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Friday July 27, 2007 Volume 5, Issue 15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE 2. HELP NEEDED AT COUNTY FAIRS AND OHIO STATE FAIR 3. PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR SENIOR CITIZENS 4. NEW STATE BUDGET HELPS TOLEDO PUBLIC SCHOOLS 5. TWICE AS MANY STUDENTS TO GET SCHOOL VOUCHERS THIS YEAR 6. KNOWLEDGEWORKS STUDY: EARLY COLLEGE ACCESS IN OHIO 7. SENATOR SCHURING'S SCHOOL FUNDING PROPOSAL 8. WHAT GETS TESTED GETS TAUGHT 9. STUDY SHOWS PRE K PROGRAMS PAY FOR THEMSELVES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE There will be no statewide meeting in August. Mark your calendar, our next meeting is on September 8 from 11-2 in Columbus, at the First Congregational Church, 444 E Broad Street in Columbus. The focus of July meeting was on strategic planning for the next several years. In addition to input from those who are able to attend our meetings, we are designing a survey to get some ideas from everyone on our list. Look for an invitation to share your views with us in the coming weeks. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. HELP NEEDED AT COUNTY FAIRS AND OHIO STATE FAIR Help is needed to collect signatures for the school funding amendment at fair booths across the state. This is a great way to get out and talk to people in your community about school funding and also help with the effort. If you can you help with a booth at any of the county fairs listed below, please contact Bill Phillis or Cindy at 614-228-6540 or ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net. Ohio State Fair, August 1-12 Lucas County Fair, July 24-29 Greene County Fair, July 29-Aug 4 Pike County Fair, July 29-Aug 4 Columbiana County Fair, July 30-Aug 5 Champaign County Fair, Aug 3-10 Ross County Fair, Aug 4-11 Scioto County Fair, Aug 6-11 Mercer County Fair, Aug 7-13 Miami County Fair, Aug 10-16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR SENIOR CITIZENS The two-year state budget is in effect and senior citizens can take advantage of a property tax break on the first $25,000 of a home's value, without having to meet any income guidelines. Seniors must apply at their county auditor's office by Oct. 1, for a tax break in 2008. So far thousands of people have applied and phones have been ringing off the hook in county auditor's offices across Ohio. As a result of the expanded Homestead Exemption Program, schools and other agencies will receive less revenue from local property taxes, which will be reimbursed by the state. To read related articles, visit: 7/17 The Vindicator Mahoning Valley seniors gladly applying for tax break http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/297124561468053.php 7/17 Akron Beacon Journal Thousands of Seniors Taking Advantage of Property Tax Break http://www.ohio. 7/9 Chillicothe Gazette How well do you understand new property tax break? http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/NEWS01/707090301/1002 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. NEW STATE BUDGET HELPS TOLEDO PUBLIC SCHOOLS Toledo Public Schools will have an unexpected $18 million carry over to start the 2007-2008 school year. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, "The extra money comes from a combination of factors, including more state funding than expected and less funds than expected diverted to charter schools". Before the district's treasurer announced the new financial projections, the school board had prepared for a budget shortfall by cutting teaching positions. To read a related article, visit: 7/25 Toledo Blade Toledo Public Schools discovers $18.2M surplus for new year http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070725/NEWS04/70725001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. TWICE AS MANY STUDENTS TO GET SCHOOL VOUCHERS THIS YEAR The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported recently that it appears at least twice as many students as last year will start getting tax-funded vouchers for private-school tuition this fall. Almost 8,000 students statewide have applied for the state money. The Plain Dealer said based on last year's rates, at least 6,000 new students can be expected to be approved this year for renewable vouchers. About 2,900 students received vouchers last school year. The Toledo Blade reported in June that several private elementary schools in the Toledo area"doubled their tuition over last year, putting the 'cost of education' just under the maximum amount that the state will pay in taxpayer money for students coming from failing public schools." The state pays up to $4,250 for elementary school and $5,000 for high school under Ohio's voucher program. To read the article, visit: 7/20 The Cleveland Plain Dealer Number of Voucher Students in Ohio Likely to Double http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1184921125228810.xml&coll=2 Summary courtesy of CORAS http://www.coras.