Columbus City Schools

Posted April 29, 200520 yr

Career center to go Downtown

Columbus schools to buy 3.5-acre site

Friday, April 29, 2005

Sue Hagan, THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

The Columbus Public Schools have found a site for a new Downtown career center after years of talk about the project. The district plans to spend $2.2 million to buy the old Heer building, which takes up the block between 4th and 5th streets south of Mound Street, said Carol Olshavsky, who oversees the district’s building campaign. The 3.5-acre site includes two parking lots.

The new school is slated to open the fall of 2008, about two years later than originally planned. The 126,000-squarefoot school will be designed for 817 students, and the entire project will cost almost $24 million. Superintendent Gene Harris has pushed for a Downtown career center since the district began planning its $500 million rebuilding project.

October 15, 200519 yr

From the AP, 10/14/05:

32 teachers in Columbus will get $50,000 buyouts

Friday, October 14, 2005

Associated Press

Columbus - The Columbus Board of Education is offering $50,000 buyouts for 32 teachers in the first phase of a plan to compensate for the loss of 1,900 students, mostly to charter schools. Teachers who make at least $60,000 a year would be eligible for the buyout, regardless of whether they are eligible to retire. They have until Oct. 31 to apply, and selection will be based on seniority.

The district estimates it would save money by buying out 32 older, higher-paid employees rather than laying off the same number of younger employees. The second phase will begin in January and will be aimed at a yet-unspecified number of employees, with exit dates for participating employees determined on an as-needed basis.

One of the main factors that will determine the size of the second buyout will be how many buildings will have to be closed because of enrollment declines, Superintendent Gene Harris said after a special board meeting Wednesday to approve the plan. A board committee is to recommend a school-closing plan by mid-November.

October 21, 200519 yr

From ONN, 10/18/05:

Cuts Possible for School District

Oct 18, 2005, 05:33 PM EDT

There is a possibility of more job cuts for the Columbus Public School System. More than 500 jobs could be cut because the district is in deep debt, and the school board met about the cuts Tuesday afternoon. The five-year financial forecast, which, by law, has to be done by October 31, was presented Tuesday. It did not contain good news.

The budget is projected to be $28.5 million for 2006 and $21.6 million in 2007 and the school district will have to find $50 million in cuts. The easiest is way to trim money is through employees. They account for 85 percent of the cost in the budget. They average $50,000 a year in salary, which would mean letting 1,000 people go.

November 25, 200519 yr

From Suburban News Publications, 11/16/05:

Fourteen on latest list of CPS schools that may close

By ROSEMARY KUBERA

Crestview and Barrett middle schools, and Innis, Northtowne and Beck elementary schools are on a new short list of schools that administrators in the Columbus district say should close due to declining enrollment and population shifts. If the 14 schools on the listshut down, student assignment boundaries for many neighboring schools will be affected, said John Stanford, assistant to Superintendent Gene Harris and chairman of the task force studying possible school closures.

"Our decisions mainly were based on where students live," said Stanford. "We are just looking at the current population and the buildings themselves. And we are looking at man-made or natural barriers that contribute to increased transportation costs." Originally, 30 schools were placed on a list for potential closing, based upon declining enrollment and under-used building capacity.

From same:

On the chopping block

By ROSEMARY KUBERA

Below are listed the 14 Columbus schools that may be closed due to declining enrollment and population shifts.

Elementary schools

* Beck Urban Academy, 387 E. Beck St.

* Brentnell, 1270 Brentnell Ave.

* Gladstone, 1965 Gladstone Ave.

* Innis, 3399 Kohr Blvd.

* Koebel, 2521 Fairwood Ave.

* Main, 1469 E. Main St.

* McGuffey, 2632 McGuffey Road

* Northtowne, 4767 Northtowne Blvd.

* Scioto Trail, 2951 S. High St.

* Second Avenue, 68 E. Second Ave.

* Southwood, 1005 S. Fourth St.

* Stockbridge, 3350 S. Champion Ave.

Middle schools

* Barrett Urban Academy, 345 E. Deshler Ave.

* Crestview, 251 E. Weber Road

From http://www.snponline.com/NEWS11-16/11-16_colcloseside.htm

December 3, 200519 yr

I thought this history might be interesting. This is from Suburban News Publications, 11/30/05:

District has closed many schools as enrollment shrinks

By ROSEMARY KUBERA

Enrollment traditionally rises, falls and repeats the cycle over time, said Asbury. A spot check of historical and district records bears that out:

1902: 25,514 students

1956: 64,253

1967: 105,967

1971: 111,039

1979: 77,608

1980: 73,698

1990: 64,280

2000: 64,859

2005: 59,101

Desegregation was mandated by the court system in 1979, but no single factor can be blamed for declining enrollment, said Asbury. Fewer children were born after the baby boom generation. Suburban growth surged in the early to mid-1970s. A state-mandated moratorium on annexation by the city and district arrived in the late 1960s and lasted until 1986 when Columbus and suburban boundaries were created by the Win-Win agreement, he said.

