Geneva, Ashtabula and other poor districts have far better performance grades and they are nowhere near wealthy.

 

And obviously it's not an exact comparison. Never meant to imply it was.

Geneva, Ashtabula and other poor districts have far better performance grades and they are nowhere near wealthy.

 

And obviously it's not an exact comparison. Never meant to imply it was.

 

I have a family member in the Geneva School District.  It's not well off by any means, but to compare it to Cleveland is laughable.  The same goes for Ashtabula, which includes places like suburban Saybrook Township in its school district (although Ashtabula's district report card IS pretty awful).

 

But the point was more that you're discrediting the success of an inner city school due to "self-selection", yet many people (and I believe you have as well) give credit to suburban schools in exclusive areas that perform well.

I still think part of the problem is the schools themselves, but obviously the main problem is the students, the parents and the culture.

 

Lakeside Highschool in Ashtabula is 62.4% economically disadvantaged.

Collinwood Highschool in Cleveland is 100% economically disadvantaged.

 

Look at the Economically Disadvantaged for the the best comparison.

 

Lakewide performance

http://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/Pages/School-Report.aspx?SchoolIRN=001123

 

Collinwood performance

http://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/Pages/School-Report.aspx?SchoolIRN=006940

Geneva, Ashtabula and other poor districts have far better performance grades and they are nowhere near wealthy.

 

And obviously it's not an exact comparison. Never meant to imply it was.

 

There are going to be outliers, of course (heck John Hay is one, even), but if you graph all of the schools in Ohio (or any state, for that matter) based on their "performance" versus their poverty level, you'll see a striking trend that cannot be ignored.  It's not a coincidence.  And while "value-added" is a little bit better metric, there are issues with its current incarnation in that still correlates to an unacceptable degree with poverty level.  However if the not insignificant kinks with value-added are ever worked out, that would be the better way of comparing one school to the next.

I still think part of the problem is the schools themselves, but obviously the main problem is the students, the parents and the culture.

 

If the schools are part of the problem, it's only a tiny fraction of the problem and it's something that's likely based on a sense of helplessness on the part of teachers and administrators.  The situations in many of these schools is less than ideal (to say it modestly), but it's a situation that is derived in large part from the way that outside forces dictate what happens in the school halls.  But ultimately I don't think that Solon High School, if it exchanged student bodies with Collinwood or Lincoln-West, would be able to do a significantly better job in educating its new enrollees.

I think when people say suburban schools are better they are talking in a general sense, and not specifically talking about the teachers.

 

Westlake Highschool is a better school than Glenville. A child is more likely to succeed at Westlake than Glenville. Its not because Westlake has better teachers, its because of who the child would be hanging around and what the culture is like at the school.

 

Also if suburban schools do have better teachers, not saying they do, could it be because they are more attractive a place to work than a Glenville?

 

I dont think you can fault a parent for wanting to send their child to Westlake at its current condition rather than Glenville at its current condition.

I think when people say suburban schools are better they are talking in a general sense, and not specifically talking about the teachers.

 

Westlake Highschool is a better school than Glenville. A child is more likely to succeed at Westlake than Glenville. Its not because Westlake has better teachers, its because of who the child would be hanging around and what the culture is like at the school.

 

Also if suburban schools do have better teachers, not saying they do, could it be because they are more attractive a place to work than a Glenville?

 

I dont think you can fault a parent for wanting to send their child to Westlake at its current condition rather than Glenville at its current condition.

 

I think we're kind of talking in circles here, but there is some general sense of agreement.  What many people refer to as "good" schools are ones that almost always have barriers to attendance, whatever those barriers may be.  If CMSD wants to "compete" and give the impression that it has "good" school options, it needs to create more schools like John Hay that are exclusive and separative.  We already have neo-segregation in the American school system, whether people realize it or not; CMSD is several decades late to this game.

 

The only parents I fault for wanting to send their child to a better school environment are the ones that think that they can simply just drop Little Johnny off at the front door and expect that that's where their job ends.  These types of passive "social climber" families are the reason why districts like Cleveland Heights, South Euclid-Lyndhurst and even to some degree Shaker Heights are having issues and appear to be underachieving as graded by the ODE measurement system.  Too many parents think that once they move into a "better" school district that they don't have to be active in their child's education.

