The mission of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign is to organize and advocate for high quality public education opportunities for all Ohio children wherever they live, whatever their race and whatever their family background.
TO:      LWVO
FROM:      Joan Platz,
Education Update for October 8, 2007

***The deadline to register to vote for the November 6, 2007 general election is October 9, 2007.  Applications for absentee ballots may be requested online from your board of elections, by phoning your board of elections, or may be picked-up at local libraries.  The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Saturday, November 3, 2007 at noon.  An absentee ballot must be returned to your board of elections by 7:30 PM on the date of the election.  A ballot postmarked by that date, but not delivered to the board of elections until after that date, will not be counted.

1)  127th General Assembly: 
The Ohio House and Senate will be holding sessions and committee hearings this week.

*The Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, chaired by Senator Cates, will meet on October 9, 2007 at 10:00 AM in the South Hearing Room.  The committee will hear testimony on several bills, including sponsor testimony on SCR9 (Stivers) - Community Theatre Month, which would proclaim April as Community Theatre Month, to recognize the importance of community theatre in our society.

*The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Dolan, will meet on October 9, 2007 a 1:00 PM in room 313.  The committee will hear testimony on several bills, including sponsor testimony on HB133 (Hughes) - Business Internships, which would grant tax credits to businesses that provide internships to students in Ohio colleges.

*The House Education Committee chaired by Representative Setzer will meet on October 9, 2007 at 4:00 PM in room 116.  The committee will hear testimony on the following bills:

-Pending referral - legislation regarding the Praxis III exam.
-HB271 (Patton) - Remedial coursework, which requires school districts to guarantee institution of higher education that their graduates will not require remedial coursework in specified subjects, or the district will cover the cost for remediation.
-HB254 (Peterson) Student nutrition, which establishes the Ohio Child Wellness Advisory Council, to establish nutritional standards for certain foods and beverages sold in public and chartered nonpublic schools.

*The Senate Education Committee chaired by Senator Padgett will meet on October 9, 2007 at 4:00 PM in the North Hearing Room.  The committee will hear a presentation on the Achieve Report from the superintendent of public instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman.  The committee will also hear testimony on SCR 18 (Padgett) - changes for Ohio's school accountability system - pending referral, and HB190 (Hite) - elementary achievement tests, which would provide additional time for school districts and charter schools to administer state achievement tests.   A vote on a substitute bill is possible.

*The Capitol Square Review Advisory Board (CSRAB), William Carleton executive director and Gregg Dodd deputy director for communications, education, and events, unveiled this past week a new website for the Ohio Statehouse called "Come into the People's House."  The new site features enhanced educational components for the general public, media, teachers, and students; an events calendar; improved navigability; and information about services, events, history, and the operations of the Ohio General Assembly.  The updated website is available at www.ohiostatehouse.org.

2)  110th Congress: 
President Bush vetoed on October 3, 2007 the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act - HR 976 (SCHIP).  SCHIP provides eligible families health coverage for their children.  The bipartisan legislation increases funding to expand health coverage to more children.  Advocates for the legislation expect that there will be a vote to override the veto.  The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override a veto, but the House may be short.

In the meantime, several states are taking legal action against the Bush administration's new rules for SCHIP.  The rules were released in August 2007 by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and affect the ability of states to expand the program to cover more children.  Joining in the lawsuit so far are New York, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, Arizona, California and New Hampshire.

Ohio lawmakers recently expanded eligibility under SCHIP in the current budget (Am. Sub. HB 119 - Dolan) by proposing an amendment, which must be approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

3)  State Board of Education to Meet:  
The State Board of Education, Jennifer Sheets president, will meet on October 8-9, 2007 at the Ohio School for the Deaf, 500 Morse Road, Columbus, OH.

The State Board's Quality Middle and High Schools and School Funding subcommittees, met on October 7, 2007.

The Executive Committee, chaired by Jennifer Sheets, will begin its meeting at 8:30 AM on October 8, 2007.

The Capacity Committee, Rob Hovis and Jane Sonenshein co-chairs, and the Achievement Committee, Michael Cochran and Ann Womer Benjamin co-chairs, will meet at 9:00 AM.

The Capacity Committee will discuss Rule 3301-23-44 (Temporary Licenses); Rule 3301-24-09 (Performance Based Licensure for Administrators); Rule 3301-44-09 (Post Secondary Enrollment Options); Rules 3301-48-01 and 02 (Open Enrollment); and discuss principal evaluation system, definition and criteria for Master Teacher, and hear an update on Board Approved Priority 7 - Creating a World - Class Education System.