Information for this story was complied from: 1925 Directory of Columbus Public Schools; Firsts in Columbus Public Schools by Myron Siebert, 1985; History of the City of Columbus, 1827-1892; photo collection, Columbus Metropolitan Library; Report of Public Schools of Columbus 1923 by Board of Education.

To view photographs of past and present Columbus Public Schools buildings, visit columbuslibrary.org.

From same:

PHOTO: Sullivant Elementary once stood at the current site of the district's administration building, 270 E. State St. Image courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Library

Columbus' list of closed, demolished schools is a long one

By ROSEMARY KUBERA

Columbus Public Schools buildings that have been closed include:

* Barr: on East Broad Street, now thought to be part of Franklin Park.

* Broadview Avenue: at West Fifth Street in the Grandview Heights area, sold to a developer at a public auction circa 1975.

* Central High: originally built in 1861 at Sixth and Broad streets, rebuilt in 1924 west of the Scioto River between State and Town streets; current site of COSI.

* Fieser: 600-seat school built in 1873 at the corner of State and Starling streets; site of district's first open-air school for children with tuberculosis circa 1911.

* Fulton Street: 564-seat school built in 1868 at Washington Avenue and Ninth Street; served children with mobility limitations.

High School of Commerce: on Fulton Street.

* Lane Avenue: built in 1911 at Lisle Avenue and Kenny Road.

* Mount Vernon: at Mount Vernon and Ohio avenues; served developmentally disabled students until being damaged by fire in the mid-1950s.

* Olentangy: built 1921 at Poplar and Henry avenues, served developmentally disabled students circa 1958; demolished 1987.

* Park Street: built in 1866 on Park at Vine streets, also known as Opportunity School and Girls' Trade School; demolished 1948.

* Sullivant: 699-seat school built in 1871 at East State near South Fifth Street, became the district administration building in 1923; the building was demolished in 1961 and replaced with the current district headquarters building.

* Third Street: 415-seat school built in 1866 at East Sycamore Street in German Village, also known as German English School; current site of Columbus' Golden Age Hobby Shop.

* Trades High: built in 1868 at Spring at Neil Avenue (current site of YMCA), also known as Spring Street School; moved in 1909 to Front Street School at Long Street.

December 4, 200519 yr

From ThisWeek Newspapers, 12/1/05:

Emotions flare during public forum

Thursday, December 1, 2005

By SUE HAGAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

The task force assigned with making recommendations on which Columbus schools to close worked methodically through enrollment numbers and other data. But at a community meeting Monday night, it was all about emotion.

More than 100 people, plus two dozen or so Columbus Public Schools staff members, crowded into Marion-Franklin High School for the first of four forums designed to get public input on which schools to close next year. Of the 13 schools proposed for closure, six -- Barrett Middle School, and Beck, Koebel, Scioto Trail, Southwood and Stockbridge elementary schools -- are on the South Side.

December 7, 200519 yr

From the AP, 12/2/05:

Teachers favor plan to avoid some layoffs

The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus teachers have approved a plan to save heating costs by closing schools for three additional days this winter and spring in hopes of avoiding some teacher layoffs later this school year. The district would release students for winter break on Friday, Dec. 16, instead of Tuesday, Dec. 20. And it would lengthen spring break by starting it a day earlier, on Thursday, April 13.

In exchange, teachers and students would make up those days in June. “It’s inconvenient. But that inconvenience might save a colleague’s job,” said union President Rhonda Johnson. The teachers union estimates that closing the district’s 150 or so buildings during those colder days would save about $500,000, enough to possibly save 10 jobs. Teachers attending a Columbus Education Association meeting Thursday night approved the proposal by a 2-to-1 margin. The school closing idea also would have to be approved by members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, which represents non-teaching staff, Viebranz said.

December 7, 200519 yr

^^^ That's a great idea that more schools should adopt even in the absence of possible layoffs. I understand that it passed by a 2-1 margin, but how could ANY teachers be against this? I just don't understand their mindset.

December 7, 200519 yr

Easton swallows career center

Limited entity pays $9.8 million for Columbus schools’ facility

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Bill Bush, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Using an unusual state law that gives school districts six months to sell certain lands without a public auction, the Columbus Public Schools last night sold a vocational school in the heart of the thriving Easton development to a partnership involving Limited Brands. Though district officials said they didn’t know the origins of the law that made the secretly negotiated sale possible, the law’s sponsor said the change was made at the request of the Columbus Public Schools.