I think when people say suburban schools are better they are talking in a general sense, and not specifically talking about the teachers.

 

Westlake Highschool is a better school than Glenville. A child is more likely to succeed at Westlake than Glenville. Its not because Westlake has better teachers, its because of who the child would be hanging around and what the culture is like at the school.

 

I don't understand why you think this comparison is any less silly than the one that kicked off this whole discussion.

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

GRAND OPENING OF MC2STEM HIGH SCHOOL AT CSU TO CELEBRATE KEYBANK/CMSD/CSU PARTNERSHIP

 

Officials from CMSD, KeyBank Foundation and Cleveland State University will celebrate their partnership on November 18 at the grand opening of Cleveland’s MC2STEM High School on the CSU campus. 

 

Juniors and seniors attending the school at its new location at Rhodes Tower West will actively participate in a program expected to include a laser-assisted ribbon cutting-ceremony and a showcase of the students' work.

 

WHAT: MC2STEM High School Grand Opening Celebratio

WHERE: Rhodes Tower West, 2124 Chester Ave., Cleveland State                                  University

WHEN:  9:00 – 11:00 AM, November 18, 2013

 

The program will include remarks from high-ranking partners from all three organizations and from Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, the second African American female to travel into space.

 

KeyBank Foundation’s generous $1.25 million gift and CSU’s signature partnership with CMSD benefits more than 140 students in the CMSD STEM program.

 

 ###

WHOA

 

Cleveland Partners With Private College For New Public High School

Monday, April 21, 2014 at 10:49

 

In today’s job market, applicants need to be higher skilled and better educated in order compete for secure jobs at decent pay. More schools systems are getting the message and offering students a chance to earn some college credit before leaving high school. Numerous so-called “early college” programs have cropped up across Ohio in the last decade, most in conjunction with a nearby public college or university. StateImpact’s Michelle Kanu reports the Cleveland school district is set to open another in the fall, but it’s partnership with higher education is a little out of the ordinary.

 

Cleveland’s new Bard High School Early College will open in what used to be Brooklawn Elementary on Cleveland’s west side.  Students will take both high school and college classes there.  At the end of four years, they can walk away with up to 60 college credits—the equivalent of an associate’s degree—along with their diploma.

 

http://www.ideastream.org/news/feature/cleveland-partners-with-private-college-for-new-public-high-school1

Cool. Brooklawn is off West 117th just north of Bellaire and I-71. I'm happy this school has found a new, long-term after serving as a stopgap while various other schools are rebuilt or replaced. But I am curious why this school was chosen among so many other sites that are more accessible to the rest of the city. The only transit line serving it is the #78 which runs only hourly off-peak and half-hour peak on a north-south route on West 117th.

 

I would have put this school downtown.

^^ This is a big deal. With the cost of college being what it is, if you can get those early 'general' credits completed in high school, and then just go to college for the technical skills you're seeking, this will certainly offset a lot of the escalation in college costs. What a great concept.

I would have put this school downtown.

 

My initial reaction as well.  However, Downtown has a good thing going with Campus International, which will eventually grow into a high school as the existing students matriculate up to that level.  I would've preferred University Circle..... but that is probably just my east-side bias.  I just see so much more potential in UC than the Edge in terms of attracting not just middle-class, but upper-middle class to upper class families.  The City desperately needs that tax revenue and this is a situation in which I definitely believe in trickle-down economics.

My initial reaction as well.  However, Downtown has a good thing going with Campus International, which will eventually grow into a high school as the existing students matriculate up to that level.  I would've preferred University Circle..... but that is probably just my east-side bias.  I just see so much more potential in UC than the Edge in terms of attracting not just middle-class, but upper-middle class to upper class families.  The City desperately needs that tax revenue and this is a situation in which I definitely believe in trickle-down economics.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by the "Edge", but those types of families already live in Edgewater and to some extent in Kamm's Corners and parts of Old Brooklyn.  There's plenty of opportunity for housing stock replacement and densification in those areas, too.

 

University Circle already has John Hay, where one of the constituent schools (Early College) was the highest-ranked high school in the REGION based on state test results.  The east side already has most of the district's special program schools, too.  Why not spread it around a little bit, particularly when it could help bolster West Park, which is undeniably the most stable (if fragile and starting to slip) neighborhood in the city?

