohio

Officials say policy helps districts save

By JOE VARDON

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Parents of a teenager taking Chemistry 1 at Maumee High School are asked to pay $43.25 to cover course expenses.

 

If the child also is enrolled in Spanish II, it's another $15. Throw in Foods and Fitness and Sculpture 1 courses, and the cost is an additional $40.

 

It has become common practice in northwest Ohio and all over the state for school districts to charge student fees. These expenses go mostly to pay for what the districts consider consumable items, such as workbooks or science equipment, though some high schools are asking their students to pay for advanced placement tests as well.

 

Districts often charge a flat rate to students attending kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade. Many middle, junior high, and high school students are asked to pay different fees for the classes they take.

 

...

 

Contact Joe Vardon at: [email protected]

or 419-724-6050.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060905/NEWS04/609050305/-1/RSS

 

^ That's kind of what Prof. Krauss mentions in the following article.

 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

‘Framework’ is creationists’ latest ploy, critics say

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Ohio Board of Education is again drawing national attention over continued debate about how teachers should deal with controversial issues.

 

Critics, including groups such as the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, say a new proposal represents another attempt by creationists to challenge Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 

This Monday at a meeting in Columbus, a board committee is scheduled to discuss a "framework" put together by Department of Education staff at the request of some board members.

 

Unlike earlier proposals, the "framework" does not mention evolution, global warming or stem-cell research.

 

More at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/09/07/20060907-B4-01.html

 

From the 9/8/06 Clermont Sun:

 

 

Group hopes to help with school funding problem

Meeting planned in Milford

Rodney Beckwith

Sun staff

 

If one were to rank familiar sights around the region, signs pleading with voters to pass a school levy would be high on the list.

 

Year after year, schools have repeatedly asked for levies and bond issues to shore up what they say is a funding system that is in a constant state of erosion. To back up their claims, schools discuss a state funding system that has apparently been ruled illegal by the Ohio Supreme Court, a mysterious "phantom tax revenue" and a number of other sinister forces that threaten to pull the money rug out form under students.

 

A Milford group known as Ohio Citizens for School Funding Reform is hoping to challenge this cycle of tax and beg that surrounds levies. Linda Malott, a member of the group, said that an informational meeting scheduled for Sept. 12 is hoped to create a spark of understanding in the general public when it comes to school funding.

 

...

 

For more information, go online at www.ocsfr.com. The meeting will be held on Sept. 12 at the Milford High School Auditorium at 7 p.m.

 

http://www.clermontsun.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=1401

 

From the 9/11/06 Athens News:

 

 

Is local school performance linked to poverty?

By Nick Claussen

Athens NEWS Associate Editor

Monday, September 11th, 2006

 

Just because you're poor doesn't mean you can't do well in school, but it sure makes it a lot harder.

 

A close look at the recent Ohio School Report Cards for Athens County shows that in every district in the county, the students who are economically disadvantaged generally do worse than the students who are not.

 

The report cards also show that in several of the school districts, the female students overall did better on the proficiency tests than the males (see related story).

 

...

 

http://athensnews.com/index.php?action=viewarticle&section=news&story_id=25886

 

Of course its linked to poverty. What a waste of energy.

It's a poverty problem and a community problem way more than it is a school funding problem.

Scientists question deletions

They say minutes altered to sidestep controversy

By Patrick Cain

Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau

 

COLUMBUS - A State Board of Education proposal that critics say could bring creationist teaching into science classrooms appears to be stalled. Meanwhile, evolution backers raised questions Tuesday about the board altering records to remove traces of its involvement in the potentially explosive issue.

 

On Monday, a board subcommittee did not vote as scheduled on the "Controversial Issues Template'' as the proposal is known, although the issue could come up for a vote at next month's regularly scheduled board meeting.

 

The proposal provides guidelines for discussion of controversial topics, but evolution backers say it is a smoke screen to get intelligent design into classrooms. Intelligent design, or ID, is a controversial alternative to evolution that teaches life is so complex it could only have begun with divine intervention.

 

More at:

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/state/15506479.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

 

Culture war flares again at state school board

Some scientists say proposed template for teaching controversial issues is a cover to get religion into schools.