Superintendent Gene Harris said the deal was not done in secret, but rather under the terms of a temporary law inserted into the state budget bill that passed in June. "It was a private deal, not a secret deal," Harris said. No one else knew the property was for sale, and no other bids were solicited, Harris said, but it was legal under a law that made private sales possible between July 1 and Dec. 31. The $9.83 million sale ended a long quest by Limited Brands to acquire the 12.55-acre site of the vocational school, which the district said in 1996 had been appraised at $10 million.

December 8, 200519 yr

District took leap of faith in the sale of center

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A Columbus Public Schools official told a state lawmaker that putting the Northeast Career Center up for sale at a public auction — as required by state law — would "depress the sale price," according to a letter from the district. But Superintendent Gene Harris said last night that the district had no evidence to support that conclusion, and she acknowledged that it’s possible the district could have received more money for a 12.6-acre site adjacent to the booming Easton retail complex.

But in the end, district officials decided that the best course of action would be to join Limited Brands in lobbying state lawmakers to suspend temporarily a state law requiring an open auction. Tuesday evening, the Columbus Board of Education consummated at least seven months of secret negotiations when, without debate, it unanimously approved the sale of the Northeast Career Center for $9.83 million to MORSO Holding Co. MORSO is a holding company for Limited Brands, which was founded by Columbus’ Leslie H. Wexner.

December 9, 200519 yr

I would guess that a teacher voting against it would be a selfish person unwilling to lose a couple of free sunny days in June.

December 9, 200519 yr

WOW columbus had 111,039 students in 1971. Since the population now is the highest it's ever been, Where in the world did all the students go?

December 9, 200519 yr

A) Suburbs

B) Private schools

C) Charter schools

December 9, 200519 yr

WOW columbus had 111,039 students in 1971. Since the population now is the highest it's ever been, Where in the world did all the students go?

The Columbus Public schools "boundary" does not match the boundaries for Columbus city. Thus much of the population of Columbus have kids going to suburban schools.

December 13, 200519 yr

From ThisWeek West Side, 12/8/05:

School closing debate continues

Thursday, December 8, 2005

By SUE HAGAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

The conversation about which Columbus Public Schools to close next year continued last Thursday at North Adult Education Center, with a focus on Crestview Middle School and Second Avenue, Innis and Northtowne elementary schools. All three are on a list of 13 schools that could close next year. The district's Facilities Assessment Task Force began looking at the issue in October, and hopes to bring a recommendation to the Board of Education at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Whereas moderators allowed public comment for only about half of the first two-hour forum, held Nov. 28 at Marion-Franklin High School, a full 90 minutes was set aside last Thursday. And 50 or so people from the crowd of about 140 spoke up -- many of them adamant about getting their full message out, even if it meant ignoring repeated reminders that time was up.

December 20, 200519 yr

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 12/15/05:

Northtowne removed from closing list; Southwood is being reconsidered

Thursday, December 15, 2005

By SUE HAGAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

The task force looking at which Columbus public schools to close next fall has scrapped a plan that would close Northtowne Elementary School and move the Columbus Spanish Immersion School to Innis Elementary. The group also might recommend closing Reeb Elementary rather than Southwood Elementary. And, while it still recommends closing Gladstone Elementary in the Linden area, the panel wants all those students to stay together as a group and be transferred into Hamilton Elementary rather than Windsor.

Those are the key recommendations the Facilities Assessment Task Force came up with on Monday, a few days after members of the group visited the schools on the closing list. Task force co-chairmen Floyd Jones and Alan Davidson presented the revised list -- which is not final -- to the Columbus Board of Education Tuesday afternoon.

December 20, 200519 yr

12 schools on task force’s final list for closures

Columbus board to hear panel’s recommendations at special meeting today

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Twelve inner-city Columbus schools should close this summer and four others a year later if their enrollment doesn’t increase, a task force recommended to the district yesterday. Gene Harris, superintendent of Columbus Public Schools, said she will take that recommendation to the school board at a special meeting at 3 p.m. today.

"We heard a lot of commitment to schools that were under consideration, a lot of passion around schools," said task force co-chairman Floyd Jones after the panel’s unanimous vote. "I think there’s going to be disappointment and frustration from many of the affected constituencies. However, having said that, I think that the greater, larger community understands, as Superintendent Harris has said, the need to allocate resources toward the longer-term goal of improving academic performance."

December 21, 200519 yr

Columbus board OKs 11 school closures

Hubbard Elementary might be 12 th instead of Second Avenue

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Columbus Board of Education approved closing 11 of the 12 schools that a citizens’ task force recommended, but opted yesterday to reconsider whether one school — Second Avenue Elementary — should close. With member Karen Schwarzwalder’s motion, the board voted 5-2 to temporarily take Second Avenue Elementary in Italian Village off the closing list, while the board considers whether it should close Hubbard Elementary in Victorian Village instead.