^Good point about John Hay.  And I had completely forgot about Edgewater.

Funny thing is that I was just telling my friend that I thought that the westside needed its own version of John Hay.  This is a great development for CMSD and the city.

I could just be making it up, but I feel like there was an article about an intentional district strategy to site more schools of excellence on the West Side, as there were growing complaints that many of the strongest magnet schools were locating between downtown and University Circle. It might have even been an early article about Bard.

Read our op-ed in advance of tomorrow's announcement that Cleveland chosen to be Gates Compact city:  A more... http://t.co/OqwN3mj2wf

Cool article KJP. Thanks for posting it.

I know that large urban districts like CMSD can't help themselves whenever someone wants to offer them "free" money, but the Gates' style of vulture philanthropy in education is completely misguided if you take them at their word, and even scarier if you connect the dots and realize what their ultimate goal may actually be. If CMSD had any real leaders, they could recreate the very basic tenets of what makes a small percentage of charter schools successful without allowing corporate raiders to get their hands on taxpayer money. The sad part is that many liberals and Democrats have even been tricked into believing that ceding money and control to outside, unaccountable interests is the way to go.

EDIT: note the tax bill changes (ie: reductions) in the chart following the article....

 

The push for a $200 million tax for new schools starts in Cleveland (With proposed tax bill changes)

By Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer

on September 20, 2014 at 9:30 AM, updated September 20, 2014 at 9:34 AM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The campaign for Cleveland's $200 million tax to build new schools has begun.

 

Though the official kickoff will come Wednesday at a rally at East Technical High School, the campaign has started hiring staff and consultants and will start promoting the bond issue this weekend.

 

Issue 4 on November's ballot would approve a $200 million bond issue to replace or renovate 20 schools and "refresh" 23 others.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/09/the_push_for_a_200_million_tax.html

 

 

Cleveland's $200 million plan for new schools gains some City Council support

By Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer

on September 22, 2014 at 3:58 PM, updated September 22, 2014 at 4:40 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The new $200 million construction plan for the Cleveland schools picked up some city council support today.

 

Member's of council's Democratic caucus voted to back the construction plan and  the $200 million tax request on the November ballot to help pay for it, after meeting with Eric Gordon, the district's chief executive officer at noon.

 

It wasn't an official council resolution. And many council members were not present. But several members lined up to back the plan and promised to help campaign for the tax.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/09/clevelands_200_million_plan_fo.html

"@ClevelandDaily: More Cleveland parents are visiting their kids' schools - The Plain Dealer http://t.co/TA6gfBORxj"

Construction of the new John Marshall, Max Hayes and School of the Arts

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/10/construction_of_the_new_john_marshall_max_hayes_and_school_of_the_arts_high_schools_in_cleveland_is_on_schedule_for_fall_2015_opening.html#incart_river

Hhhmmmmm so what's planned for the old Max Hayes site?  That's a site to watch.

There is so much shenanigans from the school board over issue 4. It relies on people's ignorance about their tax bill (or landlord's tax bill!). The wide range of housing prices in Cleveland's all but guarantee this thing passing. The mailers I keep getting always quote small monthly dollar amount. Then in small print at the bottom it says for a $50,000 house.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/10/be_aware_when_voting_on_bond_i.html

 

Be aware when voting on bond issues: That tax rate shown on the ballot isn't guaranteed at all

 

When your school district or municipality tells you that a bond issue will cost you a certain amount per year, that's not binding. Your tax bills for those bonds could look very different.

 

That's what happened with the Cleveland school district's 2001 school construction bonds. News stories from that time – campaign materials from then are not available – list those bonds (and an extra maintenance tax) as costing $129 per $100,000 home.

 

Today, thanks to two quiet increases, homeowners are now paying $187 a year for the bonds alone. Taxpayers are now paying 6.1 mills on bonds that appeared on the ballot as averaging 3.7 mills.

 

Those increases weren't decided at the polls and didn't even need a hearing. Just like in Cleveland, your school board or city has lots of leeway in determining how much they and the county charge you each year for bonds.

Issue 4 passed with over 70% of the votes. It seems like people in Cleveland never met a school levy or bond issue they didn't like.