The Achievement Committee will discuss and approve a resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-04-01, (State Board Meeting Notice), a resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-51 (Operating Standards for Children with Disabilities), discuss Rule 3301-51-15 (Gifted Education); discuss Chapter 3301-17 (accurate reporting of data), and receive an update on Physical Education Standards and Board Approved Priority 7 - Creating a World Class Education System.

The full Board will convene at 10:45 AM in the Conference Center to hear a presentation on Rules 3301-51 - Operating Standards for Children with Disabilities, and a System for School Leadership.  The Board will break for lunch at noon.

The Board will convene at 1:00 PM to hear an update on initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).  At 2:00 PM the Board will discuss HB9 - Model Public Records Policy.  Legislative liaisons, John Bender and Carl Wick, will then provide an update on State and Federal legislation, and the chairs of the Executive, Achievement, and Capacity Committees will provide an update of their work to the full Board.  The Board will then review two written reports - Ohio School for the Blind/Ohio School for the Deaf New Facility Status Report, and the Quarterly Budget Report, and resolutions to be considered during their business meeting on October 9, 2007.

At 3:45 PM Board members will provide updates on committee and subcommittee work.  The Board will then adjourn at 4:30 PM.

The subcommittee for Education in the New Global Economy (EDGE), chaired by Colleen Grady and Steve Millett, will meet from 4:45 to 6:30 PM.

On October 9, 2007 the State Board of Education's meeting will begin at 8:30 AM with a policy discussion "Higher Achievement for All Students."  The business meeting will begin at 10:45 AM, and the Board will immediately convene into executive session.

Following lunch at noon, the Board will reconvene its business meeting at 1:00 PM.   The Board will hear the report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, public participation on agenda items, and take action on 13 personnel items and the resolutions included below.  The Board will then accept public participation on non-agenda items and adjourn.  The next State Board of Education meeting is November 12-13, 2007.

State Board of Education Agenda for October 9, 2007.

4 - Resolution of Intent to amend Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rules 3301-02-01-03; 05; 09; and 11 (Personal Information Systems) and adopt Rules 3301-02-13 (Contact if Unauthorized Access of Personal Information Occurs).

5 - Resolution of Intent to amend OAC Rule 3301-04-01, (Notice of Meeting).

6 - Resolution of Intent to amend OAC Rules 3301-24-05 (Licensure).

7 - Resolution of Intent to rescind and adopt new OAC Rules 3301-51-01 and 3301-51-09 and rescind and adopt new Rule 3301-51-11 (Operating Standards for Children with Disabilities).

8 - Resolution to adopt Master Teacher Definition of Section 3319.61 (F) (5) of the Revised Code.

9 - Resolution to adopt a recommendation to the General Assembly to eliminate the January 1, 1997 deadline for city/county educational service centers' contracts to be in effect, thereby allowing funding for agreements that have been in place since that date.

20 - Resolution to approve the 2002 EHOVE Joint Vocational District Board of Education's Resolution modifying its plan to reflect the merger of the Erie, Huron, and Ottawa County Boards of Education into the Erie, Huron, Ottawa Educational Service Center, and reallocate the seats on the EHOVE Board of Education.

21-  Resolution to adopt a Public Records Policy pursuant to Section 149.43(E)(1) of the Ohio Revised Code.

For more information about the State Board of Education meetings, please visit http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE ODEPrimary.aspx?page=2&TopicRelationID=574

4)  Education News Briefs:

*The October 1, 2007 issue of "State Budgeting Matters" by Dick Sheridan discusses higher education funding and the changes in the recently approved FY08-09 state budget (Am. Sub. HB 119 - Dolan) that affect institutions of higher education.  Visit http://www.communitysolutions.com/ for more information.

*The Ohio Department of Education, Office of Career-Technical and Adult Education, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents, will hold hearings in October on a draft of Ohio's five year plan for career-technical education.  All states are required by the federal Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 to develop plans in five areas for career-technical education:  Program Administration, Special Populations, Accountability/Evaluation, Tech Prep and Financial Requirements.  A draft of Ohio's plan will be shared and public comment taken during the hearings.  The hearings will be held from 9:00 AM to noon at the following locations:

Oct. 22 - Barberton High School (Theatre), 555 Barber Road, Barberton;
Oct. 23 - Vanguard-Sentinel Technology Center (W. David Carr Auditorium/Lecture lab), 1220 Cedar Street, Fremont;
Oct. 24 - Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (Conference Center, third floor of main building), 3520 Central Parkway, Cincinnati;
Oct. 25 - Delaware Area Career Center, South Campus (LGIA Room), 4565 Columbus Pike, Delaware; and
Oct. 26 - Shawnee State University (Clark Memorial Library, Flohr Lecture Hall, first floor), 940 Second Street, Portsmouth.