January 25, 200619 yr

From the 1/18/06 Columbus Dispatch:

Battelle, OSU create unique high school

County facility to give students training in math and science

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A new high school? Big deal.

But this high school has the backing of Battelle and Ohio State University, behemoths that will put muscle behind its math and science focus. It will be small, free and open to students in the 16 Franklin County public school districts. And there’s nothing like it in Ohio, and few if any comparisons in the country.

The Metro School will open this fall to ninth-graders and add a grade each of the next three years. Only 100 students will be admitted in each grade. Education leaders nationally and in Ohio have said schools need to produce more students skilled in science, technology, engineering and math — the so-called STEM disciplines, which are viewed as being important job-generating fields.

Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/18/20060118-A1-01.html

January 25, 200619 yr

This really sounds like a great idea for kids who have an interest in the aformentioned subject matters.

I especially like two elements of this:

1) It is a privilege to go here, not a right

2) You get 2 years work/internship experience

I think this mindset is great for public schools. Didn't we have another thread questioning the progressiveness of Columbus?

January 25, 200619 yr

well don't get overheated. specialized high schools are not a new invention, neither is corporate partnership with a school.

takes nothing away from what they are doing, which is fantastic. certainly battelle is the right people to partner with.

February 16, 200619 yr

From the 2/15/06 Dispatch:

BUDGET SQUABBLE AT BOARD MEETING

For Columbus schools, lessons in subtraction

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

As the Columbus Board of Education saw what a $28 million budget reduction looked like — cutting nurses, librarians, sports, counselors and hundreds of teachers — its newest member had a bold idea: Raise more money. "What about the 3 percent?" asked W. Carlton Weddington, in reference to a promise made to voters when the 6.95-mill levy was passed in 2004. At the time, board members promised to hold budget growth to 3 percent annually.

If the district were to go above that, it would mean having to turn to voters for more cash before fall 2008, as had been expected. "If that’s not on the table, then we haven’t addressed all the options, and no one seems to want to put it on the table," said Weddington, sworn in last month to a four-year term. But no one else on the board was willing to go there. "It is not an option for me," member Jeff Cabot said.

February 16, 200619 yr

Another reason the Columbus Public Schools crying over their budget woes rings a little hollow....

nbc4i.com

Deficit-Ridden CPS Won't Sell Millions' Worth Of Buildings

CPS: Selling Empty Buildings Won't Help Deficit

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As the Columbus Public School District faces another budget crunch, student enrollment continues to decline, down from 64,000 to 59,000 students. Now Central Ohioans want to know if the district is faced with too many buildings and too few students to fill them. "Today's urban school system is a much more complex kind of living organism," said Dr. Steve Sundre, of SchoolMatch.

SchoolMatch studied the district's effectiveness in 1998. Its report recommended the district close as many as 24 schools with low enrollments. "The school system was overbuilt for the student population that it was serving," Sundre said.

Eight years after the original report, Sundre still believes CPS should sell some buildings and put the earned money into the overall budget. "You can get better economies of scale with somewhat larger building sizes," Sundre said.

CPS parent John Conway agreed with Sundre. "Sell the buildings if they are not being used," Conway said.

February 22, 200619 yr

From the 2/21/06 Columbus Dispatch:

Upgrades to schools may mean new levy

More money needed to keep Columbus project on track

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Columbus Public Schools officials will make decisions in the coming months that could drastically alter the future of the district’s $1.6 billion school-rebuilding project. Only the first two of seven segments of the project were funded by the $392 million bond issue approved by voters in 2002, and officials said continuing construction likely means another levy on the ballot, possibly as soon as November.

The district needs to approach the Ohio School Facilities Commission, which is funding roughly 30 percent of the project, with an amended plan that will detail what it will do with the extra money. The state’s contribution brings the total cost of the project’s first two segments to about $500 million.

February 23, 200619 yr

From the 2/22/06 Dispatch:

CHART: Budget cuts

Poll and reader comments

500 jobs face ax as city schools cut $28.9 million

Board holds off on shortening day in middle and high schools

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Columbus Board of Education cut $28.9 million from next school year’s budget, clearing the way last night for Superintendent Gene Harris to eliminate more than 500 staff positions. But the board delayed by two weeks voting on Harris’ plan to shorten the class days of middleand high-school students by about an hour. The cuts approved yesterday will slash the fulltime equivalence of 537.6 positions from the district’s operations, or about 7 percent of the total staff. More than 350 teachers will be cut, or about 7.5 percent of the 4,717-strong teaching staff.