Issue 4 passed with over 70% of the votes. It seems like people in Cleveland never met a school levy or bond issue they didn't like.

 

Yeah, well, anyone have the breakdown on owners vs. renters?

 

As a homeowner, I'd love to have school funding decoupled from property taxes.

 

Also, I keep hearing from people I come into contact with that "The Cleveland Schools are broke and need the money" when they are ranked like top 15 in the state for per student spending. 

 

 

We own and I voted for it, along with the last one. I won't continue to do so unless there is further improvement, but I think there has been real progress, so I'm not going to give them an excuse to fail. Spending *is* too high - but now is the wrong time to demand a total overhaul of spending, since they aren't really done closing old schools and building new ones.

 

As a homeowner, I'd love to have school funding decoupled from property taxes.

 

Totally agree

Also, I keep hearing from people I come into contact with that "The Cleveland Schools are broke and need the money" when they are ranked like top 15 in the state for per student spending. 

 

True their per pupil spending is high, but their cost to educate kids is also high versus non urban districts.  This regions history of economic flight has left behind the poorest of the poor in city neighborhoods and schools, and all of the social ills that come with that.  CMSD has to include a large / costly social component to meet the needs of many kids/families just to get them ready for education.  It's hard to concentrate on math if you're hungry, or spent the night on the streets, as some of the students in my partner schools do.  City schools need social workers to unbundle various family issues, nutrition programs that send kids home with a snack so they have food later, etc all have to be in place so students can concentrate on learning.  I'm not saying suburban districts don't face these issues, and many rural districts definitely face these same issues, but again not to the vast degree urban districts do.

Issue 4 passed with over 70% of the votes. It seems like people in Cleveland never met a school levy or bond issue they didn't like.

 

Yeah, well, anyone have the breakdown on owners vs. renters?

 

As a homeowner, I'd love to have school funding decoupled from property taxes.

 

Also, I keep hearing from people I come into contact with that "The Cleveland Schools are broke and need the money" when they are ranked like top 15 in the state for per student spending. 

 

 

 

Not only renters, but a lot of Section 8 and other forms of public housing.  Even the Section 8 folks don't pay for any rent increases, the feds do.

 

Maple Heights did something brilliant:  they put a levy and a building bond issue on the ballot in November of 2008, instead of the usual off year off election.

 

There is a mechanism in the Ohio Constitution for school districts to levy small income taxes.

This is basically a refinancing of existing debt with a longer term and reduced principal payments so they could do more construction. I fail to see the downside of this, and apparently voters recognized the value of this too.

^ says the guy from Lakewood. :-)

 

 

^ says the guy from Lakewood. :-)

 

 

My address doesn't change the facts of the bond issue.

Lakewood also has some of the highest property taxes in the state.

 

Last night was just another election reminder of how badly we need to fix the school funding formula in this state and make it less-reliant on property taxes. Additionally, while this is hindsight, it really is too bad that we have so many school district divisions in this area (and state). As I watched and read about some levies passing and others failing, it's really sort of depressing realizing just how unequal things are between the districts.

Lakewood also has some of the highest property taxes in the state.

 

 

OK, and how does that affect the merits of the Cleveland bond refinancing?

Issue 4 passed with over 70% of the votes. It seems like people in Cleveland never met a school levy or bond issue they didn't like.

 

Yeah, well, anyone have the breakdown on owners vs. renters?

 

As a homeowner, I'd love to have school funding decoupled from property taxes.

 

Also, I keep hearing from people I come into contact with that "The Cleveland Schools are broke and need the money" when they are ranked like top 15 in the state for per student spending. 

 

I would like to know what goes into the formula for "per student spending".  Are maintenance costs included?  Obviously, maintenance on older buildings is more expensive.  Security costs are surely higher in the CMSD than they are in the suburbs.  They have to pay their teachers more, I would also suspect.  I know if I was a teacher, I would demand more to teach in Cleveland than in Orange.  Special needs students cost more, and I do believe Cleveland has a disproportionate share.  Students from indigent families cost more as well (as noted above).

 

I just don't believe the comparison is fair, and certainly not the implications drawn from those comparisons.