For more information and directions to the hearings, please visit www.ode.state.oh.us and keyword search: Perkins IV.

*Included in the state's biennial budget (Am. Sub. HB 119) was a requirement for school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools to complete a survey regarding the provision of physical education in grades kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years.  This survey has been distributed to Ohio's schools and must be completed by October 31, 2007.  The results will be shared with the Ohio General Assembly to inform policies regarding physical education instruction.

*The eighth annual Ohio School Improvement Institute will be held November 15-16, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio.  This year the institute will focus on middle and high school transformation. Scheduled speakers include First Lady Frances Strickland; Susan Tave Zelman, superintendent of public instruction; Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents; and representatives of the KnowledgeWorks and Hope Foundations.  The institute will feature more than 60 breakout sessions and 30 roundtable discussions.  The registration deadline is November 2, 2007.   For more information please visit the Ohio Department of Education's website at www.ode.state.oh.us.

*The Ohio Department of Education announced on October 5, 2007 that 194 schools will be recognized this year as Schools of Promise. These are schools that met or exceeded state standards in either reading, mathematics, or both for all groups of students, and also had a poverty rate of more than 40 percent.  There was an increase in the number of schools that qualified this year for this recognition, from 117 in 2006 to 194 in 2007.  The number of districts represented also increased from 71 districts to 116.

5)  New Study on Charter Schools Released: 
"Achievement and Behavior in Charter Schools: Drawing a More Complete Picture" by Scott A. Imberman (September 2007) includes the results of a study of the impact of charter schools in a large urban school district on student discipline, attendance, and retentions compared to test scores. According to the abstract of the study, "Using individual fixed-effects analyses I find that charter schools generate improvements in student behavior and attendance but the effects on test scores differ by subject. While I find evidence of selection into charter schools based on changes in outcomes, these results change little after applying interrupted panel strategies. Using Kyriazidou's (1997) estimator, I also find that the results are robust to adjustments for endogenous attrition. Finally, I find little evidence that charter schools generate long-term benefits if students return to non-charter schools."

To read this study please visit http://www.ncspe.org/list-papers.php

6)  SBE Subcommittees meet:

*The State Board of Education's School Funding Subcommittee, chaired by Virgil Brown, met on October 2, 2007 at the State Library in Columbus.  The subcommittee has been reviewing the historical and current methods for financing Ohio's public schools, and reviewing "options" that the State Board of Education may select to address specific school funding issues.  The subcommittee expects to complete its work in time to include its school funding recommendation in the State Board of Education's legislative and budget recommendations for FY10-11.

At the October 2, 2007 meeting Kelly Weir, Paolo DeMaria, and Barbara Mattei-Smith led a discussion of the history of the state base cost amount, and how it is currently being determined, including an explanation of the Building Blocks methodology.  In the afternoon the subcommittee discussed how much the state spends for education compared to other state budget responsibilities, the rate of growth in state funding, revenue options, and how Ohio's tax policies compare with other states.

During the morning discussion the subcommittee reviewed the history of the base cost amount starting in FY94 when the base cost amount was $1835.  The base cost is the amount of state and local revenue that is available to educate the typical student.  School districts and charter schools receive additional funds to support special education, gifted education, transportation, poverty based assistance, etc.  Currently the base cost is $5,565 and will increase to $5,732 in FY09.  The subcommittee then reviewed the following options A-G regarding base cost:

A - Make no changes in the current system regarding the base cost, but provide some sort of inflationary increase.
B - Conduct a new study utilizing one or a combination of methodologies, such as professional judgment, successful schools, and evidence based.
C - Modify the current method by changing the building blocks or adding to the building blocks.
D - Add or modify features that impact the total base cost determination by analyzing district characteristics such as cost of doing business or enrollment.
E - Eliminate the base cost and adopt a unit-based formula or a school funding formula based on the needs of each district.
F - Establish an incremental method of increased funding based and see if performance improves.
G- Tie increases in the base cost to increases in statewide or district performance.