March 9, 200619 yr

From the 3/8/06 Dispatch:

COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Shorter day OK’d at noisy meeting

Schedule change affects middle, high schools; protesters say new board member is unqualified

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

As her 5-year-old daughter watched, Stephanie Groce was sworn in yesterday to the Columbus Board of Education amid catcalls and racially charged insults lobbed from the audience. Groce took over the remaining 22 months of former member Stephanie Hightower’s board term, then joined her new colleagues in approving a shortened day for high- and middle-school students and a contract to start the district’s first charter school.

After the swearing-in ceremony, the meeting disintegrated into a shouting match as a group of about 10 black district residents scolded President Terry Boyd and other black board members for having supported Groce, who is white. Her replacing Hightower, who is black, means that four members of the seven-member panel are white. About 62 percent of the district’s students are black.

Boyd had Columbus police remove one protester, Judith Powell, from the board room, causing the other protesters to join her in the lobby. Powell said the protest was not because Groce is white. "Our main complaint is she is not qualified to sit on the school board," Powell said. "She has never associated or affiliated herself in any means with the black community."

March 10, 200619 yr

^ Who knows what the protesters were angry about. Maybe they were angry that the school board, in their eyes, doesn't square with the racial composition of students of CPS, or that qualified (black) candidates were passed over by someone (white) who sort of came out of nowhere. Not knowing the background of the protesters or why they were their, I don't know if they consider themselves representative of the black community with the CPS district or what.

March 10, 200619 yr

(In my hometown back in Georgia, there is an individual on the school board that sends his child to private school :-o).

I agree Grasscat, many feel as though this individual does not represent the racial and perhaps social make-up of the CPSS. On a personal level, I don't see the need for a school board. A district Superintendent that answers directly to individuals at the State Department of Education should suffice. The school system of today is so consumed with bureaucracy that the children get lost in the mix. The school system continues to flounder and personal interest continues to prevail. The school board is a worthless bureaucracy that does more harm than good. Give the management and oversight of the school back to individuals trained, educated, and experienced in school system management.

March 11, 200619 yr

More wonderful news... :(

Columbus plans to overhaul 4 schools

Poor progress on state tests behind district’s latest action

Friday, March 10, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

There’s no more time to hope for a turnaround. So at a handful of its worst schools, the ones that have been too bad for too long, Columbus Public Schools will force change. The staff will be let go. In all but one school, a new principal will take over.

Four schools will be overhauled this summer and will begin anew next school year with a different focus and a mostly new staff. Students at the schools, Deshler and Easthaven elementaries and Champion and Indianola middle schools, consistently have failed in math and reading.

March 17, 200619 yr

From the 3/16/06 Dispatch:

Voucher bill may spell new woes for district

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

If a bill to tweak the new statewide school-voucher program sticks, 12 more Columbus Public schools will join the 23 already facing voucher competition. More notable, though, is that this time, vouchers would creep into central Ohio suburbs — West Franklin Elementary, a South-Western school. District spokesman Jeff Warner said the district had no idea it, too, might lose students to vouchers.

"We feel most people want to stay in their neighborhood school. West Franklin Elementary has seen improvement year after year in its testing results, has a great staff, and we feel the children in that area are having a good experience and will want to stay," Warner said. State funding will disappear with the students who leave.

March 24, 200619 yr

Plans OK’d for first high school in Downtown business district

Friday, March 24, 2006

Debbie Gebolys

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Columbus Public Schools received the OK yesterday to build a $24 million high school the first in city history in the Downtown business district. Yet to be named, the career center and adult-education center will be built on Mound Street, between 4th and 5th streets, in time for the 2008-2009 school year. "I think it’s going to be huge for Downtown," said Carole Olshavsky, senior executive of capital improvements for the school district. "It represents a change in the philosophy of investing in kids."

The Downtown Commission approved the district’s request to demolish an 86-year-old former sheriff’s office building that stands vacant on the site. School administrators expect to begin site work this summer and construction on the school before the end of the year. The Downtown school and one being expanded at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School will replace the Northwest, Northeast and Southeast Career centers and serve 2,000 students.

March 24, 200619 yr

this is great news for residents of columbus.

cleveland public has been offering the highly successful early college program at Euclid and E. 19th for two years now. however the current location may not last much longer.

there are also two more charter high schools along Euclid on the near east side of Cleveland's CBD.

tremont, about 1.5 miles south of downtown, offers a public montessori to it's residents which began this school year.

i believe the tremont montessori is the only project geared to local residents. what is projected market for the dwntwn columbus school?

March 31, 200619 yr

From the 3/30/06 Dispatch:

Some face science-school fee

A few districts won’t pick up tab for kids at new Metro High

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Define free. Metro High School, a first-of-its-kind public math, science and technology high school scheduled to open this fall, was supposed to be free. That’s how the 16 Franklin County districts, working through the Educational Council, their consortium, decided it should be. Big expenses would fall to Ohio State University and Battelle, the two powerhouses backing the project.

