Monday December 17, 2007 Volume 5, Issue 25
This is the last issue of WHAT’S UP WITH SCHOOL FUNDING for this year. Look forward to Volume 6, Issue 1 in 2008.
Happy Holidays!
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1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
2. SENATOR SCHURING UNVEILS SCHOOL FUNDING PROPOSAL
3. TWO NEW BILLS: NO STRIKING AND NO PADDLING
4. UPDATE ON THE OHIO YOUTH AGENDA
5. MORE ABOUT VALUE ADDED
6. RFQ TO STUDY OPERATION AND OVERSIGHT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
7. VOUCHERS REJECTED IN OTHER STATES
8. STATEWIDE OPEN ENROLLMENT POLICIES
9. TEACHER EXPERIENCE MATTERS MOST
10. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
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1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Mark your calendar; our next statewide meeting is on Thursday, January 10 from 11-2 in Columbus, at the First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad Street in Columbus.
We have an exciting fundraising opportunity for the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign through the Kroger Giving Program. If you choose to help, it costs you nothing, but you will be contributing to help fix school funding in Ohio. Kroger will donate 5% of all of your purchases, including gasoline, to the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign. This could be huge. All you have to do is purchase a Kroger Gift Card from us for $5 (it will have $5 credit on the card) and use this card every time you shop at Kroger. You can use it at any Kroger store. You pay nothing extra for your items.
If 100 people spend an average of $200 per month at Kroger, the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign will receive $1,000 each month. This would help to sustain our work throughout Ohio. Please order your card today!
To get started with your card, please call the office (740) 592-2866 or e-mail Debbie: Debbie@ohiofairschools.org
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2. SENATOR SCHURING UNVEILS SCHOOL FUNDING PROPOSAL
A new school funding proposal has been introduced by State Senator Kirk Schuring. According to recent news articles, Schuring’s proposal would fund schools using 59.6 percent of income tax receipts; 71.2 percent of sales and use tax receipts; 70 percent of the Commercial Activity Tax; 25.4 percent of the Kilowatt-hour Tax; and 100 percent of Lottery profits.
With each of these sources earmarked for education, Schuring expects the state share for school funding to grow as tax revenues grow, and therefore reducing the pressure on local districts to raise property taxes. “With more money going to school districts, there will be less of a burden on local property taxes,” Schuring said. However, there isn’t anything in the bill that calls for a reduction in local property taxes.
Bill Phillis, of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding remains skeptical. In a recent e-mail, Bill stated: “ This proposal is an attempt to merely earmark some revenue streams for public education. This amendment does not compete with the school funding amendment crafted by the major statewide education organizations. The two proposals differ completely in that SJR 4 earmarks certain taxes for education and the statewide education organizations’ amendment establishes a process to identify, cost out and fund high quality educational opportunities for all students. The introduction of SJR 4 should serve to arouse a more vigorous effort to collect signatures for the school funding amendment.
Schuring wants the proposal on the November 2008 ballot. Each chamber of the Legislature must pass the measure with a three-fifths majority to get it onto the ballot. To read the resolution (SJR 4) visit: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/ResolutionText127/127_SJR_4_I_N.html
To read a related article, visit:
12/11 The Advocate
School funding plan worth a look
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071211/OPINION01/712110343/1014/OPINION
12/9 The Times-Reporter
School funding amendment gathers support
http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=76409&r=2
12/5 Canton Repository
Schuring’s school-funding plan raises questions
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=390078&r=0&Category=9&subCategoryID=0
12/4 The Independent
Sen. wants his school funding plan on Nov. ballot
http://www.indeonline.com/index.php?ID=22519&r=0&Category=
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3. TWO NEW BILLS: NO STRIKING AND NO PADDLING
Two new bills introduced in the Ohio House and Senate would ban teacher strikes and corporal punishment (paddling). Rep. Williams and Rep. Jon Peterson introduced House Bill 406 to prohibit corporal punishment in schools. Ohio is one of 21 states that permit corporal punishment, which is permitted in just 17 of Ohio's 614 school districts.
