"Build a Model for School Funding that Doesn't Include Levies"

The above is a quote from John Pennycuff of Cincinnati, former president of the Ohio School Boards Association, in response to how school funding could be improved. Mr. Pennycuff grew up in Indiana, where school levies do not exist. Can you imagine? No school levy campaigns! It is possible. However, that is not necessarily on the radar for Ohio at this time.
Barbara Mattei-Smith, a veteran of the school funding conundrum since before the DeRolph case (http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2055), gathered with eighteen members of the Ohio School Board Association board of trustees from all across the state this morning in Columbus to discuss possibilities in regard to school funding. Mattei-Smith defined the overarching goal as "Preparing children so they leave their k-12 education ready for the next stage of life - be that post-secondary educaion, a career, etc." She named three principles which will be followed in reaching that goal: 1) Student-centered, recognizing different needs (ESL, special ed, gifted, etc.) 2) Resources must get to classroom (classroom is broadly defined) 3) Resources must recognize multiple systems of delivery (traditional, online, charter, ESC, voc ed, etc.)
Top Ten Key Issues raised in response, by various members of the Board:
1) Early childhood education is key. It is not enough to have k-12 education. Even extreme fiscal conservatives note that research demonstrates a cost-savings - when money is invested into very young children, much more money is saved later.
2) Unfunded mandates need to be severely limited. These are difficult for school districts.
3) There is a sense of partisan politics wreaking havoc on education from all sides.
4) Competition results in winners and losers - and do we want any of our children to be losers? (this is a quote from Diane Ravitch)
5) Labor unions have made concessions in order to balance education budgets (via Bob Vasquez, with Toledo public)
6) Local schools are funded for students who then go to charter or private schools, and the local schools end up paying more than what they are given from the state, resulting in a net loss for the district.
7) Inflationary growth should be added into the model.
8) The model will not be perfect, and should include a mechanism for continued monitoring regardless of which political party is in control in Columbus - continuity is key.
9) Foreign language should be taught in elementary school.
10) Schools should have longer days, and more days in school. This is what is happening in other countries.

This is plenty of food for thought for now. Ms. Mattei-Smith agreed to take the ideas of the Board under consideration, and return with a model for school funding. I will keep working and keep everyone posted. And as always, comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged.

Thoughts Between Meetings

The April meeting was held later than usual due to the National School Boards Association conference; the May meeting is a few weeks away. I thought I would offer up some current information in relation to the ESC and to OSBA (Ohio School Boards Association).

First of all, a name change is coming. It was planned for this summer, but because we do not yet know what our new role will be and what statute will require under Gov. Kasich, we are postponing it until January. The planned name was the ESC of Lake Erie West, to better express our services across the region. We will see if this is the final name, or if it needs to be amended.

Secondly, I learned a great deal at the NSBA conference, as always ~ one topic we covered was "School Board Self-Assessment." While our board functions well (I was naively shocked at some of the horror stories I heard from other boards), having this protocol in place would protect against future issues. I have been tasked with looking into possibilities for self-assessment, and will report back at the May meeting.

At the state level, there is of course a brouhaha over SB-5. As a Board, the ESC passed a resolution against SB-5, (4-0, with Joe Rutherford absent). While the OSBA has offered proponent testimony, the outcry from school board members, including officers and the Board of Trustees, was significant. OSBA is not supportive on SB-5 as it is currently written.

This weekend I will attend the Board Leadership Institute in Columbus, where more information will be gathered. There is much more going on, but these are some salient highpoints as we head into the summer of 2011. As always, questions, comments, and ideas are welcomed. Meeting dates are listed on the ESC website at the following link: http://www.lucas.k12.oh.us/index.php?section=125
The public is invited to attend.

New President to take helm; Meeting dates set for 2011

On January 18th, we conducted our organizational meeting and the first regular meeting of the year ~ a week later than originally planned, due to imclement weather. At the organizational meeting, officers were elected: Karen Krause, President, and Michael Dansack, Vice-President. Additionally, we set the meeting dates and times through August, all of which will take place at the Collingwood Center, 2275 Collingwood in the new conference room. The dates and times follow: 2/8, 5:30 PM; 3/8, 5:30 PM; 4/19, 5 PM; 5/10, 5 PM; 6/14, 5 PM; 7/12, 5 PM; and 8/9, 5 PM. This information will be posted on the website, to keep the public informed ~ as always, the public is always welcome at these meetings, and there is an opportunity for the public to speak and ask questions or offer insights.