Students were never supposed to foot the bill. But they will. A handful of districts — Gahanna, Westerville and Worthington — say that if their students want to attend Metro, they will have to pay their districts the nearly $6,000 a year that it will cost. Dublin students will pick up half the tab. Hamilton and Upper Arlington schools haven’t decided whether students will pay.

Parents are complaining to districts and the Ohio Department of Education, which says it’s trying to figure out whether school districts can legally charge students tuition to attend a public school.

Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/03/30/20060330-B1-01.html

March 31, 200619 yr

I have heard of a push to have a public grade school attached to University of Cincinnati. They already have an excellent preschool, Arlitt http://www.arlitt.uc.edu/ , which makes extensive use of students getting education degrees for teachers.

April 10, 200619 yr

From The Booster, 4/5/06:

Metro draws attention from teens who left public schools

By GARTH BISHOP

As the Metro School moves closer to selecting its first freshman class, it is attracting students from throughout Franklin County.

A significant percentage of those teenagers are returning to public schools after trying other options, a Metro official said. "One-third of our applicants are coming from charter schools, private schools or home-schooling," said Brad Mitchell, chief executive officer of the Educational Council of Franklin County.

The council is a cooperative effort of 16 school districts in the county. It, along with Battelle Memorial Institute and Ohio State University, are starting Metro School this fall. Metro, 1929 Kenny Road, will offer an accelerated core curriculum with a focus on math, science and technology. Organizers also promise a strong college-preparation and real-world experience for students with interests in those fields.

Full article at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS4-5/4-5_allmetro.htm

April 26, 200619 yr

From the 4/26/06 Dispatch:

Columbus cuts 314 teachers

District tries to make up for $28 million deficit

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

James Yuse is expecting his third child in September. Yesterday, he got something he didn’t expect two years ago when he took a job teaching English and social studies at Columbus Wedgewood Middle School — a pink slip. Yuse and 313 other certificated educators were officially issued notice yesterday by the Columbus Board of Education that their contracts will not be renewed at the end of this school year. "I’m extremely disappointed," said Yuse, reached at his home last night after the meeting. "We have a baby due in September, our third child, so naturally I’m a little nervous."

Yuse, 38, said he will try to find a teaching job at a suburban district. He will be on a Columbus schools recall list for three years. "It used to be an extremely dependable type of career, but I’m not sure anymore," he said. The district will eliminate about 413 teaching positions before the start of next school year to save $24.8 million of a projected $28 million deficit it blames on declining enrollment attributed mostly to charter schools.

May 19, 200619 yr

An Ohio State press release:

5-19-2006

Contact: Shelly Hoffman, Ohio State; or Mark Berry, Battelle, (614) 247-4748 or (614) 424-5544

New center for mathematics, science education policy announced

Battelle gift provides $4 million to launch center at Ohio State

COLUMBUS – If the United States continues to educate people in science and engineering at its current pace, the country will have a shortage of 12 million prepared workers by 2020, according to the National Science Foundation.

Addressing the country's global competitiveness and its clear link to math and science education, Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook and Battelle President and CEO Carl F. Kohrt today announced the formation of the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy to be housed at Ohio State's John Glenn School of Public Affairs.

“We are still envied for the quality of our education, but other nations are moving fast to compete with us – especially in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, where they are graduating larger numbers of students at home rather than sending them abroad,&rldquo; Holbrook said.

“The Battelle Center's goals are to bring people in higher education together with leaders in K-12 education, business, technology and government to deliberate and develop policies and practices that will increase the number of students who are appropriately energized and prepared to be leaders in the STEM fields,&rldquo; Holbrook said.

A $4 million gift from Battelle will establish the center, one of the few of its kind in the country. The university will initiate a national search for a director with unique experiences who will work in the John Glenn School to leverage expertise and resources from across Ohio State, Battelle and the country.

“I'm very excited about the establishment of the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy at OSU and its presence at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs,&rldquo; Kohrt said. “Not only is this a great collaboration with OSU and the John Glenn School, it is another key feature in our joint efforts to strengthen our nation's capabilities in the STEM fields. Our efforts with the new Metro School, the student achievement measurement work of Battelle For Kids and the new Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy are aligned to improve the pipeline of talented scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians for the future competitiveness of our region and our nation.&rldquo;

Ohio State, with strengths in basic research in the sciences and engineering, has a successful and long-standing partnership with its neighbor, Battelle, a world leader in science and technology. Most recently the two institutions partnered with a consortium of local school districts to announce the formation of the Metro High School, a model public school emphasizing math, science and technology that opens in the fall on the Ohio State campus.