Senator Carey introduced SB 264 which if enacted would prohibit classroom teachers employed by boards of education from striking and instead require binding arbitration to settle their unresolved collective bargaining disputes. Ohio is one of 13 states where teacher strikes still legal.
To read the bills visit, http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm#bill_keyword and enter the bill number into the search box.
To read related articles, visit:
12/11 Dayton Daily News
Strickland supports paddling ban
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/12/10/ddn121107spank.html
12/6 The Plain Dealer
GOP senator's bill would ban teacher strikes
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1196934183315550.xml&coll=2
12/5 Akron Beacon Journal
Ohio proposal seeks ban on teacher strikes
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=265191&c=y
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4. UPDATE ON THE OHIO YOUTH AGENDA
On December 4 students from rural, urban, and suburban schools gathered in Columbus to create the 2008 Ohio Youth Agenda. A year ago, a similar event was held to launch the project, but there was a striking difference between this and last years’ events. Last year’s event was organized by the adults involved. This year, students took the lead in facilitating small group discussions to revise the 2007 Ohio Youth Agenda.
Jonathan Lykes, a youth organizer with the project and Michael Charney, Director of the project each wrote a report, offering their own unique perspectives of the event. Visit our website to read about the 2008 Ohio Youth Agenda and to see photos from the event, visit: http://www.ohiofairschools.org/students/youthagenda/2008.htm
A revised 2008 Ohio Youth Agenda will be available at the beginning of the new year. Students and teachers that want to get involved with the Ohio Youth Agenda can contact Michael Charney, mailto:michaelctu@aol.com, to find out more.
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5. MORE ABOUT VALUE ADDED
In the last issue of WHAT’S UP WITH SCHOOL FUNDING we included a piece about different methods for measuring students’ academic progress. Since then, several articles have appeared in local newspapers about Ohio’s new method for showing students’ academic growth, which is called “Value-Added”.
Last week, the Ohio Department of Education released value-added data in math and reading for students in grades four through eight for the 2006-07 school year. The Value-Added data measures individual students' progress over time rather than comparing overall performance. ODE uses 3 colors to designate students’ progress at each school. A school with a green designation means students showed more than one year of progress, a yellow designation means students showed one year of progress and a red designation means students showed less one year of progress. To data is posted on
Value-Added data is posted on the ODE website: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1&ContentID=41683&Content=41697 To find the data, go to the power user reports. Value-added data can be found in the “Ratings” folder.
To read related articles, visit:
12/16 Salem News
State releases value-added school scores
http://www.salemnews.net/News/articles.asp?articleID=9118
12/15 Coshocton Tribune
Districts have mixed reactions to state's new Value-Added measurements
http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071215/NEWS01/712150303/1002
12/7 The Plain Dealer
Add value to Ohio children's education
http://www.cleveland.com/editorials/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1197020485287340.xml&coll=2
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6. RFQ TO STUDY OPERATION AND OVERSIGHT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
The Partnership for Continued Learning, chaired by Governor Strickland, is required through 126-HB 79 to conduct a study of the operation and oversight of Ohio's community/charter schools and the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program. The Partnership released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on December 5, 2007 to solicit proposals from those interested in conducting this study, which is to be completed by March 30, 2008. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 28, 2007. Information about the RFQ is available at http://www.pcl.ohio.gov/jcore/pcl/HomeContent.jsp
Summary courtesy of Joan Platz
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7. VOUCHERS REJECTED IN OTHER STATES
The November 2007 issue of The Leaders Edge, published by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), reported on the November 6 th defeat of the proposed school voucher in Utah. Voters rejected the program, which had been passed by the legislature and sent to the election ballot by the courts, by a margin of 62% to 37%. "It thus joins the long and distinguished line of voucher programs that have been continuously rejected at the polls, almost all of which by more than a two-thirds majority," AASA said. The list of voucher issues rejected by the voters include:
1970 Nebraska Tuition Reimbursement, Rejected 57 percent - 43 percent
1972 Maryland Voucher Program, Rejected 55 percent - 45 percent
1978 Michigan Voucher Program, Rejected 74 percent - 26 percent
1981 Washington, D.C., Tuition Tax Credit, Rejected 89 percent - 11 percent
1990 Oregon Tuition Tax Credit, Rejected 67 percent - 33 percent