By By Laura A. Bischoff

Staff Writer

Sunday, September 17, 2006

 

Columbus — Over the last five years, the Ohio Board of Education has been a hotbed of controversy that has led to long meetings, hard feelings, national headlines and a black eye for Ohio's reputation. It looked like the controversies had waned when the board repealed a 10th-grade biology lesson that critics called creationism.

 

But now the 19-member board faces another flare-up in the culture war that's become all too familiar. It is being asked to adopt a template for teachers to follow when covering controversial issues such as global warming, stem-cell research and evolution.

 

Once again, a small group of scientists that has acted as watchdog over the state school board is warning that the seemingly innocuous template is a veiled attempt to open the classroom doors to creationism, or intelligent design.

 

More at:

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/17/ddn091706stateboardinside.html

 

From the 9/18/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Multimedia

Private schools get state aid per student (PDF)

 

PHOTO: Third-grade students in Katie Barney's reading class work last week in the publicly funded computer lab at St. Ignatius School in Monfort Heights, with a sign reflecting state restrictions. The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran

 

GRAPHIC: Private schools get 59% more

 

Who supports private schools?

Books, computers, buses, but also rules

BY DENISE SMITH AMOS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Joanne Browarsky's sixth-graders at St. Cecilia elementary in Oakley read science books stamped "Property of Cincinnati Public Schools."

 

They sit at lab tables also technically owned by Cincinnati Public Schools.

 

Across town, in Monfort Heights, St. Ignatius elementary students disembark daily from school buses owned by Northwest schools.

 

And at St. Xavier High School, students use computers and software and dissect frogs and fetal pigs purchased by Finneytown schools.

 

Across the region and state, private and religious schools get tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer support each year from the Ohio Department of Education. Ohio is among the most generous states toward private and religious schools, national experts say.

 

...

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/NEWS01/609180363/1077

 

From the 9/26/06 Dispatch:

 

 

GRAPHIC: Where the vouchers went

 

GRAPHIC: Schools accepting vouchers (Franklin County)

 

Learning on state’s dime

3,141 vouchers awarded statewide, with largest amount going to pre-kindergartners

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A brightly colored "Smile, God Loves You" poster hangs on a classroom wall. An angel figurine guards the door. A simple cross hangs outside one building, one of many clues that St. Mary Magdalene School is not a public school.

 

Not that the 18 students who used a state voucher to get here need clues. They’re getting used to the private, Catholic school on the West Side, going to Wednesday and Thursday morning Mass and religion classes.

 

"My daughter is adjusting, especially to the uniforms and not being able to wear whatever she wants," said Kimberley Johnson, who sent her sixth-grader, Heather Jorgensen, to St. Mary Magdalene using a voucher.

 

...

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/26/20060926-D1-00.html

 

From the 10/5/06 DDN:

 

Charters raided schools' rolls, coffers

District depletes most of its reserves when state bails on deal caused by charters' drain.

By Scott Elliott

Staff Writer

Thursday, October 05, 2006

 

DAYTON — As in many of its most recent financial crunches, Dayton Public Schools' latest trouble was sparked by a dispute over charter schools.  School leaders knew they were going to need a levy soon and intentionally planned to spend from a $45 million cash reserve to put off that day.  But a deal with the state on charters fell through, pushing the financial stress forward and forcing a levy try, which board president Gail Littlejohn said will come in May.

 

The district, which hired a consultant to try to nail down charter enrollment, last spring said charters had 675 fewer students than what the schools reported.  Each child who attends charter schools costs the district money.  Using the charter schools' figure, Dayton owed an extra $4 million for last year and $6 million for this year and next — a total budget bite of $16 million.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/04/ddn100506schoolinside.html

 

From the 10/8/06 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Bad grades

 

PHOTO: FCI Academy, which had 77 students two years ago, now has 700, including, from left, Nikki Hill, Courtney Thomas and Nola Howard. The North Side charter school got the state’s "academic emergency" rating on the most-recent report card.

 

Kids flock to failing charters

Low state grades just part of picture, some parents say

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

It wasn’t gradual: Children in maroon blazers and business appropriate shoes took over three buildings along Mock Road in just two years. In 2004, there were only 77 children in one building. Now, 700 students are enrolled in FCI Academy, a charter school on the North Side.

 

A Downtown charter school that had about 70 kids inside a single store in City Center mall two years ago has taken over 14 storefronts across much of the mall’s third floor, and it now has another campus. Four hundred children are enrolled at the two Harte Crossroads schools, which teach boys and girls separately.