Holbrook said the work of this new center connects with the Metro School, providing the public policy link for what goes on in the classroom. She added that specific strategies the center will undertake will be developed through the leadership of its director who should come to the position with national visibility and stature.

“We are pleased that this new Battelle Center has found a home at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. It has immense potential as we mobilize the training, technical assistance and research power of Ohio State and Battelle to inform decision makers in these aspects of education policy,&rldquo; said Lawrence Libby, interim director for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. “Senator Glenn has led a major national commission related to science and mathematics education and competitiveness. He believes this center can play a crucial role in the future of our region and nation.&rldquo;

Headquartered in Columbus, Battelle develops and commercializes technology and manages laboratories for customers. Battelle, with the national labs it manages or co-manages, oversees 20,000 staff members and conducts $3.4 billion in annual research and development. Advancements in K-12 education is one of its key community service commitments. Battelle innovations include the development of the office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on compact disc technology, medical technology advancements, and fiber optic technologies. Learn more at www.battelle.org.

Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. The university is ranked by the National Science Foundation among the Top 10 public research universities based on total research expenditures and has been named among the Top 25 public research universities every year U.S. News & World Report has done the ranking. With more than 50,500 students enrolled at its main Columbus campus, 18 colleges and 170 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions.

The university houses colleges with national and international reputations in the STEM fields. The engagement of those colleges, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Education will play an important role in the success of the center. Those colleges are also involved in varied ways in the Metro School and this collaborative interaction of the various activities will leverage expertise and resources like no other collaboration in the nation.

The John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University (www.glenninstitute.org) is a non-partisan interdisciplinary unit that prepares graduate students for careers in public service, and seeks to strengthen democracy through increased civic engagement, policy research and outreach. The School begins operations on July 1, 2006 as a merger of the long-standing School of Public Policy and Management and the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at OSU.

http://www.osu.edu/news/lvl2_news_story.php?id=1357

July 1, 200618 yr

District millions short

Schools at a loss after millage miscalculated

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Bill Bush, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

An error setting property tax millage to repay loans for new Columbus Public Schools buildings might end up costing district taxpayers more next year. The mistake has left the district $7.5 million short of what it needs to pay about $34 million in interest and principal this year on bonds sold to finance construction. District officials said yesterday that they have several options to plug the financial gap, but board members couldn’t arrive at a plan during a meeting.

Board of Education members discussed restructuring the $356 million in debt, allowing the district to delay millions of dollars in payments due in December in return for higher payments over the remaining 26 years of the life of the bonds. Another option would be to take an advance of $7.5 million from next year’s property-tax revenue and then raise taxes next year to pay it back. District Treasurer Michael Kinneer projects that would require 4.32 mills — 1.62 mills more than mistakenly charged on tax bills paid this year.

August 28, 200618 yr

From the 8/28/06 Dispatch:

Math- and science-focused school opens today

Monday, August 28, 2006

The new Metro High School, a partnership of Franklin County school districts, Ohio State University and Battelle, opens to students for the first time today.

Only freshmen — 104 of them — will attend the mathand science-focused school this year. Another grade of about 100 students will be added each year for the next three years.

Most students at Metro, 1929 Kenny Rd., come from 14 of the 16 school districts in Franklin County. Slots were distributed based on district populations; slots that Hamilton and Grandview Heights chose not to use were distributed to other districts.

Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/28/20060828-C5-08.html

August 29, 200618 yr

the most impressive part is that selected kids in 14/16 districts in the region can attend. that speaks loudly and well about the health of regional cooperation in central ohio. also, that they pulled it all together quickly.

September 12, 200618 yr

From SNP newspapers, 9/6/06:

Metro students say the school goes beyond expectations

The freshmen rode city buses, visiting locations to help create a map of Central Ohio.

By GARTH BISHOP

They were expecting it to be a great experience, but after their first week of classes, students at the Metro School are saying it has managed to exceed expectations. Though the 104 members of the freshman class at Metro spent much of last week taking the five sections of last year's Ohio Graduation Test, the week has been highlighted by teamwork, brainstorming and field studies that took students throughout Central Ohio.

Students spent most of Aug. 26 traveling from location to location on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses while learning about the city's metropolitan area. Some groups -- each with one faculty adviser and about 15 students -- visited a variety of locations, while others focused on just one or two locations.

Full article at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS9-6/9-6_allmetroschool.htm

September 22, 200618 yr

From the 9/20/06 Dispatch:

GRAPHIC: Decreasing enrollment

COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

District down 3,081 pupils

Charters, private-school voucher program behind decline in enrollment

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Jennifer Smith Richards and Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The exodus of Columbus Public Schools students to charter, private and suburban schools is on track to turn into a stampede this year. More than 2 1 /2 times as many district students have left at the start of this school year than the average enrollment drop of the past five years. And things could get worse, district officials said yesterday, because the number of students leaving has tended to increase by hundreds over the course of a school year. The district was down 3,081 students as of the 12 th day of the school year compared with the same day in 2005. In the past five school years, the district has lost an average of 1,160 students each year.