Other options may be proposed as the subcommittee continues its discussion.  One interesting discussion centered around how state funds would be determined and distributed if the base cost was eliminated, and school districts and schools received state funds based on individualized formulas.

The subcommittee also reviewed the percentage of state funds allocated for education, the rate of growth in state funds, tax policies and education, and how Ohio's tax policies compare with other states.  In recent years the percentage of the state budget dedicated to education has remained stable, although the amount of funds raised through the lottery has decreased from sixteen percent in the 1990s to eight percent in 2006-07.  The subcommittee then reviewed and discussed the following options A-K regarding the percentage of state revenue and sources of state revenue for education:

A - Make no change.  Leave the current system alone.  The state would provide funding through computed formulas from a combination of General Revenue and Lottery funds.
B - Fund education 100 percent with state funds.  This option could lead to a statewide property tax in order to capture the capacity of the property tax to raise funds.
C - Earmark certain taxes or the percentage of revenue raised through certain taxes for education.  This option is included in a school funding proposal developed by Ohio Senator Schuring.
D - Increase the income tax and direct the increased revenues to education.  The General Assembly has consistently reduced the income tax over recent years.  In FY08 the income tax will generate $9.1 billion.  It would require an increase of over 10 percent to raise another $1 billion.
E - Increase the sales tax and direct the increased revenue to education.  Ohio's current state rate is 5.5 percent.  A one cent increase in the sales tax generates over $1 billion.
F - Enact a statewide property tax.  This option could reduce the inequity in the distribution of property wealth and revenue raised through property wealth.
G - Tax only new business property at the state level to equalize the distribution of property wealth in the state.
H - Develop other specialized sources of revenue, such as gambling. This option has a problem because specialized sources typically raise a small amount of revenue, raise constitutional questions, and are politically charged.
I - Increase the CAT tax for education.  The Commercial Activity Tax is being phased in to replace the Corporate Franchise Tax.  In the recently approved budget (HB 119 - Dolan) 70 percent of the CAT was earmarked for education starting in FY 2019 to compensate for the phase-out of the tangible personal property tax.
J - Adopt a tax package that would increase in response to some trigger, such as performance.
K - Adopt a triggered percentage increase or growth increase in base cost or other funding component.

Again, there may be other options or combinations of options that the subcommittee eventually develops.  At this time subcommittee members agreed to continue discussions, and think about eliminating certain options.

*The State Board of Education's Subcommittee on Education in the New Global Economy (EDGE), chaired by Colleen Grady and Steve Millett, also met on October 2, 2007.  Dr. Steve Millett explained that the subcommittee has adopted the acronym EDGE, which stands for Education in the New Global Economy.  The subcommittee agreed to the following charge:

"The task of the Subcommittee is to engage industry, businesses of all sizes, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, government, institutions of post-secondary education, and the general public to identify the knowledge and skills required by Ohio students to be better prepared and more productive in the highly competitive environment of the new global economy from the present to 2020.  The subcommittee shall provide the State Board of Education with policy recommendations and an implementation plan addressing standards, assessment and student achievement designed to improve the economic competitiveness of Ohio students."

The subcommittee agreed that it would make an interim report to the State Board in June 2008 and final recommendations by December 2008.

During the discussion members of the subcommittee agreed to clarify and define terms, such as global economy and globalization, and identify economic and demographic trends and issues that will impact student preparation for the future.  Members also recommended involving the Ohio School Boards Association, Career-Technical Advisory Councils, business advisory councils, the Ohio Department of Development, Business Roundtable, economists, and others to help gather primary data on Ohio employment needs for the future.  During the discussion subcommittee members also cautioned about not forgetting the importance of creativity, innovation, and cultural understanding in developing the knowledge and skills for the future, and making sure that creative endeavors such as the arts and music are not eliminated.

The EDGE subcommittee will meet next on October 8, 2007 at 4:45 PM at the Ohio School for the Deaf.

7)  Bills Introduced:

-HB336 (Dyer) Absentee Voter's Ballots.  Permits absentee voter's ballots and armed service absentee voter's ballots contained in envelopes that are postmarked prior to election day to be counted if received within ten days after election.

-HB341 (Dodd) Nutritional/agricultural education.  Establishes the healthy farms and healthy school grant program for the purpose of providing grants to schools to establish nutrition education and agricultural education programs for kindergartners.

-HB342 (Peterson) Child Care. Revises the law governing child care.


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