 

All three schools received the equivalent of an F for last school year’s academic performance. They earned the state’s "academic emergency" rating because too many students failed state tests and schools’ results weren’t improving quickly enough.

 

At FCI, about half of middleschool students passed the state’s reading test. But less than 8 percent of sixth-graders passed the state math test. In seventh grade, about 11 percent passed math, and in eighth grade, less than 4 percent passed.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/08/20061008-C1-01.html

---

From the 10/8/06 Enquirer:

 

PHOTO: Jerron Gray teaches biblical studies Wednesday at the Christ Emmanuel Christian Academy in East Walnut Hills. The school got 16 voucher students this year, transfers from low-rated public institutions.  The Enquirer / Craig Ruttle

 

PHOTO: Kayla Belser (right) listens in Bible study class, along with Roderick Garrett and Doneca Jones on Wednesday at the Christ Emmanuel Christian Academy.  THE ENQUIRER / CRAIG RUTTLE

 

Cincinnati Enquirer: Private schools gain; public schools lose (10/8/06)

 

Transfers affect everyone

Discipline, amount of homework surprise many after moving from low-rated schools

BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Transferring from a 660-student public school to a 47-student private one was a big shock for Kayla Belser. At her old school, the sixth-grader had lots of friends, liked her teacher and didn't have much homework. At Christ Emmanuel Christian Academy in East Walnut Hills, preparing for college is daily, hard work.

 

Kayla, 11, is one of 830 Cincinnati students taking advantage of a new state program that allows kids in poorly performing public schools to transfer to private schools at no cost to them. Students get state-funded vouchers worth up to $5,000 to pay the private school tuition. Parents whose children are assigned to low-rated schools no longer have to feel stuck.

 

Eight weeks after the program began, Ohio figures to spend $10 million on a voucher program to assist 3,141 students across the state. Locally, students assigned to 17 Cincinnati Public Schools were eligible. But they make up the largest number of voucher recipients of any district in the state.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/NEWS0102/610080364/1077/NEWS01

---

From the 10/8/06 Enquirer:

 

Vouchers a godsend for parents of modest means

BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Karen Freeman had no idea how she and her husband were going to pay to send their younger daughter to a private school - until they learned of the state's new tuition voucher program.

 

Freeman is a stay-at-home mother in Mount Auburn. Her husband, Steven, works in a warehouse. Private-school tuition at St. Francis Seraph in Over-the-Rhine was such a struggle for the two that their daughter's school helped pay the way - just as the school does with many of its 169 students through donations from companies and parishioners. Tuition is $3,500 this year.

 

The school worked out a deal for the Freemans to pay $1,000 to send 11-year-old Dionna there last year. But with 5-year-old Danielle entering kindergarten, Freeman began to think she would have to take a job even though she preferred to care for her children full time.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/NEWS0102/610080365/1058/NEWS01

 

Evolution absent from state board agenda

Controversial-issues teaching guide is ‘dead’

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Ohio Board of Education might get more attention for what’s missing from its agenda this month.

 

Notably absent: discussion of what, if anything, should be added to science curriculum guidelines regarding Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 

Likewise, a proposal aimed at helping teachers deal with such controversial issues is gone from the agenda of the board’s achievement committee.

 

For months the board has been locked in debate over what critics said was a renewed attempt to undermine evolution and open the door to teaching creationism or intelligent design in high-school biology class.

 

More at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/07/20061007-B5-00.html

 

From the 10/12/06 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Grading charter schools

 

Failing charters should be expelled, report says

Proposals might close 1 in 10 schools, but charter foes find fault

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A growing movement to close bad charter schools picked up steam yesterday with a new report suggesting that Ohio perform "house-cleaning" to rid itself of the worst ones.  The large-scale shutdown of schools likely would affect as many as 10 percent of the charters if the policy recommendations are adopted, the report’s authors say.  There are about 300 charter schools statewide with about 69,000 students.

 

The report, which was requested by the governor, state superintendent of schools and legislative leaders in August, urges swift policy changes, including:

 

• Requiring charter schools that consistently earn the lowest academic rating or poor audit findings to gain special approval to operate, or they must close.