Read moe at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/20/20060920-A1-00.html

September 29, 200618 yr

From the 9/25/06 Dispatch:

CONSTRUCTION ZONE

Renovation, addition at historic East High School under way

Monday, September 25, 2006

Mike Pramik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

East High School’s basketball teams played on a small stage in the school’s auditorium for decades. They’ll be on a bigger stage in the future, although not one that’s elevated above the floor. Construction workers have begun clearing out the historic E. Broad Street building in a $25 million renovation expected to be completed by the 2008-09 school year. The key addition will be a 1,000-seat, 35,000-squarefoot gymnasium, which will be connected to the main building by a threestory atrium.

The plans for East include preserving the 135,000-square-foot main structure that was built in 1922 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building will get new windows, a new heating and cooling system, handicapped accessibility and better security with the addition of 50 cameras. The state’s original assessment for the site called for tearing down the building, but public outcry helped preserve it.

October 3, 200618 yr

From SNP newspapers, 9/27/06:

Officials blame enrollment drop on school closings

About 120 staff positions may need to be cut.

By GARTH BISHOP

Student enrollment for Columbus Public Schools has fallen much more than expected this year, and administrators are blaming school moves and closings. As of the 12th day of school this year, enrollment was down by 3,081 students -- nearly 600 more than the district's initial estimate of 2,500. If this significant drop in enrollment holds steady until the official enrollment count is taken at the beginning of October, 120 teaching positions could be cut in order to keep up with the reduced number of students, Superintendent Gene Harris told board members last week.

October 3, 200618 yr

Just disband the whole school system and get it over with. Privatize the whole thing and give vouchers! Time to wipe out the beurocracy.

October 3, 200618 yr

Just disband the whole school system and get it over with. Privatize the whole thing and give vouchers! Time to wipe out the beurocracy.

You don't think there would be beurocracy if education was a private enterprise?

October 3, 200618 yr

Just disband the whole school system and get it over with. Privatize the whole thing and give vouchers! Time to wipe out the beurocracy.

You don't think there would be beurocracy if education was a private enterprise?

Maybe not completely eliminated, but drastically reduced. On a federal level, there would still need to be standards and oversight, but on a state and local level...why bother? Just make sure that parents can make informed decisions about where they send thier kids. Give parents apples to apples comparisons of data on how well certain schools perform. Set up a mechanism for holding underperforming schools accountable. etc...

Common sensify the whole system and make it run like a business (competively).

October 8, 200618 yr

From the 10/4/06 Dispatch:

NUMBERS GAME

City schools avoiding layoffs

Superintendent cites need for safety in buildings

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Despite facing a larger-than-expected loss of 3,100 students so far this school year, Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Gene Harris switched course last night and advised against any immediate layoffs. At a meeting two weeks ago, Harris told the board that the district would have to eliminate about 120 positions and notify up to 60 employees, including teachers and nurses, in early October that they were being laid off. But citing the need for school buildings to be staffed properly for safety and stability, Harris said the district won’t lay off anybody now — and for the rest of this school year, she hopes.

October 25, 200618 yr

From the 10/15/06 Dispatch (LINK CONTAINS PHOTO GALLERIES):

GRAPHIC: New schools

Schools with class

City district’s massive building program starting to produce the goods

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Columbus Public Schools are rolling out what could prove to be one of their most potent weapons against losing students to charter schools — brand-new buildings. While many charter schools continue to struggle to find good homes, the city schools are putting the finishing touches on a string of new and revamped school buildings. Two opened this fall, and six more will open in January at a price of just over $54 million, part of a half-billion-dollar-plus project for which district voters approved a $392 million bond issue in 2002.

November 21, 200618 yr

From SNP newspapers, 11/1/06:

High-growth areas give school leaders reason for hope

By GARTH BISHOP

As enrollment falls in Columbus Public Schools, high-growth areas in the district continue to be monitored. Four areas on the outskirts of the Columbus school district have been identified as the fastest-growing, most of them in "Win-Win" areas where township land has been annexed into the city of Columbus and the boundaries have been adjusted to bring those families into Columbus Public Schools.

"Probably the largest so far has been out in the southwest, because there are more single-family (and) traditional homes out in that area," said Frank Habeker, supervisor of student assignment for the district. "I think the next greatest so far has been in the southeast area, down around Canal Winchester." The other two high-growth areas are the northeast corner of the district, west of New Albany, and the northwest corner, located near Hayden Run and Cosgray roads.

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