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. KNOWLEDGEWORKS STUDY: EARLY COLLEGE ACCESS IN OHIO In 1989, Ohio established the Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) to allow high school students the opportunity to enroll in college courses and receive both high school and college credit at no cost. A new report from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation examines the progress of Ohio’s Post Secondary Enrollment Options policy towards offering early college access to Ohio high school students by analyzing data on participation, access, success and cost. To read more, visit: http://www.kwfdn.org/enewsletter/primer/archived_issues/default.aspx?p_id=11 To read a related article, visit: 7/25 Columbus Dispatch Free college program not reaching minorities http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/07/25/tocollege.ART_ART_07-25-07_B1_IR7CD6E.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. SENATOR SCHURING'S SCHOOL FUNDING PROPOSAL The Canton Repository said today that State Senator Kirk Schuring plans to submit his Education Funding Reform proposal to the voters on the March 4, 2008 primary ballot. He will not be required to collect voter signatures, however he needs to secure the necessary votes in the Ohio Senate and House to get his initiative on the ballot. To make the March ballot, Schuring's proposal must be approved by 20 senators and 60 representatives (three-fifths of each chamber) by December 5, 2007, the Canton newspaper said. The Repository reported that Schuring said he waited to draft his school proposal until the Legislature passed and the governor signed the state's two-year budget, because his proposal will be based on the education funding in it; is convinced that, despite increases in state support, a new funding formula that reduces the reliance on property taxes is needed; and thinks he has a solution, dealing with primary, secondary and higher education, that will have the support of school and business organizations as well as lawmakers and the governor. Schuring said people can count on his proposal's being introduced as soon as possible, according to the Repository. To read the Canton Repository article visit: 7/27 The Independent Changes in school funding? http://www.indeonline.com/index.php?ID=18459&r=0&Category=1 7/17 Canton Repository Schuring eyes school plan for ballot in March 2008 http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=365400&Category=14&subCategoryID= Summary courtesy of CORAS http://www.coras.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. WHAT GETS TESTED GETS TAUGHT A new study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) confirms that students are spending more time on math and reading while having less time for science, social studies, art, music and physical education, subjects that aren't tested under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. The report says that of the districts reporting, elementary schools are spending on average 37 minutes more per day on reading, math or both since the NCLB law was passed. While 44 percent of the districts surveyed reported cutting time from one or more non-tested subjects in elementary school. On average, the cuts amounted to 30 minutes a day. About 25 percent of middle schools reported increasing time spent on reading or English. One in five said they increased time spent on math. The report found at the high school level, students have been taking more math and science coursework, which may be driven by state graduation requirements. The President of Washington-based CEP said, "Clearly what this is showing is, what schools are held accountable for is what they put the emphasis on." To read the report, visit: http://www.cep-dc.org/. Then click on the No Child Left Behind link on left side of screen. To read a related article, visit: 7/25 The Enquirer Left behind? In some subjects http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070725/NEWS0102/707250409/1077/COL02 Summary courtesy of CORAS http://www.coras.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. STUDY SHOWS PRE K PROGRAMS PAY FOR THEMSELVES High-quality pre-k can begin to pay for itself within one year, says the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank that analyzed effects of universal programs as well as those targeted at low-income children. Targeted programs would provide enough benefits to cover Connecticut's costs within one year and cover costs in Minnesota, Kentucky and West Virginia within three years, said Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation. Universal programs may take longer, though West Virginia would see a positive net benefit within six years and most state programs would pay for themselves within a decade due to lower special education costs and lower retention rates. "Pre-K investment is a no lose proposition for every state," said Robert Lynch, the report's author. The institute has a detailed breakdown of projected benefits by state. More information is at http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/book_enriching_state_facts. Summary courtesy of "Pre-K Primer" a service of the Center for Public Education http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org |
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Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, 94 Columbus Road Athens, Ohio 45701 Tel. (740)592-2866 Fax (740)593-5451 |
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