 

• Forbidding any charter from finding a new sponsor if the school has been closed or placed on probation by its sponsor — a practice known as "sponsorhopping."

 

• Subjecting sponsors to greater scrutiny and oversight by the Ohio Department of Education. Sponsors who fail to improve or shut down failing schools should be penalized, and charter schools shouldn’t have to pay fees to their sponsors, the report’s authors say.

 

• Funding charters, which are run by private or nonprofit groups but use public funds, at the same rate as other public schools. A statewide nonprofit agency should be created to manage ways charter schools can get a share of state money for school buildings, the report says.

 

• Removing restrictions on how many charter schools can open and where.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/12/20061012-A1-02.html

 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Teaching of evolution a central issue in races

Monday, October 16, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

When J. Kenneth Blackwell needed help, George W. Bush came to town.

 

Ted Strickland got help from Bill Clinton.

 

With the teaching of evolution again under fire in Ohio, state school-board candidates are bringing in their big gun, Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller.

 

The author of high-school and college biology books, Miller was the star witness in the Dover, Pa., evolution trial. In December, a federal judge ruled that the school board’s requirement that students be taught intelligent design was unconstitutional because it represented a religious belief.

 

More at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/16/20061016-C1-03.html

 

ELECTION 2006

Evolution debate trails candidates

Hopefuls for board of education voice stances in statewide campaign

By IGNAZIO MESSINA

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The debate on how to teach Ohio public school students about the origins of life has polarized the state board of education and created a hotly contested election for five seats, a contest that traditionally has been disregarded by the media and voters.

 

The race has candidates running all over the state offering their stances on evolution versus intelligent design.

 

Sixteen people are vying for 5 of the 11 elected seats on the 19-member board.

 

More at:

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/NEWS09/610240301/-1/NEWS

 

Id like to know who the scientists endorese for the Dayton area rep to the school board.  I am not informed on the candidates here and don't want to vote for the creationist candidate by mistake.

The DDN's endorsement mentioned it a little bit, but it didn't really go into it. 

 

Gunlock (the developer who builds all the area Wal-Marts) was appointed to the seat and is now seeking election.  One of his supporters wrote this about him, which although doesn't address the issue, it does makes me wonder.... "Currently he serves on the Governor's Council of Faith-Based Initiatives. Tom is very active in his local church, serving as deacon and trustee."  In the DDN endorsement, they wrote this "He also pledges to work against the cultural and religious battles that have divided the board"--whatever that is supposed to mean.

 

I'm surprised that the Dayton Daily News didn't endorse Dr. Uphoff (but I don't really know too much about this race either)

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2006/10/20/ddn102006anagnostourec.html

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2006/10/20/ddn102006gunlockxxer.html

From the 11/26/06 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Growing charter schools

 

OHIO RULING

Justices uphold charter schools

Court, in 4-3 decision, says education policy best left to legislature

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Signaling a reluctance to wade into legislative policy, a divided Ohio Supreme Court yesterday upheld the constitutionality of privately operated, tax-funded charter schools.  The 4-3 decision was the most significant education ruling since 1997, when the court issued the first of four rulings finding Ohio’s system of funding public education unconstitutional in the longrunning DeRolph case.

 

Yesterday’s ruling means the state can continue to provide tax dollars to tuition-free charter schools, officially known as community schools.  "The court’s decision reaffirms the right of parents to choose what’s best for their child’s education," said Chad A. Readler, a lawyer with Jones Day in Columbus, who defended charter schools in the lawsuit.

 

In a 28-page decision, the court rejected the claims of a coalition of parents, teachers unions and school boards that charter schools violate Ohio’s constitutional requirement of a "thorough and efficient system of common schools" because they are not held to the same standards as traditional public schools.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/26/20061026-A1-01.html

---

From the 11/26/06 DDN:

 

Charter schools still face challenge in U.S. court

That becomes next case after state's top court rules schools constitutional.

By Scott Elliott

Staff Writer

Thursday, October 26, 2006

 

DAYTON — Opponents of charter schools who believe they unfairly take money from school districts can still look to Dayton for hope that the courts might yet alter Ohio's school choice landscape.  Wednesday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the charter school program is constitutional.

 

But a separate 2004 lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Dayton by a group including the Dayton teachers' union and local parents awaits trial in 2007.