 

Think of it like the difference between having an old 1920's tudor mansion on Fairmount vs. owning a brand new mansion in Gates Mills.  The new house is going to cost less to heat, less to cool, will require less daily upkeep, and repairs will be less frequent and less expensive.  It doesn't matter that the square footage is the same.  It's not apples to apples.

Good points. Plus, Cleveland schools provide financial aid to eligible students who are unable to afford compliance with the district's dress code. Some of that aid comes from donations, but it still counts on the district's balance sheets as expense. I also seem to recall that some students receive breakfast as many come to school hungry which makes it difficult to focus and learn.

Good points. Plus, Cleveland schools provide financial aid to eligible students who are unable to afford compliance with the district's dress code. Some of that aid comes from donations, but it still counts on the district's balance sheets as expense. I also seem to recall that some students receive breakfast as many come to school hungry which makes it difficult to focus and learn.

 

Every student in CMSD receives free breakfast, I know that for certain. What I'm less certain of is how much of that tab is picked up by the Feds, because they're paying for a least part of it. However all of that does go into the per pupil expenditures number, which to outsiders provides easy fodder for believing that their money is going towards providing an extravagant education to poor minorities.

Lakewood also has some of the highest property taxes in the state.

 

 

OK, and how does that affect the merits of the Cleveland bond refinancing?

 

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make a point either way, just thought it was an interesting fact to throw out there, really more in your defense, as Dean seemed to be implying that you're hypocritically sitting pretty in the suburbs asking for taxes to be raised in Cleveland...when in reality, you town has actually consistently put its money where its mouth is when it comes to supporting students and getting school bond issues passed.

Good points. Plus, Cleveland schools provide financial aid to eligible students who are unable to afford compliance with the district's dress code. Some of that aid comes from donations, but it still counts on the district's balance sheets as expense. I also seem to recall that some students receive breakfast as many come to school hungry which makes it difficult to focus and learn.

 

 

Every student in CMSD receives free breakfast, I know that for certain. What I'm less certain of is how much of that tab is picked up by the Feds, because they're paying for a least part of it. However all of that does go into the per pupil expenditures number, which to outsiders provides easy fodder for believing that their money is going towards providing an extravagant education to poor minorities.

 

 

fyi school breakfasts have been funded federally via the usda since the mid-60s civil rights era and for the longest time the feds payed around $1.55 per breakfast, give or take based on income. although the breakfast and lunch meals were just made healthier and i think that $ went up a bit just recently, but not sure about that (?)

 

so if it costs more, the $ comes from elsewhere. however, that does not necessarily mean from the local district, but it could. there is a summer meals for kids program too.

 

here's something quick:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sbp/fact-sheet

 

 

also, it seems hard to believe, but apparently school breakfast programs tend to break even or can even be profitable for the districts:

http://fyi.uwex.edu/wischoolbreakfast/files/2009/10/Wisconsin-School-Breakfast-Cost-Benefit-Analysis-Report-20071.pdf

I'm pretty sure that expense still counts in the expenditures-per-pupil statistics that people often quote.

So compared to other Ohio cities, Cleveland either has way better charter schools or CMSD is way worse than its downstate counterparts.  Although probably a combination of both, Cleveland does have some exceptionally well performing charter schools in Breakthrough Schools, the Intergeneration School, etc.  This article would back that up: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/08/some_local_charter_schools_are.html

 

Charter students in Cleveland learn more than in district schools, Stanford researchers say

 

"- Charter school students in Cleveland are learning more than their counterparts in the school district. CREDO estimated that Cleveland charter school students gain 14 more days of learning than kids in district schools, in both reading and math.

 

Cleveland is the only city in Ohio where charters outperform the district in both subjects.

 

"They do stick out as being far more positive," Talbot said.

 

For Ohio's other large cities, the report notes: "For Cincinnati, the loss equates to 14 days of learning for math; in Columbus, the gap is about 22 days of learning in math. They are on par in their learning for reading, as is the case for Dayton in both subjects."

 

CREDO reports that 33 percent of the charter schools in Cleveland have significantly more positive learning gains than their district counterpart schools  in reading and math, while only 6 percent of charter schools are lower learning gains in both subjects."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/12/charter_students_in_cleveland.html#incart_river

It's called cream-skimming. The "best" charter schools have perfected the art of controlling their enrollment to the point that comparing them to your average CMSD school becomes an apples to oranges discussion.