1992 Colorado Voucher Program, Rejected 67 percent - 33 percent
1993 California Voucher Program, Rejected 70 percent - 30 percent
2000 California Voucher Program, Rejected 71 percent - 29 percent
2000 Michigan Voucher Program, Rejected 69 percent - 31 percent
2007 Utah Voucher Program, Rejected 62 percent - 37 percent
Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org
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8. STATEWIDE OPEN ENROLLMENT POLICIES
Reading City School District is considering open enrollment to help increase revenues in hopes of eliminating the need to ask residents for a levy in 2008. An open enrollment district allows students from other school districts to attend school there without paying tuition. State aid that follows students to their new districts helps to bolster revenue for schools that allow open enrollment. The Ohio Department of Education has created a map that shows open enrollment status for district statewide, for the 2006-2007 school year. To view the map, visit: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/DocumentManagement/DocumentDownload.aspx?DocumentID=23237
To read related articles, visit:
12/5 Cincinnati Enquirer
New policy could cut school tax in Reading
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071205/NEWS0102/712050326/1058/NEWS01
12/4 Cincinnati Enquirer
Open enrollment for Reading?
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/NEWS01/312040051
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9. TEACHER EXPERIENCE MATTERS MOST
A new report by researchers at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy says teacher experience, and not advanced degrees, has a greater effect on how well students succeed.
The REPORT TO THE JOINT TASK FORCE ON BASIC EDUCATION FINANCE: School Employee Compensation and Student Outcomes, issued December 1st said, "In the first few years on the job, a teacher gains considerably in her or his ability to improve the academic performance of students." The researchers found a dramatic improvement in student achievement between one and five years of teacher experience and a more gradual boost in the years following. Student achievement was mostly tracked through scores on standardized reading or math tests. An analysis of studies concerning teachers getting graduate degrees found the degrees seemed to have little or no impact on student outcomes.
The report makes a preliminary recommendation that any changes in the way teachers are paid should emphasize financial rewards for experience rather than higher pay for teachers with graduate degrees. To read the report, visit: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/07-12-2201.pdf
Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org
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10. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
The Coming Up Taller Awards, administered by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, recognize and reward excellence in after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs for underserved children and youth. Fifteen programs are selected annually to receive a $10,000 award. Programs initiated by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, universities, arts centers, community service organizations, schools, and government entities are encouraged to apply. To be eligible, programs must have been in operation for a minimum of five years. The nomination deadline is January 31, 2008. For program details and nomination guidelines, visit: http://www.cominguptaller.org/
Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning, a program of Inspiration Software, offers support for professional development activities for educators in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities who champion the integration of visual learning into the curriculum. Visual learning is a proven method in which ideas, concepts, and data are associated with images and represented graphically. Eight scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded in each of three categories: Inspiration, InspireData, and Kidspiration. Scholarships must be used to purchase classroom technology or to participate in professional development activities that focus on visual learning and technology. The application deadline is January 25, 2008. For program details and application guidelines, visit: http://www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholarship&CFID=31974429&CFTOKEN=4414691
The United States Institute of Peace (http://www.usip.org/) established the National Peace Essay Contest to expand educational opportunities for America's youth. The topic for the 2007-08 competition is "Natural Resources and Conflict." Students in 9-12 grades are asked to write a 1,500-word essay stating what they believe are the necessary elements for the development of fair, peaceful, or effective use of natural resources after a conflict. First-place state-level winners are awarded $1,000 each and compete for national awards. National awards include one first-place award of $10,000; one second-place award of $5,000; and one third-place award of $2,500. First-place state winners are also invited to Washington, D.C., for the awards program. Visit the USIP Web site for complete program information and entry procedures, http://www.usip.org/ed/npec/index.html
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