 

In Wednesday's 4-3 ruling, the majority said they were not convinced lawmakers overstepped their authority when they created the charter program in 1997.  "The General Assembly is the branch of state government charged by the Ohio Constitution with making educational policy choices for the education of our state's children," wrote Justice Judith Lanzinger for the majority. "The appellants have not shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the statute is unconstitutional on its face..."

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/26/ddn102606charterinside.html

 

All from the 10/29/06 DDN:

 

Record 50 districts asking for income taxes Nov. 7

Real estate taxes don't grow, yet schools in Ohio have no choice: raise funds locally or make cuts.

By Doug Page

Staff Writer

Sunday, October 29, 2006

 

For more and more school districts, an income tax is looking like a way out from between a rock and a hard place.  In the first year school districts were offered an income tax, voters in two — Anna and Botkins — took the state up on its offer.  Since 1983, voters in 187 other districts have followed.

 

When voters go to the polls Nov. 7, 50 districts will have the income taxes — 19 of them earned income taxes — on the ballot.  That is the largest number of such issues before the voters.

 

"That's huge," said Howard Fleeter, a consultant, economist and former Ohio State University public administration professor who has studied school funding in the state for nearly two decades.  Fleeter said from 1994 through 2003 there were never more than 45 income tax issues in a year, much less 50 in a single election.  In 2004, the number of issues nearly doubled to 81 with 70 in 2005.  This year there are 83.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/28/ddn102906incometrend.html

---

Income tax is schools' new funding solution

Local officials say it's easier on seniors and landowners than property tax.

By Doug Page

Staff Writer

Sunday, October 29, 2006

 

Local schools are ending their reliance on the personal property tax to fund public education.  "What we're doing is tax reform," said Troy Superintendent Tom Dunn, whose district has a 1.5 percent earned income tax on the November ballot with the promise of letting lapse 4.5 mills of property tax if it passes.

 

"Districts are trading in one tax base for a better one," said Howard Fleeter, a former Ohio State University professor who has studied the state's funding of education for nearly 20 years.  Four times, the state Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional the state's reliance on property taxes to fund public education. 

 

The income tax — around since 1983 — provides tax revenue that rises without going to the voters every other year for more property tax.  The legislature's recent addition of an earned income tax gives the option of extending a break to the retired, farmers and others.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/28/ddn102906incomelede.html

---

Netzley: Income tax the answer

With real estate, 'if don't have any income, you still have to pay ... or else they'll sell it on the courthouse steps.'

By Doug Page

Staff Writer

Sunday, October 29, 2006

 

Which is the truest measure of wealth: what you own or what you earn?  It is not so much a philosophical question as a matter of public policy wrestled with by school boards across the state.

 

Since the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the reliance on personal property tax to fund education, boards have been looking at their one alternative — an income tax.

 

For former state Rep. Bob Netzley, R-Laura, a tax on income has always been the answer for school funding. Netzley, the longest-serving member of the House, had championed the school tax since its inception in 1982.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/28/ddn102906incomefair.html

 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Debate on evolution dominates races

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The races for the State Board of Education are receiving greater attention this year with Ohio at the center of the national debate over what students should be taught about Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 

The 19-member board includes 11 elected members and eight appointed by the governor.

 

Voters will decide Tuesday who occupies five elected seats, while the newly elected governor will name four people to terms expiring this year.

 

Nowhere is the issue of evolution more evident than in an Akron-area race for a seat held by Deborah Owens Fink, who is seeking a second four-year term. Evolution supporters recruited former Congressman Tom Sawyer to challenge Fink, who has led repeated challenges to science-curriculum standards.

 

More at:

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/04/ddn110506stateboe.html

 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Voters appear to be sending pro-science message

Debate on teaching of evolution was driving issue in several campaigns

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Catherine Candisky

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

God and Charles Darwin weren’t on the ballot yesterday but they might have been on the mind of voters who elected pro-evolution candidates to the State Board of Education.

 

The usually sleepy races were anything but this year as the state board’s long-simmering debate over evolution loomed large in several campaigns.

 

In the Akron area’s District 7, former Congressman Tom Sawyer easily knocked off conservative incumbent Deborah Owens Fink, a University of Akron marketing professor who has led the attack on teaching evolution.

 

More at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/08/20061108-E4-02.html

 

Yeah, I voted strong for Schloemer...very nice to see...