Very sad:

 

Cleveland schools failed to collect $8.5 million in federal rebates, so you paid the bill instead

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland taxpayers were stuck with an $8.5 million bill for technology upgrades in schools that they didn't have to pay - if only the city school district had followed the right procedure to receive federal "E-Rate" rebates on the costs.

 

A new report by the Bond Accountability Commission, the district's construction watchdog panel, found that district officials failed on multiple occasions to collect federal rebates on internet connectivity and communications equipment installed in new schools between 2006 and 2011.

 

Though the district had pre-approval from the so-called "E-Rate" program for $12.28 million in rebates on the work, it received only $3.71 million, the report states.

 

About $6.6 million of the $8.5 million was never claimed - all despite the district paying for the work and sometimes receiving two-year extensions on rebate deadlines.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/04/cleveland_school_district_fail.html

 

A real concern: Almost all of of the work in question was done by a company called Doan Pyramid, an electrical contractor that was a major part of the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal that sent several county officials to prison. Doan owner Michael Forlani was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on racketeering, bribery and other corruption-related charges after admitting he landed contracts through bribery.

 

 

Very sad:

 

Cleveland schools failed to collect $8.5 million in federal rebates, so you paid the bill instead

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland taxpayers were stuck with an $8.5 million bill for technology upgrades in schools that they didn't have to pay - if only the city school district had followed the right procedure to receive federal "E-Rate" rebates on the costs.

 

A new report by the Bond Accountability Commission, the district's construction watchdog panel, found that district officials failed on multiple occasions to collect federal rebates on internet connectivity and communications equipment installed in new schools between 2006 and 2011.

 

Though the district had pre-approval from the so-called "E-Rate" program for $12.28 million in rebates on the work, it received only $3.71 million, the report states.

 

About $6.6 million of the $8.5 million was never claimed - all despite the district paying for the work and sometimes receiving two-year extensions on rebate deadlines.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/04/cleveland_school_district_fail.html

 

She was hired away from Cleveland Public Schools...and in case anyone misses her

 

The indictment of Barbara Byrd-Bennett—Mayor Rahm's front woman at CPS

 

Appropriately, Mayor Emanuel's name isn't mentioned in the 43-page indictment on bribery charges handed down today by the feds against Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who was hired by the mayor to run the Chicago Public Schools.

 

According to the feds, "Byrd-Bennett steered no-bid contracts worth more than $23 million" to Supes "in exchange for an expectation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks."

 

Moreover, Supes "agreed to conceal the kickback money by funneling it into accounts set up in the names of two of Byrd-Bennett’s relatives."

 

Furthermore, "a later agreement called for the funds to be paid to Byrd-Bennett in the form of a 'signing bonus' after her employment with CPS ended and the companies re-hired her as a consultant."

 

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2015/10/08/the-indictment-of-barbara-byrd-bennettmayor-rahms-front-woman-at-cps

She was hired away from Cleveland Public Schools...and in case anyone misses her

 

The indictment of Barbara Byrd-Bennett—Mayor Rahm's front woman at CPS

 

Appropriately, Mayor Emanuel's name isn't mentioned in the 43-page indictment on bribery charges handed down today by the feds against Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who was hired by the mayor to run the Chicago Public Schools.

 

According to the feds, "Byrd-Bennett steered no-bid contracts worth more than $23 million" to Supes "in exchange for an expectation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks."

 

Moreover, Supes "agreed to conceal the kickback money by funneling it into accounts set up in the names of two of Byrd-Bennett’s relatives."

 

Furthermore, "a later agreement called for the funds to be paid to Byrd-Bennett in the form of a 'signing bonus' after her employment with CPS ended and the companies re-hired her as a consultant."

 

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2015/10/08/the-indictment-of-barbara-byrd-bennettmayor-rahms-front-woman-at-cps

 

Wasn't her salary astronomical enough?

Too much is never enough.

Interesting...

 

Cleveland schools may be gaining students, not losing them by the thousands

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/11/cleveland_schools_may_be_gaining_students_not_losing_them_by_the_thousands.html

Having read the article...Some of the gain sounds like it comes from principles convincing parents to keep their children in local schools..... Definitely interesting